File Sharing – Not Just a Geek Problem

December 5, 2009 by varidion Leave a Comment

An alarming trend has been indentified by our Partner, Palo Alto Networks, in their Applications Usage and Risks Report:  browser based file sharing has overtaken the use of client specific Peer 2 Peer applications for the first time.P2P -v- Browser

So what?

Well its simple, if today you detect and remove the use of file-sharing software within your business by managing and removing applications loaded onto your PCs, then this method is now redundant.  That is, unless you plan to remove browsers from your PCs?

Browser-based file sharing applications are a direct avenue for the transfer of confidential data and allows user download of infected files and malware-infested advertising.

The remedy is simple; you need to identify and control your applications at the network layer.  By their very nature, P2P, Malware and many Web2.0 applications masquerade as valid web and SSL traffic by hiding within their ports and protocols.  So unless your firewall can identify these rogue applications you have no way of controlling them.  Can your firewall distinguish between valid http and file-sharing http?

At Varidion, our Next Generation Firewall can identify and classify some 900 applications so control and protection is simple.  If you still managing by port & protocol speak to us about a free trial of our service, we will even give you a report outlining all the applications in use on your network.  I guarantee we’ll find something you don’t like!

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Embrace the Net Generation – You have NO Choice

November 12, 2009 by varidion 2 Comments

There are lots of papers, blogs and videos amplifying the challenge of the coming wave of Generation Y people, but I thought the video below communicates this better than most.  For those that don’t know, the Y Generation, or those born between the years 1982 and 2001, have been dubbed the “Net Generation” and have been found to use technology at a higher rate than members of any other generation.

By 2012, 52 per cent of the UK’s working population will be members of Generation Y, and they will be avid users of social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

As consumers of these social networks, these Gen Y’s are turning up to work at an enterprise and simply expect that social networks will be at their disposal.  Many will find that companies have blocked these sites to protect productivity and efficiency.   Those companies who block the use of social networking sites just don’t know how to utilise them appropriately to leverage their business.   There are big companies out there that have embraced them, and have been using social networking tools for years, tapping into the collaborative working opportunities that are available via the internet.   Staff who have access to these tools can communicate with clients via instant message.   They could join the Facebook groups of client companies or follow them on Twitter.  Millions of people are using Twitter to connect with their industry peers.  Also, think about the power of a manager being able to connect with employees immediately regardless of where they are….  This is all possible, and it doesn’t breach security if implemented correctly…    Speak to Varidion and start gaining the benefits of Web 2.0 today.

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Statefull Inspection Swiss Cheese – What’s the Point of your Firewall?

October 20, 2009 by varidion 1 Comment

swiss_cheese

Todays Firewalls

I’m sorry to tell you, its got more holes than a Swiss Cheese! Don’t be alarmed…..      most have.

Why?   They’re just simply out of date….

Basically today’s Web 2.0 applications have technology leapfrogged your security infrastructure, so while you diligently close ports and protocols these Net Generation applications choose another port, or better still masquerade as a valid protocol such as HTTPS so your firewall hasn’t a clue. Worried? You should be.

To restore the firewall as the core of your security infrastructure you need to look deeper into the traffic that’s flowing through it, something yesterday’s firewalls simply don’t and can’t do, that was until Nir Zuk one of the inventors of Statefull Inspection Technology headed back to the drawing board…. The outcome, a truly application aware security device that can accurately identify and classify over 900 of the today’s most dynamic applications irrespective of port, protocol but crucially evasion tactic. So finally the Enterprise can adopt Web 2.0 collaboration tools with the piece of mind they can actually control them.

Today, many Enterprises block applications such as Webex, LogMeIn, Yoics and P2P applications for very obvious reasons, again I have bad news, they are in use, you just can’t see them as they look just like valid http and http/s traffic. The facts are stark, in a recent application usage report of 60 large enterprises representing the behavior of 900,000 users, Peer 2 Peer applications were found in 92% of the enterprises, and web based file sharing in 72% of the companies and guess what; 100% had Firewalls and a further 82% had additional devices such as a Proxy, URL filter or an IPS.

Now that’s a great investment! Upgrade your business today speak to Varidion about an application aware network.

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