Symantec Unveils Research Results

Symantec has released the results of a research study which reveals that the average estimated value of data stored in e-mail on a corporate laptop exceeds half a million pounds — over five hundred times the average cost of the hardware alone. Across Europe, Middle-East and Africa, 78 percent of laptop users stated that the data on their device is of substantial value in terms of intellectual property or commercially sensitive information, with the average estimate being in the region of 550,000 pounds. Some respondents claimed that their mobile device was worth as much as 5 million pounds.

The study also highlights that just 42 percent of companies automatically back-up employees’ e-mail on laptops, while 45 percent actually leave backup to the users themselves. Unbelievably, 80 percent of respondents were under the misconception that their employer had a safe copy of all the e-mails on their PC.

“It’s alarming that executives have mobile devices containing data of such financial value and that very little is being done to protect the information on them. The research shows that only a few organizations have measures in place to retrieve this information if the laptop is lost or stolen, which is very worrying,” said Kevin Isaac, regional director, Symantec MENA. “It is critical that businesses start looking beyond just the price of the hardware and recognize that they also need to invest in protecting the data stored on these machines.”

Dynamic Markets conducted 1,700 quantitative interviews with general employees and IT managers with responsibility for their companies’ e-mail systems. All companies have 500 or more employees from a variety of sectors across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Fifteen in-depth qualitative interviews were also conducted. The research took place in April and May 2005.

Secure Business in Uncertain World

IDC MEA has announced its upcoming Security event: Secure Business in an Uncertain World. Running from mid-April though May and stopping in six key cities — Amman, Dubai, Safat, Doha, Manama and Riyadh, the road show features keynote addresses from IDC analysts and presentations from its main international partners Trend Micro, Symantec, Net IQ and a host of local partners.

IDC’s IT Security Road Show reflects the continuing importance of IT security. It also reflects the changing nature of threats as well as the still underdeveloped realization of their seriousness: Criminals find new ways to invade cyberspace, vandals unleash worms and viruses, unscrupulous scammers phish or spam e-mail addresses, and con artists use social engineering to obtain usernames, PINs, and credit card numbers.

To help raise awareness, IDC’s panel of speakers frame security in the larger context of business, strategy, technology and human behavior, helping organizations make better decisions about policy and implementation. The speakers serve to complement and introduce core presentations on the latest IT security issues:

• New regulations on data and network protection

• Over-reliance on internal IT departments for security

• Growing number of internal and external security breaches

• Increasing use of the Internet as an essential business tool

• Expansion of mobile computing.

“One of the road show’s main goals is to help enterprises close the gap between awareness and practice,” said Jyoti Lalchandani, VP and regional MD, IDC MEA. “We aim to provide reliable content and expert advice on how to use modern information technologies to secure and protect the enterprise, regardless of size and/or industry.”

Further information on IDC’s IT Security Road Show MEA is at www.idc-cema.com/events/itsecurity06.

Increase in Demand for Security Tech

OnLine Distribution’s security division has recorded one of its most successful months to date, with sales of a new e-mail messaging security system at an all-time high. CipherTrust’s award-winning IronMail application — which is designed to protect enterprise e-mail users worldwide from viruses, spam and outside intrusion — was launched in the Middle East last October and has found a hugely-appreciative audience.

Sales in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been particularly strong, bolstered by the ongoing cooperation between OnLine Distribution, CipherTrust and Algosaibi Information Systems (AGIS), a leading Saudi systems integrator.

By combining the skills and expertise of a range of partners — SafeNet, Orthogon, CipherTrust, VASCO and Blue Coat — with other major collaborators Trend Micro, Proxim and SurfControl, OnLine Distribution is able to offer one of the most comprehensive and sophisticated IT security portfolios on the market.

“The collaboration with Cypher Trust is an exciting addition to a portfolio of solutions offered through Online Distribution and is a direct response to a demand for higher levels of IT security in medium and large enterprises tackling antivirus, spam prevention, e-mail security, encryption and authentication issues,” said Keith Rich, MD at OnLine Distribution.

An Easy-to-Use Backup Appliance

Click Consulting has brought to market ClickBack, an affordable backup appliance that is a superior alternative to traditional tape backup solutions. The appliance is about the size of a small desktop computer and is easy to install and access. Once installed, it automatically backs up specified server shares every night and stores the two most recent versions of every file. Restoring files is performed through Microsoft Windows Explorer.

The ClickBack appliance ( www.clickback.info) is as easy to setup as it is to use. Since there is no software to install on the target machine(s), simply plug the appliance into the network and it is ready to go. It is built on the Linux platform and features intuitive, browser-based administration. If a primary file server crashes, the ClickBack appliance can be used as a temporary file server until a replacement is available. Because the ClickBack appliance is VPN optimized, it can easily be located in a remote location, providing companies with an automated offsite backup.