tamarisk
February 20th, 2004, 01:35 AM
http://www.instantmessagingplanet.com/enterprise/article.php/3315521
Websense Expands IM Capabilities
February 20, 2004
By Christopher Saunders
Employee Internet management player Websense (Quote, Chart) is beefing up its toolset for handling instant messaging in the workplace.
The San Diego, Calif.-based firm first began including IM management tools last year, in the latest version of its Websense Enterprise system. That product, which operates at the corporate firewall, network and desktop levels, enables IT administrators to define policies governing which Internet services employees can access, and how they can use that access.
For instance, the Websense policy engine -- which integrates with corporate LDAP directories -- can prohibit Web surfing on certain sites or during certain hours of the day, block pop-up ads, detect and disable spyware, or limit P2P activity to certain in-house groups or individuals. Those same sorts of granular controls can be applied to the consumer IM services as well -- restricting its use to certain employees, groups, times of day or week, or IM networks.
Now, the company plans to enhance the offering by providing similarly granular management control to IM file transfers. The new IM Attachment Manager module enables IT staff to specify who can send or receive files via IM, and when.
The addition might seem fairly humdrum if it weren't for the fact that IM file transfers potentially represent a serious security hole if left unguarded. For instance, there's the possibility of an employee leaking sensitive material beyond the firewall, to unknown parties. Viruses, too, are increasingly relying on IM as a mode of transport -- so, blocking IM files also means blocking them, as well. That's important, since a virus transmitted by IM can bypass existing most enterprises' anti-virus filters. And, as with P2P systems, there's always the risk of liability stemming from the illegal sharing of copyrighted files.
For IT staff, limiting file transfers to the appropriate employees also provides a way to ensure that network bandwidth is used efficiently.
In addition to blocking or allowing file transfers, the system also enables IT staff to generate reports on employees' IM and file-sharing usage.
The system also integrates with another Websense product, Bandwidth Optimizer, which enables organizations to throttle employees' use of specific Internet services. In connection with the file transfer module, those capabilities can be extended to file sharing.
The move represents the latest in Websense's efforts in IM -- a space where most of the attention has been garnered by IM specialists, particularly those addressing compliance issues in heavily regulated industries.
But Kian Saneii, vice president of marketing and business development for Websense, said his company is less concerned with IM-only or compliance-focused competitors. Instead, like rivals such as BlueCoat and SurfControl, the firm is targeting a wider enterprise security and Web management market.
"We looked at the companies, the FaceTimes, IMlogics, Akonixes, and the others ... and saw a huge amount of benefit we could provide," Saneii said. "Our customers said, 'We want the policy engine to be run by Websense.' This allows the customer to apply the same policies ... on the URL side ... to protocols for instant messaging."
"We don't look at messages, we don't archive them in a nonrepudiated way," he added. Websense Enterprise "is very much a horizontal solution. It takes care of the biggest holes in the instant messaging landscape."
Christopher Saunders is managing editor of InstantMessagingPlanet.com.
Websense Expands IM Capabilities
February 20, 2004
By Christopher Saunders
Employee Internet management player Websense (Quote, Chart) is beefing up its toolset for handling instant messaging in the workplace.
The San Diego, Calif.-based firm first began including IM management tools last year, in the latest version of its Websense Enterprise system. That product, which operates at the corporate firewall, network and desktop levels, enables IT administrators to define policies governing which Internet services employees can access, and how they can use that access.
For instance, the Websense policy engine -- which integrates with corporate LDAP directories -- can prohibit Web surfing on certain sites or during certain hours of the day, block pop-up ads, detect and disable spyware, or limit P2P activity to certain in-house groups or individuals. Those same sorts of granular controls can be applied to the consumer IM services as well -- restricting its use to certain employees, groups, times of day or week, or IM networks.
Now, the company plans to enhance the offering by providing similarly granular management control to IM file transfers. The new IM Attachment Manager module enables IT staff to specify who can send or receive files via IM, and when.
The addition might seem fairly humdrum if it weren't for the fact that IM file transfers potentially represent a serious security hole if left unguarded. For instance, there's the possibility of an employee leaking sensitive material beyond the firewall, to unknown parties. Viruses, too, are increasingly relying on IM as a mode of transport -- so, blocking IM files also means blocking them, as well. That's important, since a virus transmitted by IM can bypass existing most enterprises' anti-virus filters. And, as with P2P systems, there's always the risk of liability stemming from the illegal sharing of copyrighted files.
For IT staff, limiting file transfers to the appropriate employees also provides a way to ensure that network bandwidth is used efficiently.
In addition to blocking or allowing file transfers, the system also enables IT staff to generate reports on employees' IM and file-sharing usage.
The system also integrates with another Websense product, Bandwidth Optimizer, which enables organizations to throttle employees' use of specific Internet services. In connection with the file transfer module, those capabilities can be extended to file sharing.
The move represents the latest in Websense's efforts in IM -- a space where most of the attention has been garnered by IM specialists, particularly those addressing compliance issues in heavily regulated industries.
But Kian Saneii, vice president of marketing and business development for Websense, said his company is less concerned with IM-only or compliance-focused competitors. Instead, like rivals such as BlueCoat and SurfControl, the firm is targeting a wider enterprise security and Web management market.
"We looked at the companies, the FaceTimes, IMlogics, Akonixes, and the others ... and saw a huge amount of benefit we could provide," Saneii said. "Our customers said, 'We want the policy engine to be run by Websense.' This allows the customer to apply the same policies ... on the URL side ... to protocols for instant messaging."
"We don't look at messages, we don't archive them in a nonrepudiated way," he added. Websense Enterprise "is very much a horizontal solution. It takes care of the biggest holes in the instant messaging landscape."
Christopher Saunders is managing editor of InstantMessagingPlanet.com.