The new Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 platform provides organisations improved functionality and lower communication costs across the board, but only if done in a secure fashion.
Therefore, L@Wtrust, the African Entrust affiliate, offers three components of its layered security model to enhance security for this powerful communication tool - Entrust Unified Communications Certificates (UCC), Entrust Entelligence Messaging Server and the Entrust IdentityGuard versatile authentication platform.
To ensure Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 functionality is being used to its fullest potential, organisations must trust that vital resources, intellectual property and sensitive information are secure.
Outlook Web Access should be secured with two-factor authentication, not simple usernames and passwords. Sensitive external communication needs to be encrypted without inconveniencing senders or recipients. And even some functionality of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 relies on the use of Unified Communications Certificates, which aren't provided natively by Microsoft.
"The pulse of today's enterprise is the effectiveness and efficiency of communication," said L@Wtrust Business Development Director, Maeson Maherry. "Deploying additional layers of security for those channels - whether it's e-mail, global schedule collaboration, address books and access to information - should be a priority for security-conscious organisations that often transmit or collaborate sensitive information, intellectual property or invaluable enterprise data. As part of a layered security model, Entrust provides solutions that can bolster an already-effective communication environment."
As a component of the three-tiered approach, the Entrust IdentityGuard versatile authentication platform delivers flexible and usable strong authentication capabilities for Outlook Web Access (OWA). By leveraging this multifactor authentication solution, the built-in Microsoft Exchange username/password authentication can be supplemented with a range of authentication choices, including transparent methods such as IP-geolocation to device fingerprinting, as well as tactile options like grid cards, one-time password tokens and more. Enterprises that have been reluctant to deploy OWA because of username/password security concerns can now benefit from OWA convenience with easily strengthened authentication.
In addition, while Microsoft Outlook supports the widely used S/MIME standard for encryption, leveraging specific solutions can further streamline secure communication. To enable widespread, easy-to-use encryption for B2B and consumer communication requires a more automatic approach that eliminates manual steps and adapts to external-party requirements. By deploying the Entrust Entelligence Messaging Server, organisations will enjoy simple, flexible e-mail encryption within their Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 environment. The solution helps ensure messages are delivered securely and in the recipient's desired encryption format (eg, S/MIME, PGP, Web-based secure e-mail, gateway-to-gateway TLS).
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 also boasts compelling built-in encryption features, which cannot be activated without deploying an optional Unified Communications Certificate. Entrust was the first vendor to deliver Unified Communications Certificates compliant with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 in January 2007.
Entrust UCCs enable security for advanced features of Exchange 2007 and Outlook 2007, including AutoDiscovery and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) over Transport Layer Security (TLS). Customers could elect to use self-signed certificates or standard SSL certificates, but this is inconvenient and hard to manage over time. Entrust UCCs remove the hassle of acquiring and configuring multiple certificates for a single server, streamlining the certificate management process overall.
Entrust provides three specific solutions that enable organisations to fully realise the benefits of this powerful communication platform. Implementing vital two-factor authentication for Outlook Web Access, encrypting e-mail communication and deploying Unified Communication Certificates will allow organisations to further increase the return on investment provided by Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.
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