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McAfee anti-virus, firewall services chosen by Standard Bank to protect online customers

Standard Bank protects its 260 000 customers with McAfee VirusScan ASaP and McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP online services
By Livewired Communications
Johannesburg, 30 Jul 2003

Network Associates, a provider of intrusion prevention solutions, has announced that Standard Bank has chosen McAfee VirusScan ASaP and McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP online services to protect its customers against hackers, viruses and other malicious threats.

The bank was in need of an immediate protection solution that would protect its customers, be deployed via the Internet and be made available to Standard Bank`s online customers within a day. This deployment reflects revenue that was recognised by Network Associates in the third quarter of 2003.

McAfee VirusScan ASaP and McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP are both delivered securely over the Internet, providing virus and security protection to users in a fraction of the time it takes to install security software. McAfee VirusScan ASaP, an online managed anti-virus service, offers on-access and on-demand scanning for viruses. McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP, an online managed firewall service, places a protective barrier between an Internet criminal and the personal information on a user`s computer by silently monitoring Internet traffic for suspicious activities. The two ASaP services compliment each other to offer multi-layered protection for users.

"Broadband is not mainstream in the South African market, making product size a major deciding factor in Standard Bank`s decision to select McAfee VirusScan and McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP for their online security solution," says Christopher Bray, McAfee country manager.

"McAfee VirusScan ASaP and McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP are approximately one-tenth the size of other anti-virus programmes, which can be 20MB to 30MB in size. McAfee`s online services are approximately 2MB each in size, making the installation quick and easy for customers with low bandwidth requirements."

McAfee`s online services infrastructure is hosted locally by Dynamic Recovery Services (DRS).

"Having the McAfee ASaP services hosted locally allows for a speedy deployment of software," adds Bray. "The solutions are based on Network Associates McAfee VirusScan technology and delivered through an online service to provide continuous protection via the Internet to the desktop environment against viruses and other malicious code. The transparent and continuous updates of McAfee VirusScan ASaP and McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP online services ensure no disruptions or inconvenience to the user."

At no additional fee to its customers, Standard Bank has made McAfee VirusScan ASaP and McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP available to all 260 000 Standard Bank existing online customers as well as new users on Saturday, 26 July.

Bray continues: "Internet banking security has been recently scrutinised with the latest incidents of theft of funds. McAfee VirusScan ASaP and McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP are the only solutions available today that can be immediately deployed to hundreds of thousands of users over the Internet. Moreover, the online services are an ideal solution for users who are not IT experts.

McAfee VirusScan ASaP and McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP install automatically, are pre-configured to start protecting systems immediately, and the updates of both products are automatic and transparent to the user - requiring no intervention by the users themselves. This service provides our customers with hassle-free peace of mind because their computer always maintains the latest version of virus signature files."

Says Jacko Maree, chief executive at Standard Bank: "Security in the financial environment has to be a partnership between a bank and its customers. We assist our customers in ensuring that their personal computer environment is protected by providing world-class firewall and anti-virus software from Network Associates, free of charge. Added to these McAfee offerings, we have introduced additional security measures, which we believe are currently unique in the South African personal banking environment. These measures are designed to not only enhance our own controls against potential threats, but also to assist our customers in securing their PCs."

Bray continues: "New enhanced features for McAfee VirusScan ASaP include automatic file infection cleaning technology that starts cleaning infected files immediately when a virus is detected. McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP places an always-on-guard barrier between hackers and users data, blocking access to sensitive files, financial records and personal data.

"The new intelligent application handling feature in McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP denies Internet access to malicious applications, such as spyware, Trojans and remote-control agents, that may surreptitiously transmit personal data to hackers, while `fingerprinting` trusted programs to connect without unnecessary alerts or false alarms."

Standard Bank has purchased a one-year licence through McAfee`s reseller Dynamic Recovery Services (DRS) for its customers to make use of both McAfee VirusScan ASaP and McAfee Desktop Firewall ASaP online services.

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McAfee

McAfee anti-virus security products are a part of Network Associates McAfee Systems Protection Solutions family of products, and protect from security breaches, virus attacks and blended threats by providing comprehensive intrusion prevention and network protection. In addition to industry leading anti-virus, encryption, desktop firewall, intrusion detection, viral vulnerability assessment and online managed services, all McAfee security products are backed by the a world-leading anti-virus research organisation, McAfee AVERT (Anti-Virus Emergency Response Team). McAfee AVERT is the team responsible for providing cures for major outbreaks like Slammer, LoveLetter, CodeRed and Nimda.

For more information, McAfee experts can be reached at 888 VIRUS NO, and on the Internet at http://www.mcafeesecurity.com.

Network Associates

With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, Network Associates, Inc (NYSE: NET) creates best-of-breed computer security solutions that prevent intrusions on networks and protect computer systems from the next generation of blended attacks and threats. Offering two families of products, McAfee System Protection Solutions, securing desktops and servers, and McAfee Network Protection Solutions, ensuring the protection and performance of the corporate network, Network Associates offers computer security to large enterprises, governments, small and medium-sized businesses, and consumers. These two product portfolios incorporate Network Associates` leading McAfee, Sniffer and Magic Solutions product lines. For more information, Network Associates can be reached at 011-7075500 or on the Internet at http://www.networkassociates.com/.