As Metadigm prepares to enter its 20th year of business, Britain seems about to be entering its latest recession. During our many years as IT and network security specialists, we have seen recessions come and go. Consequently, we have lots of experience in handling the effects of economic downturns.
In this issue of Security Advisor we are pleased to present you with our 6 point "IT Manager's Guide to Handling The Recession", which we hope you will find of interest.
Other items this month include an update for Check Point users on Nokia's plans to sell off its security appliance business, snippets from silicon.com's profiles of the top 50 most influential individuals in IT (with a couple of surprises), a piece from leading UTM vendors Fortinet and Metadigm's first Annual IT Security Survey.
Finally you'll find our wrap up of the latest news and events from the world of IT security.
Regards,
Simon
Brooks
Business Director, Metadigm
expert opinion
6 Point "IT Manager's Guide to Handling The Recession"
IT Departments usually work to the old mantra that "When things are going well, you get no thanks. But when things go wrong, all hell breaks loose."
If you sense the crooked finger of economic downturn starting to point in your direction, our advice is to demonstrate that IT can add value, or, at the very least, help to prevent the company's value declining.
In hard times, you need to show that IT is the vital engine room of the business, not just another cost centre.
So where do you start? Here are a few ideas.
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Raise your profile: Be proactive at suggesting how the company should invest to survive. Make a solid business case for IT security investment, showing how it will generate returns or cost savings.
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Fight for your budget: Argue strongly for maintaining investment in IT, on the basis that network and end point security is as important in a recession as it is at any other time.
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Be aware of business issues: Don't leave it to your CFO or Finance Director alone to ponder the financial repercussions of a data breach. Make sure that the risks - and the measures to control them - are known at high level.
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Remember: You're not alone: Even in a recession, IT security is very much 'Business As Usual'. Maintaining a high level of support for your network users is even more key in difficult trading conditions. If necessary, look to 3rd party partners that can support you when the going gets tough.
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Stay current: Software subscription renewals are often poorly understood by senior business managers, and present easy targets in cost cutting exercises. Avoid the temptation and keep your software and hardware subs up to date.
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Think long term: We're going to get through the slump, so stay positive and keep yourself abreast of the security issues, risks and threats to your business. Keep yourself informed about the technologies which will address these risks, so you're well prepared when the upturn comes along.
solution spotlight | Nokia appliances:
What next?
The news that Nokia now intends to sell off its security appliances division is not exactly unexpected. The future of the business unit has looked increasingly uncertain as Check Point's move to appliances has put the partnership between the two companies under pressure.
The question which many people are now asking is: What next for customers of Check Point currently deployed on Nokia?
Analysts Gartner were very quick to move on this announcement, issuing a research statement which states that "The sale (of Nokia's security appliance business unit) would likely benefit Nokia, but not its security appliance customers."
So what's the background to this and what should you do if you are using Check Point software on Nokia hardware?
In terms of background, look no further than the fact that Check Point has released an entire family of branded appliances, including the UTM-1 and Power-1 series, and are likely to launch further additions in coming months. This will create further overlap with the Nokia hardened appliance set, putting Nokia under immense competitive pressure.
With the Check Point software client base representing the vast majority of Nokia security hardware business, the decision to sell up is clearly logical – from Nokia's point of view.
In their statement on the sale, Gartner states that it sees the "only positive scenario" being the acquisition of the Nokia appliance business by Check Point - a scenario which is difficult to imagine. Gartner go further, recommending that current Nokia customers should: "begin making firewall migration plans".
Metadigm says: If you are a Check Point/Nokia user, talk to Metadigm about your options before renewing your support agreements. The time may now be right either to move to Check Point's own hardened platform neutral operating system, Secure Platform (SPLAT), or to consider replacement of your Nokias with Check Point's own appliances.
See http://www.metadigm.co.uk/partners/checkpoint/index.php for trade-in offers on your current Check Point or other firewall solutions.
Who are the most influential people in IT?
Earlier
this month, silicon.com published their list of 2008 Agenda Setters across
the worldwide technology and IT industries. We found one inclusion in
the Top 3 both surprising and pleasing at the same time.
Top of the list comes the 'inventor of the world wide web', Tim Berners-Lee, acknowledged as a genuine 'what would life be like without him' character. Also in the list are luminaries such as Apple's Steve Jobs, Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google.
