Subscribe

Smart, simple and secure solutions for SMEs


Johannesburg, 10 Oct 2008

Two million small and medium enterprises (SMEs) around the world face the same tough challenges - limited time and resources.

A typical small or medium enterprise employs on average 1.8 IT professionals who are not able to spend sufficient time addressing security issues proactively and therefore view security management as a constant challenge. According to security research by various institutes, 81% of companies surveyed lost laptops within the past year; 95% of e-mail received proves to be spam of which more than 25% is linked to a threat; nine out of 10 Web sites are vulnerable to attacks and less then half are truly compliant with mandates; while vulnerabilities to malware attacks in the last two years exceed that in the prior 10 years.

According to Jayson O'Reilly, regional director: Africa (acting) at McAfee South Africa, SMEs need uncompromising security against data theft, spam, malicious Web traffic and malware attacks but at the same time compliancy and minimal resource and time investment. Finding the right balance is key to surviving ever evolving threats.

"McAfee solves this challenge with smart, simple and secure solutions: our 'smart' products have built-in intelligence and as a total protection in one application, it can 'simply' be deployed within a few hours. It is further 'secure' in the sense that it provides uncompromising protection with exceptional threat research and support when you need it," he explains. "From desktops and server security, to data protection, e-mail and Web scanning as well as compliance, McAfee offers a total protection service."

Because security challenges are constantly evolving, desktop security today must entail more than just anti-virus protection. Built on intelligent peer-to-peer technology, McAfee's ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) is an integrated security management and reporting tool that includes network access control, Web security, host intrusion prevention, anti-virus, anti-spam and anti-spyware with automatic updates. This Web-based console manages security beyond desktops and e-mail servers and protects against zero-day attacks as well as reduces patch urgency.

"Combating the increasing risk of information theft is also important to enable safe harbour as well as personally identifiable and business information protection," continues O'Reilly. "On average the cost of preventative measures is four times less than the cost of a data breach.

"The most common data exposures include 'format-swapping', which is commonly used to avoid detection. Instant Messenger and e-mail are like open windows for data loss while uncontrolled ports may encourage unauthorised data stores. Unencrypted USB drives represent an increasingly common risk of getting lost and laptops are the number one source of lost data and cause for disclosures, which is money out the window," he says.

McAfee ePO's data protection spans encrypting laptops and mobile data, blocking unauthorised devices, monitoring and securing all data routes as well as multilayer protection, all managed from one central point.

It further provides superior spam protection with a spam catch rate of 99%. For an organisation that receives 3 000 legitimate e-mails per day, every 1% increase in catch rates will protect its users from exposure to 600 spam e-mails and 150 malicious threats - when applying the research statistics stating that 95% of e-mail is spam and 25% is malicious.

The complex Web threats that typify today's security landscape means that Web protection also has to be comprehensive. Organisations need Web content filtering tools to stop inappropriate and frivolous Web surfing like employees downloading music at work as well as safe surfing tools that block or warn against malicious sites and Web traffic scanning to detect viruses, spyware and malicious content.

The ePO e-mail and Web security appliance integrates e-mail security, a URL filter plus Web security and targets spam, phishing, spyware and inappropriate surfing.

What is more, this solution automates reports for quick compliancy and includes smart countermeasures to prevent infractions. It enables SMEs to assess, prioritise and mitigate risks by standardising security processes and policies with a single console. Topping it off with a three-click quick start wizard, it is truly smart, simple and secure.

Share

McAfee, Inc

McAfee, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. It delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that secure systems and networks around the world, allowing users to browse and shop the Web securely. With its unmatched security expertise and commitment to innovation, McAfee empowers home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to comply with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities and continuously monitor and improve their security. http://www.mcafee.com.

Editorial contacts

Nicola Knight
PR Connections
(083) 269 2227
mcafee@pr.co.za