Your Defense is Offensive

Symantec, the largest maker of security software, and the seventh largest software company in the world has updated its Data-Loss Prevention Suite so that if the software finds a data issue that needs fixing, it can apply third-party encryption and digital-rights management controls to the problem.

According to an article on ITnews.com. the company announced today, Symantec DLP Suite v. 10 will feature a "Flex-Response" capability to find sensitive data that has been left unprotected in the enterprise and apply security controls through encryption and DRM products from vendors such as PGP, Oracle, GigaTrust, Liquid Machines and Microsoft.

Symantec is also publishing a set of open APIs and a software development kit (SDK) to facilitate support for security controls through additional products, says Rob Greer, senior director of product management at Symantec.

Symantec DLP v.10, expected to ship in December, will have a workflow process that can alert managers to data that's out of compliance with corporate DLP policies; let them choose to apply encryption and DRM; and confirm that security policies have been enforced.

In the current business world, company’s place their entire business on the waves on the internet. Tons of sensitive files are placed both on and off site, while millions of e-mails featuring confidential and business sensitive data are transmitted daily. This constant flow of easily accessible information has enabled corporations to achieve the profitability and efficiency. However, with his blessing of lightening fast exchange comes the curse of keeping all of this data safe and secure,.

Symantec’s new software is revolutionary in multiple ways, but its third party component is what really sets it apart from the competition. Anytime a problem can be not only addressed, but fixed before a sure knows about it is an amazing feat. Not only does this avert a possible major problem for a company, but it takes worry off the shoulder of already heavily burdened IT Directors and network managers.

In order for technology to continue to drive the growth of businesses, security software improvements such as this one must continue to keep pace with the ever growing IT aspect of business.

For more information on Security and Privacy solutions offered by The TNS Group, click a link or email me at jcarretta@thetnsgroup.com

Microsoft Bringing the A Game

This Thursday is a very big day in the world of Windows.

Windows 7, Microsoft’s response to the debacle known as Vista will hit shelves on Thursday and will be a tell tale sign for the struggling software maker who is currently getting bombed in the tech market by rival Apple.

Only days after Apple reported an overall profit of $1.67 billion, Windows will launch its ace in the hole in hopes of at least securing the top spot among all operating systems manufacturers.

Ever since the unsuccessful launch of Vista, Microsoft has gone through with a slew of advertisement campaigns that have brought them nothing but a greater comparison to the more brand relevant Apple, whose Mac’s, iPhones, and iPods have changed the landscape of the computer.

Windows 7 is intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being fully compatible with applications and hardware with which Windows Vista is already compatible. Presentations given by Microsoft in 2008 focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup, and performance improvements.

The taskbar has seen the biggest visual changes, where the Quick Launch toolbar has been replaced with pinning applications to the task-bar. Buttons for pinned applications are integrated with the task buttons. These buttons also enable the Jump Lists feature to allow easy access to common tasks.

These changes were enacted with the intent of making the system more user friendly, and aesthetically pleasing. Windows goal is to make the system appealing to both new and previous Windows users. Despite new branding efforts, a new hire in the sales position to push the product, and a brand name that consumers recognize, the performance of Windows 7 on the market will come down to how users rate it. Especially with a technology product, word will spread quickly whether Windows 7 is the real deal, or another mistake by Microsoft.

By this time next week, the fate of Windows 7 will be decided.

Be sure to check out our Twitter account for constant updates on the product release.

Joe Carretta

jcarretta@thetnsgroup.com

A Disappointing IT Trend

An article posted on ITnews earlier in the month brought light to a situation that is unfortunate, but reflective of a disappointing national trend.

According to the article, small and medium-size Indian outsourcers are gaining favor with customers during the recession because of the lower prices they can offer, and also because they are willing to take up smaller contracts, according to Forrester Research.

While large corporations (Dell example number 1) often choose to ship their It departments overseas, lately large IT corporation have seen a drop in business. Reluctant to drop prices, and an inability to communicate the value of going with a large IT firm has steered many companies who choose to outsource overseas to smaller, less expensive IT firms.

Another factor is the magnitude of business that these smaller firms are winning. Large Indian outsourcers are not keen on small orders of less than about US$6 million a year, the article said. As large Indian outsourcers like Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys Technologies start competing with the likes of IBM and Accenture, their focus is on large deal sizes, which leaves a significant part of the market vacant for smaller players.

While IT support coming from overseas may not seem like anything new, there is an alarming trend here. By taking business to overseas IT companies, corporations are taking business away from small to mid-sized IT firms here in the US. With the economy already deep into a recession, companies who take even more business away from an anemic economy are doing more damage than anything, no matter how much money they might be saving.

By choosing a local IT firm, not only are you doing justice for your fellow American workers, but you are calling upon a service that you can actually come face to face with when you have a problem. IT is a sector of business that must be running properly at all times. In the event of some major IT problem, the piece of mind of knowing that your IT services provider is close to home outweighs any amount of numerical savings.

Do the right thing, and keep IT here in America.

If you are as small business in search of superior and local IT support, check out our website, or email me at joecarretta@thetnsgroup.com

Is your Data Protected?

VMware is continuing to push the boundaries of their company by expanding outside of their once settled comfort zone of virtualization. VMware’s Site Recovery Manager is now supporting vSphere, eliminating one of the obstacles preventing customers from upgrading to the latest version of VMware’s virtualization platform, according to an article on CNET.com

vSphere 4, the successor to ESX Server 3.5, was unveiled in April but until now did not work with Site Recovery Manager, VMware’s software for recovering virtual machines in case of disaster. VMware on Monday released SRM version 4, with support for vSphere and other upgrades including a “many-to-one failover [that] protects multiple production sites with automated failover into a single, shared recovery site.”

This gives corporations a bit of relaxation when deciding to virtualize their operations. It can be difficult to fathom undertaking such a large scale IT operation and not knowing that your precious data will be backed up in the event of some kind of system failure.

The TNS Group understands this need, and is able to successfully provide customers with VMware’s newest product. While virtualization is cost effective and wise in its own respect, it can only be considered sound if some sort of DR system is in place, especially for large scale companies with precious data strewn throughout their server. This is why TNS is the place to turn for all your IT needs. We can ensure that not only will you be satisfied with your work, but you will remain satisfied when years later everything is still working and saving you more money by the second.

Make the right choice; update your network today with The TNS Group

Joe Carretta