Trend

Integrated anti-virus solutions growing in popularity

Of late, malicious attacks have become quite sophisticated, so there is a growing need for users to club AV with firewalls, anti-phishing and other solutions to counter these threats, concludes Vinutha V

I n 2001, the Nimda worm and the Code Red virus spread like wildfire and penetrated corporate networks despite the existence of anti-virus (AV) and firewall solutions. Information pilferage or destruction cannot be stopped with standalone AV solutions anymore. In the contemporary digital world, malicious threats include viruses, spam, worms and Trojans. Today, any computer that is connected to a network and the Internet is vulnerable to threats. These threats have moved from the desktop to the server and gateway. The need to protect an organisation’s intellectual property and critical customer data has become more urgent than ever before. As companies are building on Internet access, security awareness is going to be higher.

Blended threats

Deploying solutions individually is not only cumbersome but also requires higher maintenance Niraj Kaushik Country Manager Trend Micro India	It is estimated that 70 percent of companies go out of business after a major data loss Pravir Arora Director, Marketing Computer Associates	About 45 percent of our existing customers have gone in for an integrated AV solution Ambarish Deshpande Head - Channel Sales Symantec India

Worms, spam and Trojans are now collectively labelled as blended threats. Of late, these malicious attacks have become quite sophisticated. In the last six months, hackers have launched phishing scams that use spam or pop-up messages to deceive you into disclosing your credit card number, bank account details, passwords and other sensitive information. Accor-ding to Viren Mantri, Principal, Strategic Security Services, McAfee, “We are observing rapid growth in ‘Zombie’ networks, which are networks of compromised computers running secret spyware. These networks are sold to spammers and phishers to broadcast spam and ‘pharming’ (automated phishing) for spreading more e-mail viruses designed to create more zombies. The consequence could be severe as spyware can capture keystrokes that can then be sent to the hacker.” For this burgeoning content security threat, there is a growing need for users to club AV with firewalls, anti-phishing and other solutions to counter these blended threats.

Although vendors offer individual and point-based solutions to counter different kinds of attacks, users face the challenge of integrating solutions; an AV solution implemented by a vendor may not integrate with an anti-spam solution from another. Comments Niraj Kaushik, Country Manager, Trend Micro India, “Deploying solutions individually is not only cumbersome but also requires higher maintenance and increases the workload of the user. Additionally, many standalone solutions being used together require additional processing power, which again increases costs.” The manageability of point-based security solutions is also becoming more challenging for users, which is encouraging vendors to come out with integrated AV solutions that include AV, anti-spam, anti-spyware, URL filtering, IDS, firewall and Wi-Fi filtering. These are available in different combinations based on the customer’s requirements.

According to Ambarish Deshpande, Head, Channel and Consumer Sales, Symantec India, “Out of every ten threats, we notice that at least six are blended. To be secure from all ends, customers are looking for integrated solutions that combine AV, firewall and IDS, at both the gateway and desktop level.” Customers are more concerned about the recovery from an intrusion as the impact could lead to permanent data loss. Because attacks are also fast and widespread, detection and reaction should be done in real-time. “All-in-one solut-ions are going to be the preferred option for customers, and the entire security market will move towards that,” adds Kaushik.

Better RoI

Experts point out that penetration of security awareness in India is still inadequate, and security measures are not factored in the IT policy of numerous organisations. Hence, every decision on investments in security software is prolonged, and has several operational hurdles to cross before being cleared. That said, end-users are starting to realise the importance of information security at all levels in an enterprise. Indian enterprises and SMBs are becoming increasingly aware of the need for a better-defined security environment. “Awareness of the need for a complete security solution is happening, but slowly. About 45 percent of our existing customers have gone in for an integrated AV solution,” states Deshpande.

Data related to finance, banking, telecom, government, BPO and software services is vulnerable. Notes Pravir Arora, Director, Marketing, and Head, Channels, at Computer Associates, “It is estimated that 70 percent of companies go out of business after a major data loss. About 20 percent of all businesses experience a major disaster every five years, and approximately 35 percent of disaster recovery plans work only when tested.” To avoid affecting applications, operating systems, databases and other business assets, the industry recommends

the implementation of an integrated AV solution. “Besides complying with government regulations, companies should also implement these integrated AV solutions. When appropriately implemented, they deliver the best business value for a rapid return on investment (RoI), improved security, increased productivity and reduced costs,” adds Arora.

Consolidation is expected to take place over the next couple of years. “In 2005, we can expect both large and small enterprises to invest in vulnerability management and intrusion prevention, in addition to integrated AV solutions to prevent and respond rapidly to attacks,” says Mantri.

A recent KPMG study has indicated that over 70 percent of Indian corporates do not have a formal security policy in place. Nevertheless, as time goes by, enterprises and SMBs are becoming aware of the need for a better-defined security environment.

Explains Vinod Kumar, Managing Director, Satcom Infotech, “Merely adopting an AV solution will not bring an end to the virus chaos. To avoid damage to productivity and reputation, one has to look beyond AV solutions to cover the entire spectrum of security.” However, malicious attacks have not only been damaging data but also causing losses to bandwidth and user time. With the number and sophistication of attacks going up, it is wise to improve the nature of protection.

vinutha@expresscomputeronline.com