South African companies are adopting mobile computing and increasing worker flexibility in an effort to optimise productivity and profitability. Along with these positive benefits, however, comes an increase in risks as workers store company information on a host of mobile storage devices, from USB flash drives to mobile phones.
Allowing uncontrolled access to company information via these endpoint devices can open the door to data theft and fraud. Moreover, as governments around the globe enact regulations that require companies to publicly disclose data breaches, and often pay hefty fines for failing to secure information, traditional lines of defence, such as firewalls and intruder prevention systems (IPS), are proving inadequate.
“The reality is that these systems become even less effective as businesses continue to adopt mobile platforms, cloud computing and other personal devices as part of their daily operations,” says Phillip Gerber, MD of Magix Security. “South African businesses are starting to become aware of the need to invest in an integrated IT security environment that includes an endpoint security solution.”
In particular, local organisations in the financial services and insurance industries have made great strides in endpoint protection with the Safend range of products. “Both these industries are highly regulated and endpoint security forms a crucial part of their governance, risk management and compliance,” explains Gerber. “Not having this type of security puts their customers, their brand, and potentially their very existence, at risk. Customers expect companies to do whatever is needed to protect their interests.”
Safend guards against corporate data loss and theft through its content discovery and inspection solution, delivers encryption services across a range of devices, as well as granular port and device control over all physical and wireless ports.
Recently, Wave Systems, a global provider of client and server software for hardware-based digital security, acquired Safend, which will continue to be distributed and supported by Magix Security in South Africa. Wave Systems provides everything companies need to prove their data is protected and to know what devices are attached to their networks and cloud services.
The Safend purchase now extends Wave Systems' protection of all corporate endpoints through the following products:
* Safend Encryptor provides transparent hard disk encryption,
* Safend Protector granularly controls ports and devices,
* Safend Inspector inspects and blocks leakage of sensitive content through e-mail, instant messaging, Web, external storage and printers,
* Safend Discoverer maps, classifies and locates data stored on organisational endpoints and networks,
* Safend Reporter creates detailed graphical reports used for compliance assessment, and
* Safend Auditor non-intrusively scans endpoints for past and present connected devices and wireless networks.
Magix Security has been distributing and supporting Safend in South Africa since 2004.
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Magix Security
Magix Security is an enterprise risk management company that specialises in identifying and eliminating risks and threats that emanate within organisations. The company provides technology-assisted information security, IT risk management and IT compliance services and solutions to a wide array of businesses and organisations across South Africa. Its technology-based solutions help detect and prevent the abuse of data and misuse of applications, IT assets, and authority. In doing so, Magix Security helps its clients to eliminate the “Insider Threat” where the bulk of transgressions are known to occur and originate. It also helps clients manage their compliance and governance, eliminate fraud, information leakage, acts of sabotage, collusion, and bandwidth abuse.
Magix Security is a privately owned South African company with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Further information can be found at http://www.magix.co.za.
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