According to the web security and WAN optimisation security vendor, the first subscription module for the cloud service with a Web Security Module.
This approach, says the firm, brings Blue Coat's enterprise-class technology to a broader group of organisations and provides real-time web protection that can be managed and deployed from anywhere in the world to protect users on a global basis.
Currently in beta testing and with a gameplan of being launched in April, Cloud Service will be aimed at SMBs and tap the company's WebPulse service, which has a claimed user base of more than 70 million users worldwide.
Plans call for the new service to be modular, meaning that, as new services are added, they will become available to customers without the need for new hardware or software upgrades, the firm says.
Announcing the cloud plans, Jim Vogt, Blue Coat's general manager of cloud business, said that the rapid evolution of web-based threats, coupled with a shift in organisational structure, demands a security solution that can respond in real-time to protect all users, all the time, anywhere.
"The Blue Coat Cloud Service does just that, extending the reach of our enterprise-class leading Web security technology to all organisations", he explained.
Pricing on the new service will start at $12 per user per year, based on the number of subscribers.