But at position number 3 is our very own Richard Thomas, UK Information Commissioner. In previous newsletters and communications, Metadigm has detailed Thomas's intentions to put punitive measures in place for reckless misuse (including loss) of data.
So why is Richard Thomas ranked 3rd on the global list of most influential 'Agenda Setters' in IT? Because he is taking positive action to introduce US-style 'Data Breach Notification Laws' into the UK, and is calling for powers to allow him to 'raid' organisations that are suspected of data breaches.
Metadigm says: Act now to get data breach prevention measures on to the agenda of your business. For the full report on IT Agenda Setters, visit www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/agenda-setters-2008/
For more on preventing data breaches visit www.metadigm.co.uk/solutions/endpoint.php
vendor viewpoint | Fortinet
"Cybercriminals now mean business", says Paul Judd, Fortinet's Regional Director for UK & Ireland
Long
gone are the days when cybercriminals targeted their prey at random,
aiming only to wreak havoc simply 'because they could'. As the 'profession'
has boomed and overtaken the drugs trade in terms of profitability, cybercriminals'
fields of vision have become infiltrated by pound signs. They mean business.
The truth is; the threat landscape has evolved. As the number one goal for Internet crime has become profit, the datacentres of large organisations have quickly become prime targets. As downtime equates to huge financial shortfalls, the idea of letting any hackers onto a corporate network is enough to make any network manager sweat. But what gets them really heated is the realisation that keeping security remedies updated (particularly in terms of antivirus protection) can equate to a full time job - the threatscape is just that advanced.
Educating users and updating security solutions and policies to keep pace with new and evolving viruses has resulted in a real arms race. To avoid being outrun by criminals, enterprises need to deploy the most advanced and comprehensive defences in order to protect their assets and business-critical data.
Viruses used to be the primary concern that was enough to make network managers squirm, but viruses can no longer be treated as a standalone threat. The virus landscape is evolving at such an exponential rate that as soon as a patch for one virus is formed, another version of the virus can instantaneously break out. On top of viruses evolving and morphing into new forms to bypass the latest in threat protection, enterprises are being faced with more and more blended threats - combining attack characteristics from different malware categories such as Trojans with embedded spam engines, or viruses with spyware payloads - that have the potential to cause unprecedented harm to business.
Nowadays, AV solutions are inefficient on their own unless they have the intelligence to understand more than the makeup of just viruses i.e. application exploits, spam, DDoS, worms, phishes etc. Many of today's prominent threats begin in a traditional virus 'format' but can lie dormant when seemingly cured. These viruses can then go on to establish connections with 'command and control centres' to join forces in launching DDoS attacks or generating spam traffic - and this is where things get messy. Advanced, blended threats have the power to bring down organisations' IT and web systems quickly and simply, and all without user interaction.
Without addressing fundamental IT security issues that are crucial to any business, enterprises can also find themselves on the wrong side of the law. More than the misunderstood and distant threat of nasty viruses ever could, compliance is putting the wind up the boardroom bigwigs. Yet you can't just install an AV filter to put a tick in the compliance box; if only it were that simple. Legislation means that failing to take IT security seriously enough and fulfilling adequate reporting duties can not only drastically affect the business and its customers, but individuals within the organisation can also be found liable. If employers fail to meet governmental standards of compliance by putting the adequate IT protection in place for example, they may be deemed reckless and in breach of the 'duty of care' they uphold for their customers and employees.
So, while it is clear that security is about more than just AV, it's about comprehensive and intelligent defence, one might ask: what does this mean in terms of complexity and cost?
Pressure is mounting and it is clear that large enterprises have a battle on their hands, but it needn't be an uphill struggle. Choosing to layer their networks with standalone security solutions in a desperate attempt to plug holes in the armoury is a costly and ineffective strategy. Piecemeal, reactive security solutions are giving way to strategically deployed, integrated multi-threat security systems. Instead of having to install, manage and maintain disparate devices, organisations can consolidate their security capabilities into a commonly managed appliance.
Rather than blocking a virus and forgetting about it or starting a new chapter in the security system every time a new evolution of threat appears, having a security set-up that shares multi-disciplinary knowledge in the first instance can mean viruses are prevented from developing into various other forms of serious threat.
