IBM to Release Eighth Podcast
IBM’s eighth podcast in its series, “IBM and the Future of...” has begun on its investor website. The podcast “IBM and the Future of Crime” discusses how the first years of the 21st century have witnessed a watershed in the nature of crime. For most people, the threat of cybercrime is more real and more urgent than the risk of physical crime. Management priorities, crime-fighting resources, investment and education are at the start of a rapid adjustment. The podcast discusses the professionalization of cybercrime, how best to fight cybercriminals and emerging security technologies and practices.
The podcast is hosted by Ben Edwards and features a discussion between Dr. Charles Palmer, head of security and privacy for IBM Research, and Bob Bragdon, publisher of CSO Magazine. The podcast is available from http://www.ibm.com/investor/viewpoint/podcast/20-01-06-1.phtml.
Dell Brings in Symantec for Data Recovery
Dell has expanded its portfolio of enterprise-class storage products with industry-standard capabilities for small- and medium-sized companies in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to speed, simplify and help reduce the cost of data backup and recovery processes.
According to Carolyn DiCenzo, Gartner Research VP, “Data recovery is the largest storage expenditure and the No. 1 pain point for businesses, particularly smaller enterprises with constrained IT resources. Organizations of all sizes are struggling to reliably and affordably protect mission-critical data in the face of explosive data growth, under-used capacity, increasing backup times and regulatory requirements.”
To address these issues, Dell is delivering the reliable, cost-effective data recovery capabilities of Symantec Backup Exec 10d and the Symantec Backup Exec Continuous Protection Suite. These storage software products provide quick, reliable disk-based backup and enable self-service user data recovery. The software suite also includes VERITAS Storage Exec QuickStart, now from Symantec, an automated storage management tool that helps organizations maximize storage resources. Offered as an industry-standard backup application, customers can easily add a Dell disk array as an affordable, continuous disk backup solution. For additional reliability, customers can create a tiered storage architecture using this software with Dell PowerVault tape libraries behind the disk backup.
To help protect its customers’ technology investments, Dell is also offering a range of design and deployment services. These services provide detailed backup and recovery capabilities to assist in protecting sensitive data and avoiding data loss. They also deliver quality and value by helping to minimize downtime while maximizing scalability and performance.
“To support long-range disaster recovery initiatives, many customers want the added reliability that a tiered storage architecture built on disk and tape provides,” said Samir Joglekar, Enterprise Director, Dell EMEA. “To that end, Dell collaborates with industry leaders like Symantec to bring customers holistic storage solutions with services that meet the challenges typically associated with backup and recovery.”
The new Symantec Backup Exec Continuous Protection Suite with Symantec Backup Exec 10d and Storage Exec is available from Dell for $600. For more information visit www.dell.com/storage.
Security for Instant Messaging Lags
E-mail still takes priority over instant messaging (IM) when it comes to corporate security, according to a recent poll conducted by Akonix Systems. In a recent poll of more than 100 organizations, only 11 percent reported having IM hygiene solutions in place, compared to 73 percent with e-mail hygiene. Incredibly, almost 50 percent of respondents replied that “an IM hygiene solution never crossed my mind.” This huge gap between the security applied to e-mail and that applied to IM is particularly alarming since 47 percent of respondents indicated that the e-mail/messaging organization has responsibility for securing both e-mail and instant messaging. The results show that many corporate information technology organizations have left gaping holes in the defense of their networks and systems by failing to address new threats in a timely fashion.
The problem for companies is that IM attacks continue to rise, with Akonix’s Security Center team tracking 62 IM-based attacks in November 2005, a 226 percent increase over the previous month. The results of the survey and the rise in IM viruses may indicate that organizations are still vulnerable to serious IM security risks if they don’t take action. Instant messaging delivers huge productivity benefits, but unlike e-mail, businesses are not protecting their network from its potential dangers.
Globally, instant messaging use is on the rise with nearly 12 billion instant messages being sent every day, according to IDC Research. There are, according to reports, more than 300 million people worldwide who regularly use IM as a fast and convenient communications tool. As this use continues to grow, so too does the risk of a security breach.
Symantec Acquires IMlogic
Symantec has signed a definitive agreement to acquire IMlogic, the market leader in enterprise software for instant messaging (IM). IMlogic’s technology provides a complete solution to control and secure public and enterprise IM networks while ensuring compliance with regulatory and corporate governance policies. The acquisition is expected to close shortly after receiving customary regulatory approvals.
“Real-time communication solutions like instant messaging are powerful collaboration tools that create a new attack vector for threats to enter an enterprise network and new forms of digital communication with the same government, legal, and business requirements to retain and retrieve as e-mail,” said Enrique Salem, Senior VP of Security Products and Solutions, Symantec. “With the best-of-breed instant messaging management and compliance software from IMlogic, Symantec will be the first and only vendor to offer a complete security and archiving solution to help customers manage all their messaging requirements.”
From shipping companies to hedge funds, businesses in almost every market segment are adopting real-time technologies like IM at a record pace to improve their information sharing abilities and to decrease the time needed to make business decisions. Consumers have already embraced it as a communications tool and are sending more than 12 billion messages daily, with many users sending more IMs than e-mails. In addition, IM networks are increasingly evolving beyond text messaging and file sharing and can offer voice over IP (VoIP) services for free calling between clients. The rapid adoption of IM networks by consumers and corporate users, combined with evolving real-time communications functionality such as VoIP, makes instant messaging a viable vehicle for malicious threats which can leverage global IM directories to find new targets.
