Anna Kournikova virus boosts Trend Micro's sales

Sensational reports of computer viruses spreading around the world and causing billions of dollars in damage has helped increase the sales of Trend Micro's (趨勢科技) most potent inoculations: anti-viral software and server solutions to combat these computer-crashing bugs.

"The `Anna' virus -- and all the press it's getting -- is a good example of why the Internet security market is so much stronger than other parts of the dotcom economy and why Trend Micro can keep coming up with this kind of growth," said John DeRiso, spokesman for Trend Micro in Taipei.

The Taiwan-based software firm announced record year-on-year net profit growth of 91 percent to NT$1.3 billion (US$40.96 million) and net sales growth of 59 percent to NT$6.12 billion (US$189.5 million).

Trend Micro also said it would carry out a two-for-one stock split on May 18, and the shares will be allocated on March 31. The company is listed on both the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.

The company's chairman said 67 percent of its anti-virus software sales were for Internet gateways (servers), and 33 percent went into desktop computers. He said the firm is focusing more and more on its Internet business.

"The solid results show that we are well-positioned in our core enterprise market," said Steve Chang (張明正), chairman of Trend Micro. "We will continue to gain worldwide gateway market share and apply our expertise to emerging platforms such as broadband."

Trend Micro was founded in 1988 by Chang, who has become a local hero here in Taiwan for growing the company into a global computer virus-fighting powerhouse with over 700 employees in 15 countries. Its headquarters was moved to Tokyo in order to list the firm in Trend's most lucrative market, Japan. Last year, 35 percent of sales came from Japan, 30 percent from the US, 20 percent from Europe and 15 percent from Taiwan and other regions.

The company also won praise both last year and this year in its efforts to help stymie two major computer viruses, the "I Love You" virus which circumnavigated the globe last May and the recent "AnnaKournikova.jpg.vbs" virus. The firm maintains a 24-hour virus fighting lab in The Philippines and another lab in North America. The firm's popular software, PC-cillin, is sold around the world, and it comes in a version for Internet servers.