ServGate Adds Edgeforce Web Filtering By Surfcontrol To Protect Against Broadest Context Of Security Threats

ServGate Technologies – the leading provider of integrated, modular network security platforms – today announced the general availability of EdgeForce Web Filtering by SurfControl (LSE:SRF) to provide real time protection against the broadest context of Web-based security concerns such as viruses, worms, downloads and inappropriate Web access.

The new solution will help UK businesses face increasingly sophisticated attacks, in particular the rising problem of blended threats, where one or more tactic is combined, such as Sobig.F and myDoom. It also enables companies to significantly reduce the time, cost and difficulty of managing their IT security.

Web Filtering Flex Module is the latest software application module tightly integrated into ServGate’s Full Context InspectionTM (FCI) technology, which analyses reassembled network traffic while performing content security filtering services at the application layer. The integration of Web Filtering Flex Module extends Full Context functionality to provide a new dimensional layer of defence against web-borne attacks, including real time screening of HTTP and FTP protocols, while ensuring a dynamic enforcement mechanism of universal policies for appropriate use of Internet and network resources.

The SurfControl-based Web filtering module broadens the EdgeForce platform’s range of trust brand applications that are designed to work together with other core services including McAfee’s spam and virus filtering engines for email and Web traffic.

“The modular architecture of ServGate’s integrated security platform is uniquely designed to capitalise on SurfControl’s Web filtering expertise,” said Kevin Blakeman, SurfControl’s U.S. president. “We are pleased to partner with ServGate to help customers stop unwanted content and control the growing risks associated with unrestricted Web access.”

The SurfControl Content Database, the industry’s premier database, provides extensive coverage of the most widely accessed sites on the Internet, and is organized into categories that are easy to manage. Users have access to a database of more than 6 million sites in more than 65 languages. Content is kept current with a combination of expert human review, state-of-the-art automated tools and customer submissions. SurfControl’s URL Category List is the industry’s largest and most accurate content database with millions of URLs and more than a billion Web pages that are categorized and dynamically updated on a real time basis in five languages.

ServGate is the developer of the world’s leading modular security system, the EdgeForce platform, offering McAfee-based spam and virus screening applications in addition to SurfControl-based web filtering, attack protection, web caching, firewall and VPN services. The EdgeForce platform’s Full Context core technology provides the deepest level of blended inspection possible in a security device. The EdgeForce platform’s modular architecture accommodates new services and performance upgrades, enabling them to scale with the growth of the customer’s business and network needs, and adapt to future shifts in the threat environment.

“This milestone is a testament to ServGate’s ability to continually deliver the world’s most trusted security solutions on a fully integrated, hardware-accelerated platform,” said Dario Zamarian, vice president of products and corporate strategy, ServGate.

“Adding SurfControl-based Web filtering to ServGate’s Flex Module portfolio is a proactive initiative to stay ahead of the evolving security needs of the SMB and distributed enterprise markets.”

Looking at Security in a Whole New Context

The need to better manage access to Web content, protect against HTTP-transmitted malicious attacks, and derive greater management and cost efficiencies, are creating demand for security solutions like ServGate EdgeForce integrated security platforms that have the foresight to look at these issues in a whole new context.

Nick Morse, Managing Director of digital security appliance distributor Mindshare, commented: “ServGate’s modular approach alone is extremely compelling. Businesses are fed up with the complexity of buying, implementing and managing security solutions – and above all, with those solutions then becoming obsolescent as soon as some new problem or functionality comes to the market. ServGate means they can control cost of ownership, and are confident that their security can evolve as needed.

“For resellers, the rich functionality makes the products an easy, hard cash sale – and more importantly, ServGate’s products and licensing are designed to tie customers in to the reseller. This ensures a recurring revenue stream for the long term.”

Web Use Control

Controlling inappropriate content from the Internet, which can often lead to virus or worm infection, misuse and abuse of network resources, is a business critical function for companies and organisations of all sizes. Increasingly, corporate policies affecting network security, legal liability, regulatory compliance and overall organisation Web-use policy enforcement are driving the need for real time screening of URLs to protect intellectual capital and block threatening Web pages.

Blended Attacks Raise Stakes

The more sophisticated blended attack – the type of strain that exploits a combination of network, email and Web traffic vulnerabilities – requires a multi-threat, multi-layer defensive strategy that standalone point solutions cannot offer. Corporate concerns with respect to privacy and disclosure standards compromised by external threats must be addressed by more holistic security solutions that secure, monitor, archive and retrieve network traffic and communications data.

Blended attacks are rising sharply, however recent research by ServGate at Infosec 2004 found that 24 per cent of UK businesses are unaware if they have been hit by a blended attack, despite suffering at least one such attack in the past year. More than a third of businesses surveyed took no action at all after suffering a blended attack, despite suffering an average of 11 hours downtime as a result.

Nonregulated Web Use Comes with Costs
Unchecked use of the Internet, included Web-based downloads, is an unacceptable risk to companies and organisations providing universal Internet access. Many companies have to over-invest in bandwidth and network infrastructure in order to accommodate the extra volume and weight of traffic that unmonitored Web use generates. Closely related is the productivity and financial drain resulting from employees conducting nonwork-related Web use and associated administrative personnel costs.

Availability

The EdgeForce Web Filtering by SurfControl FlexModule is available now to customers who download the major new EdgeForce firmware release, SGOS 4.0. Customers can purchase the WebFiltering application through authorized ServGate resellers and distributors worldwide who access FlexModule license keys to activate the application via My.ServGate.com, ServGate’s multi-purpose portal providing product support, license management, and marketing services to end users and solutions providers.

About SurfControl

SurfControl plc, the world’s number one Web filtering company, delivers on its promise to help companies ‘Stop Unwanted Content’ in the workplace by continuous innovation, invention and expansion of its filtering products to address new content risks as they emerge. SurfControl’s world-class partners include Cisco, Check Point, IBM, Research In Motion and Nokia. The company has more than 20,000 customers worldwide, including many of the world’s largest corporations, and employs more than 450 people in nine separate locations across the United States, Europe and Asia/Pacific. For further information and news on SurfControl, please visit www.surfcontrol.com.

About ServGate

ServGate is the leading provider of integrated, modular network security platforms for small and medium businesses and the distributed enterprise. EdgeForce systems consolidate in a single hardware platform multiple security services – including virus, spam and URL filtering, attack protection, web caching, firewall, VPN and more – in a modular and scalable format, reducing the cost and complexity associated with sourcing, implementing and maintaining disparate security applications from multiple vendors. ServGate’s Full Context Inspection technology provides the deepest level of blended protection possible in a security device by analysing and screening the entire components of network traffic. ServGate’s corporate headquarters are located in Milpitas, Calif., with offices worldwide. For more information about ServGate, call 408-635-8400 or visit www.servgate.com.