Integration vital to network security

By Staff Writer for Trellix

Johannesburg, 24 Jun 2009

McAfee has integrated its complete network security suite with McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator as part of its network security strategy.

The company says by integrating with McAfee ePO software and global threat intelligence, its network security products provide increased visibility into both external and internal threats and vulnerabilities. This protects networks more efficiently and reduces both acquisition and operational costs.

According to McAfee, changing threat environments, growing economic concerns and the increasing cost of securing an enterprise have forced enterprises to re-think how they approach and manage network security. “Today, customers are looking for ways to reduce the costs of both network security acquisition and ongoing operations,” it said in a statement.

At the same time, the economic climate driving such changes is also creating accelerated threats and targeted attacks from organised cyber criminals. By providing a single-vendor solution with network protection, the customer's total cost of ownership is lowered, says the company.

"From conversations with our customers, it is clear that enterprises spend an enormous amount of time, money and administrative overhead managing multiple security products," says Jayson O'Reilly, regional manager for Africa, McAfee.

"McAfee's comprehensive line of network security products eliminates the need for multi-vendor solutions and ensures the absolute lowest total cost of ownership available today."

Analysts advise that an integrated approach to network security is needed. "Organisations must take a more unified approach to security," says Chris Christiansen, vice-president of security practice, IDC.

"The days of managing network defence, Web and messaging security and data security as separate activities simply won't succeed in today's economic and threat environment. Effective network security must have global intelligence and must be integrated into the broader organisational security management infrastructure,” he adds.

“Vendors that deliver these levels of integration in a complete suite will be successful as this will lower overall cost of ownership for organisations,” says Christiansen. “For the next three to five years, reducing cost of ownership will drive security investments."