Everything from CRM software to word processors and spreadsheets is now delivered as services. It’s about time that more security vendors do the same.

Next month, security vendor Webroot, best known for its anti-spyware software, will be offering a service that Web and malware filtering as a service. The new, yet-to-be- named service will be an extension of the company’s current e-mail filtering service.

The new service will direct customer Web traffic through Webroot data centers. There, the traffic will be filtered and blacklisted URLs and Web-based attacks can be screened out and eliminated.

The benefits of these types of services is that there are no servers to install, no database of threats and signatures to update every day, and the service can act as a first line of defense before traffic ever reaches the client-side antivirus and spyware software.

This delivery method also eliminates ongoing management burdens associated with conventional software: software enhancements, patch updates, and security signatures -- are all centrally managed. And the theory goes that IT and security managers save time and can focus more energy on keeping their infrastructure secure, and less on managing security software itself.

The first security company to combine security and on-demand services was Qualys, with its on-demand vulnerability scanning and remediation service. It’s good to finally see more security vendors join the party, and I’ll bet this space gets increasingly crowded in the next few years. More information on the Webroot news is available here.