With the damage caused by computer viruses estimated at $17 billion in 2000, it`s imperative that companies protect their critical e-business applications against malicious code. Yet managing and updating anti-virus software can be both costly and complex. McAfee, a division of Network Associates, has come up with new technology to help corporations meet this challenge - by handling it for them via the Internet.
When an outbreak occurs, it is critical to ensure that the correct version of anti- virus software is installed on each node. This has highlighted the need for a quick and effective means of managing and deploying anti-virus software and has led to the emergence of centralised management. However, take this one step further and look towards the Internet.
Based on Network Associates` McAfee Total Virus Defense and VirusScan technology, VirusScan ASaP provides continuous protection to the desktop environment against viruses and worms.
Christopher Bray, McAfee country manager in South Africa, explains that, because VirusScan ASaP lets you offload the burden of managing anti-virus software, overhead costs are significantly reduced.
"This also means you can now focus on your core businesses. Whether your company has two computers, 200 or 200 000, VirusScan ASaP can protect every one of them."
In South Africa, McAfee`s first-tier provider, Dynamic Recovery Services, will offer McAfee ASaP`s Web-based gateway and desktop managed anti-virus services.
"We chose to partner with McAfee because they are the only security vendor that offers industry-leading technology in a Web-based managed service that provides automatic updates to ensure customers are protected against the latest virus threats," said Andrew Brown, managing director at DRS. "Many of our customers do not have the internal resources required to protect against virus threats, the McAfee ASaP services allow us to offer comprehensive protection that enables our customers to focus on growing their business rather than whether or not the latest virus will shut down their networks."
The Web-based services protect organisations at all points where a virus may enter a customer`s network and provide seamless, automatic protection against the latest virus threats.
The VirusScan ASaP service is Web-based, providing continuous protection of the desktop environment and infrastructure against known viruses, Web attacks and e-mail intrusions. With the product, administrators don`t have to wait to begin protecting their network from known viruses. Once they`ve registered for the service from the secure Web site, DRS ASaP downloads it directly from the McAfee Network Operations Centre (NOC) to its network.
"DRS VirusScan ASaP monitors the desktop continuously and transparently, doing its work behind the scenes without impacting network response times. And since the software resides on our servers, we manage all updates, reports and alerts," Bray explains.
"VirusScan ASaP delivers Web-based reports that give you a bird`s eye-view of your network and its associated costs. Reports detail enterprise-wide information such as the number and type of viruses found and killed, system coverage status and outbreak trends, so that you can track your expenses in a variety of ways. You access these Web-based reports at the secure DRS ASaP Web site www.drsasap.co.za, which also provides immediate access to virus alerts and other virus information," he says.
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