This proactive approach to defence is far more favourable than being forced to be reactive, and dramatically reduces management complexity and deployment costs.
Every chance you have to add more capability to your defences presents an opportunity to reduce your hardware; and with it the expense of excess management overhead power and space. Consolidating your security is an appealing proposition, especially when the by-products equate to increasing security enforcement and effectiveness.
If businesses look to the real experts in this space - I'm talking the guys that are dedicated to monitoring these sorts of security developments on a 24x7 basis - the burden can be instantaneously lifted. Consolidated multi-threat security solutions that protect against all known and unknown threats are never complacent, and are dedicated to improving their defence systems on a continual basis. When threats appear or are identified during an early stage of development, integrated multi-threat security systems can be automatically updated with relevant patches or defences for all functions from AV, firewall and web filtering to antispam, so enterprises can continuously be protected. If enterprises invest in these sorts of future-proof solutions, throwing dead money at resolving security issues will be a thing of the past.
Paul Judd,
Regional Director for UK and Ireland, Fortinet
seminars | learn and lunch
Metadigm's
regular events showcase leading solutions as well as our own technical
skills. During the morning, which is rounded off with a buffet
lunch, you'll hear from our Security Specialists and from guest
vendors on the latest thinking about a range of network security, end
point security and WAN optimisation issues.
The next seminars focus on "Advances in Remote Access: Delivering Speed and Security for your Mobile Workers".
With media attention focussed again on the need for organisations to safeguard their data, these seminars will address the business issues facing any organisation with remote or mobile workers taking data outside the safety of the security perimeter.
The other issue these workers face is slow applications and poor performance whilst in the WAN; at the events we'll show you how you can combat this using WAN Optimisation for the mobile worker.
Register NOW for a Speed and Security seminar near you.
security landscape | market update
What's going on in security?
In this month's round up we report on Nokia's announcement to sell off their security appliances arm, Check Point's Trade-In Programme, industry acquisitions and other vendor news.
Nokia
selling Security Appliance Business >
Check Point
Launches 100% Trade-In Programme >
Are your
remote authentication processes up to scratch >
Check
Point's Connectra SSL VPN Gateway gets a facelift >
What's
the UK's largest Wi-Fi hotspot? >
Riverbed Goes Virtual >
Websense completes integration of Surf Control brand >
Nokia selling Security Appliance Business
Nokia
has announced that it is seeking a buyer for its security appliances
division. The future of the business unit has looked increasingly uncertain
as Check Point's move to appliances has put the partnership between the
two companies under pressure. The question which many people are now
asking is: What next for customers of Check Point currently deployed
on Nokia?
More in Solution Spotlight>
Check Point Launches 100% Trade-In Programme
Check
Point is continuing with the highly competitive pricing of its UTM-1
and Power-1 appliances by announcing a Trade-in Scheme aimed at both
its current clients and users of other firewall products.
Metadigm has been selling and supporting Check Point solutions since 1995, and as a CCSP we are technically accredited to install and support all Check Point infrastructure. We reckon this is a great offer.
Check Point customer? If you have been thinking about upgrading your Check Point infrastructure, or maybe moving from a software only solution across to an appliance-based solution (for instance from Nokia, Crossbeam) you could get 100% refund when you trade in your existing Check Point product.
Check Point is also offering discounts of up to 35% against a brand new UTM-1 or Power-1 appliance.
User of other firewall solution? You won't get the 100% trade-in value, but you may (subject to approval) be able to get a competitive trade-in plus a discount on a brand new UTM-1 or Power-1 appliance.
There
are many benefits of consolidating different IT security infrastructure
into a single UTM solution. For existing Check Point users,
the timing of this Trade-In offer is excellent given Nokia's announcement
of its intended Security Appliance business disposal. Even if you
don't currently use Check Point, it's got to be worth a look if you
are thinking about changing or adding to your existing firewall solution.
Find out more about these offers at http://www.metadigm.co.uk/partners/checkpoint/index.php
Are
your remote authentication processes up to scratch?
Aladdin's
authentication technology was recognised this month by Network Products
Guide, the Silicon Valley Communications publication and global authority
on technologies and solutions, when it named Aladdin
eToken NG-FLASH winner of the 2008 Best Products and Services Award
for "Best
in Tokens".
The Aladdin eToken product uses smartcard technology and encrypted flash memory for secure storage of data and certificates.
