"We will like to enter into agreement with more systems integrators and resellers to make our solutions more widely available," Trend Micro director for overseas business unit Frank Leu told The Financial Express.

At present, Trend Micro is operating in India through HCL Comnet, Delhi-based ASPL, Chennai-based Remco and Bangalore-based Microland.In addition, Mantraonline, the internet service of Bharti BT is offering the Trend's online anti-virus scan to its subscribers.

It is understood that Trend Micro is in the process of tying up with several other internet service providers to offer the online scans. It is also exploring opportunities to work with telecom companies and other managing data centres, particularly companies which are handling software work outsourced by other companies.

Trend Micro is promoting a new anti-virus software, InterScan 2000, which will scan for virus that come along with e-mails at the gateway level.The new anti-virus, besides acting as a virus-wall, will also scan information coming over the Net, especially database attachments with e-mail, for year 2000 compliance.

The scan also has built-in ability to defer delivery of heavy attachments so as to prevent jamming of bandwidth. This, Leu felt, would be very useful during the Christmas season when people across the globe send greetings to friends and relatives.

Leu fears that several new viruses would affect the internet during the turn of the millennium. "The 300,000 hackers and virus writers would seek the change of millennium as a time to wreak havoc on the Net."

Anticipating trouble, Trend Micro has banded together a special team to deal with problems. It has also set up a website y2kvirus.com to provide up-to-date information on virus attacks and disaster reports.

Leu said his company would provide up-to-date information to all its subscribers on the means to protect one's systems from virus.