Get a new perspective on e-mail and instant messaging (IM) security
Protection of your business requires a multilayered approach to both e-mail and IM security. E-mail attacks are increasingly complex and sophisticated. The proliferation of blended threats means you need protection for every component of e-mail, including message content, attachments and links contained within e-mail.

The explosive growth of IM as a communication tool brings an additional class of security challenges. A conversation over consumer-grade instant messaging (CIM) software could expose your employees and your business to eavesdroppers, breached internal security and malicious code.

Fortunately, several manufacturers offer hardware and software products with multiple protections for e-mail and IM applications. Because these protections are integrated, they deploy easily and require fewer management resources.

Take a comprehensive approach to e-mail security
Your inbox faces multiple threats every day. To protect it, you have to be on the lookout for much more than viruses. There is spam, which even by conservative estimates represents half of all e-mail received by corporate mail servers. There is spyware — those stealthy bits of code that snoop around collecting keystrokes and surfing patterns. And there may be hackers knocking all over your network in search of an open door.

If you deployed separate security products to guard against each of these threats, you would have your hands full managing those products. You would also significantly increase the number of software licenses you’d have to maintain. Worse, many of these products might not be compatible, so you wouldn’t have an effective solution.

IT administrators have discovered that it’s best to rely on integrated security solutions that combine many or all of these security functions in one suite. Using one control console to track all spam, phishing and virus activity reduces management costs and makes it easier for you to assess your security levels.



Maintain the integrity of your security perimeter
It’s crucial to ensure that patches for e-mail security are installed as soon as they are available. Many e-mail software suites now include automated patch management as part of a comprehensive security strategy.

Automation simplifies the tracking and distribution of patches throughout your network. Automated patch management keeps records of flaws in major operating systems and applications as well as an inventory of patches available for those flaws. Automated patch tracking can alert you to new updates and keep track of which systems have been patched.

Despite its effectiveness, IM is increasingly under attack
IM has brought numerous benefits to business. These include faster response and problem resolution, instant customer support, a reduction in e-mail traffic, enhanced multitasking, improved collaboration and better communication with remote employees.

But for all its benefits, IM creates very real security and compliance risks. A January 2006 analysis by the IMlogic Threat Center showed that IM security threats increased 826 percent from December 2004 to December 2005. Unsecured IM opens a direct channel for external threats such as viruses, worms, Trojan horses, malware and IM spam (also known as SPIM). Any of these threats can result in compromised data and network corruption.

Minimize security risks with enterprise-grade IM (EIM)
EIM products offer high levels of threat protection. These protections include encryption, blocking of malicious code and message content monitoring. IM communication is considered an official business record and needs to be logged and archived — many EIM products will perform these tasks. Some EIM products also provide monitoring through keyword notification, whereby inappropriate language is blocked, flagged and in some cases escalated to management. Finally, most EIM products give you the flexibility to set custom access rules so you can limit IM communication with outside parties.

With the proper protections in place, e-mail and IM applications can greatly enhance internal and external communication. And you can rely on CDW to help you understand and identify the products best for your business.

For more information, contact your account manager, %%AM_FNAME%% %%AM_LNAME%%, at %%AM_PHONE%%.

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