Two major announcements this week indicate software-as-a-service (SaaS) security offerings are heating up, becoming both more comprehensive and easier to manage, experts say. Symantec announced its Hosted Endpoint Solution (HEP), a service that will allow small and midsize businesses to manage all of their desktop security clients from a single portal. The announcement came a day after Verizon Business launched a comprehensive cloud security service, rolling antispam, firewall, intrusion detection, and denial-of-service attack protection into a single service that doesn’t require on-premise equipment. “We aim to have our [cloud] services 30 percent cheaper than our equivalent on-premise services,” says Cindy Bellefeuille, director of security product management for Verizon Business.