Insurance giant Liberty Group recently decided to use McAfee`s ASaP Web-based anti-virus service from Network Associates to protect its brokers, agents and franchises against virus attacks.
Liberty recognised that the real danger of viruses was exacerbated by the risk that remote users posed. The company realised that, while it had control over threats where users are permanently linked to its network, laptop and remote users increased the chances of introducing new viruses and threats to its lifeline - the corporate network.
This prompted Liberty to look for a solution that was easy to deploy and did not require any management, a hard task once you know that most IT costs are realised only once a solution is installed, as ongoing maintenance and management often exceed the purchase price. Liberty found the answer in McAfee`s ASaP Web-based anti-virus service, a solution that is deployed and managed from the Internet.
"We required ASaP licensing for our brokers, agents and franchise sites, as we had previously felt the impact of viruses such as the recent Bugbear virus, often introduced by mobile workers," says Trevor Williams, head of Information Security at Liberty. "We also felt responsible to protect our remote users, as we understand that viruses can have devastating effects for them too because, essentially, they run their own businesses."
The solution was a fit for Liberty as its IT environment is heterogeneous and many users, especially brokers, run their own operating systems. ASaP does not discriminate according to the environment. Instead, once the user logs onto the network, it ensures that the correct version of McAfee anti-virus software is resident on the PC or laptop. If not, it automatically installs the correct version - providing consistent protection, irrespective of whether changes to the PC take place while off the network.
In addition to this, ASaP provides Web-based reporting that enables administrators to have a complete view of all users on a network.
Williams continues: "Network Associates is the only vendor that offers an anti-virus Web-based managed service and this suits our specific needs as we require a solution whereby we would manage the licences, and with the automated update feature built into ASAP maintenance costs would be reduced significantly. Our brokers, agents and franchises are delighted by this move as ASaP affords them as much protection as it affords us."
"McAfee`s ASaP has had far-reaching effects for clients that require IT protection, yet do not have the time or resources to manage it," says Christopher Bray, Network Associates regional director of sub-Saharan Africa. "It allows our clients to focus on what they do best, a recipe for successful business."
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