Breakthrough 'fix-and-forget' solution ends
the email/web security nightmare for SMEs
- Full protection against junk mail, viruses, worms, trojans,
spam, hackers, porn - & an end to the scourge of the cyber-skiver
- 70p
rental per person per day, to cut the risk of security breaches & lost
productivity
- Fully managed service cuts cost of ownership, delivers
rapid RoI
Manchester, UK - April 9, 2003 ---
A unique solution from Secure IT Systems gives many thousands
of businesses
their
first real and affordable chance of tackling the spectrum
of risks
inherent in always-on internet connectivity - from malicious
attack by virus or hacker to the haemorrhage of losses
through employees' uncontrolled use of the web and email.
Called
Securewall, the fully managed solution combines the latest
virus checking
and intrusion detection software with extensive and highly
flexible controls over Internet users, including ready-made
'acceptable
use' policy templates. Securewall marks a watershed in email and Internet security
for small to medium enterprises (SMEs). It provides all the security
checks, filters, firewalls and controls they need in one, bundled
system, and because it’s available as a fully managed service,
it imposes no time, skills, training or other overhead on their
stretched IT personnel. This, combined with very cost effective
rental facilities, means that for the first time the benefits
of a credible and practical security policy are within the reach
- and the budget - of businesses from as few as 10 employees
up.
According to a recent survey by the UK's DTI, Information Security
Breaches 2002, an estimated 44% of UK businesses suffered at
least one malicious security breach in the last year, and the
average cost of a serious security incident was £30,000.
As a complete, managed solution, Securewall meets the needs of
SMEs without the dedicated IT resources to address this growing
threat on their own.
Crucially, Securewall addresses the risks of harm originating
inside the business. With email and internet an integral part
of business life, SMEs everywhere are alert to the risks of viruses
and hackers, but awareness of the impact on the business of 'cyber-skiving'
and innocent breaches of privacy legislation by employees is
worryingly low. The DTI survey identified the lack of a security-aware
culture and a clear security policy as particular points of vulnerability.
"The internet's a two-way street, when it comes to risk
- and the most obvious threats aren't necessarily the most damaging",
said Secure IT Systems’ MD Mike Blackburn. "Many companies
believe that firewalls are enough, but all they do is stop outsiders
getting in - and that’s only part of the problem.”
Securewall tackles the often delicate issue of acceptable personal
usage of web and email through formal controls over web access,
content filtering, and so on. Crucially, it provides a security
policy template as a foundation for the employer's acceptable
usage policy - determined with the appropriate legal advice.
"The ramifications of uncontrolled access to the internet
really don't bear thinking about - there may be no malicious
intent, but personal access can affect the employer's privacy
and data protection responsibilities, and limit the capacity
available for legitimate users, as well as wasting perhaps tens
of thousands of pounds a year in lost productivity", said
Secure IT Systems' Finance Director Andrew Mayers. "With
Securewall, we're giving SMEs the tools, and the framework for
implementation. You need both - one without the other just won't
deliver the results."
Rental facilities mean that organisations see a clear and rapid
return on their security investment - a fully managed Securewall
service for a 30-employee company costs around 70p per person,
per working day. For an employee earning £10 an hour, that
means Securewall pays for itself with less than five minutes
of regained productivity.
Installation is simple: a Securewall server is installed between
the company's servers and the Internet connection. Traffic in
and out is checked by a killer combination of anti-virus, intrusion
detection, and content filtering systems, with minimal impact
on the perceived performance of user systems. An optional desktop
anti-virus system deploys and manages virus detection software
on users' desktops, without any user intervention.
Where Internet access is permitted as a perk of the job, Securewall's
User Management System is set up to control who can access the
Internet, when they can do it, and where on the web they're allowed.
Flexible permutations enable companies to reflect the needs of
individuals and departments.
Securewall provides further invaluable support for productivity
through its ability to ‘fall-back’ to a secondary
dial-up or ISDN connection should the primary internet connection
fail for whatever reason. This fall-back feature means email
can be sent and received as normal, and browsing can continue,
even though the main connection is down.
The managed Securewall service provides the additional benefits
of regular usage monitoring, and a quarterly vulnerability assessment,
to help companies monitor and refine the effectiveness of their
security policies.
For further information on Securewall, see www.securewall.co.uk
About Secure IT Systems
Secure IT Systems designs and develops end-to-end systems to
help businesses counter the ever-growing threats to the security
of their IT assets - computers, software, and data. Its portfolio
includes a range of secure enclosures to safeguard data centre
and desktop systems against the professional thief, access
control systems to safeguard valuable data against accidental
or intentional damage, and the Securewall security and policy
management system. Staffed by IT professionals, Secure IT Systems
provides a full range of supporting services, including IT
security consultancy, risk and vulnerability assessments, strategic
planning services, and installation and emergency call-out
services.
For further information
contact Mike Blackburn, Secure IT Systems.
Tel +44 161 794 7100. Fax +44 161 794 1110 E-mail mikeb@secureit.co.ukmikeb@secureit.co.uk
Editor: Stacey Tanner.
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