Aladdin's eSafe was named "Best Secure Web Gateway" for its real-time, multi-layered web traffic inspection product.
Aladdin
continues to consolidate its position as a major competitor to RSA
in strong, two-factor authentication, and is already a market leader
in eliminating malware with its web and email traffic deep inspection
engine eSafe. Check out more about Aladdin's products at http://www.metadigm.co.uk/partners/aladdin/index.php
Check Point's Connectra SSL VPN Gateway gets a facelift
Check
Point's new version of its SSL VPN Gateway, Connectra NGX R66, makes
it a viable competitor with the generally acknowledged market leader
in the SSL VPN gateway space, Juniper.
Check Point says it is the only remote access gateway to combine SSL VPN, IPSec VPN and intrusion prevention with centralized management - a pretty powerful argument if you already use Check Point products.
The
key points here are: a) Remote workers can gain
access to your company network from a company-owned laptop or public
computer at an airport or hotel b) It has onboard,
integrated intrusion prevention and comprehensive endpoint security
designed to block viruses, malware and malicious attacks c) Centralized
management unifies policy deployment, client administration and event
reporting Also of interest is the DynamicID component, which sends
authentication codes to end-users via text message - without the
need of a dedicated authentication server, eliminating the need for
employees to carry 2 factor authentication devices like Smartcards
and tokens.
What's the UK's largest Wi-Fi hotspot?
To
give you a clue, it's a hotspot the size of 50 football pitches, aimed
at business travellers and offers connection speeds of up to 8Mbps via
T-Mobile, BT Openzone and The Cloud.
The answer is London Heathrow Terminal 5, and iPass offers blanket cover here, as well as at all other Heathrow terminals. Customers have a choice of networks for seamless Wi-Fi access.
If
you want to keep your mobile roaming costs under control, generate
activity reports and be billed centrally it's definitely worth checking
out iPass. Go to http://www.metadigm.co.uk/partners/ipass/index.php to
find out more.
Riverbed Goes Virtual
Riverbed,
the leader in WAN acceleration, recently announced its new Riverbed Services
Platform (RSP), an integrated platform for third-party software modules
built on VMware. With the new MSP, you can now virtualize other software
modules into Steelhead appliances.
Riverbed is already well known for its WAN acceleration technology, which can increase the speed of data on your WAN by up to 200 times and reduce your bandwidth usage.
The Riverbed/VMWare news makes the 'serverless office' a really attractive proposition, with the opportunity for some major cost savings to be made via IT infrastructure consolidation.
By
consolidating your IT infrastructure at secondary or branch offices,
you can derive an ROI on your Steelhead appliance investment that
would make any CFO or Finance Director sit up and take notice. The
enhanced RSP lets you run up to five remote office third-party software
modules, without the need for separate dedicated servers.
Websense completes integration of Surf Control brand
When
Websense acquired SurfControl in October 2007, analysts wondered what
would become of the SurfControl product set and brand.
It seems the answer is that the brand has disappeared and the product
has now been assimilated with the launch of Websense v7. Websense is
now taking a "best of both companies" approach to the market,
and Websense v7 integrates Web security, messaging security and data
security and the launch of the new Websense Web Security Gateway product.
Web Security Gateway analyses web traffic in real-time, instantly categorising
new sites and dynamic content, proactively discovering security risks
and blocking dangerous malware.
Following the launch, Websense is (perhaps justifiably) calling itself "the global leader in web filtering and premier provider of web and desktop security software with 24.5 million seats under subscription worldwide."
Websense
is certainly a force to be reckoned with. As a 'point solution' player,
we think Websense is the leader in web filtering, though they must
continue to work hard against the encroaching UTM vendors.
support news
FREE Security Systems Health Check
Metadigm's Security Systems Health Check service is designed to help
you ensure that your security software licenses are up to date. If you
pay a subscription on your security software, you are entitled to new
version upgrades, updates and fixes as and when they are released*. If
you are not sure whether you have the latest versions of your products,
or just want to make sure that your systems are operating optimally with
the latest versions. Contact
one of our Network Security Specialists to find out more >
*Depending on the nature of your subscription
diary dates | Advances in Remote Access: Delivering Speed and Security for your Mobile Workers
19/02/2009: Duxford, Cambridgeshire more
23/04/2009: London more
