Protecting your Enterprise Data Through Microsoft Forefront

The Importance of Enterprise Data Security

Organizations in Nigeria are becoming increasingly competitive. On one hand organizations are trying to improve the experience of their customers by opening different channels of touch points like – e-business, self-serve portals, mobile transactions etc, while at the same time, also enabling their workforce to work from any place, any time using different smart devices.

Within big organizations Data Centers, physical servers are giving way to Virtual servers. With the advent of SaaS applications and Private and Public cloud, the Enterprise data is no longer confined to the four walls of the enterprise. What should the organizations do to protect their data from loss, theft or malware attacks?

CIOs today are compelled to open up their enterprise for newer access mechanisms but in the process would they be able to protect their most precious asset – its data? This is one of the biggest risks facing organizations today.

Opportunity in Disguise

Organizations in Nigeria have invested significant amounts in security solutions over the years. In the past few years some of these organizations have also participated in the Microsoft EA agreement entitling them to free access to many Microsoft applications including Microsoft Forefront. These organizations are now pondering to divest their investments in the current security solutions and embrace Microsoft Forefront. This is a business imperative that will also help them consolidate their IT budget.

The Technology Question

Having decided on the product, the next big question is who should implement it? Generally, most organizations jump headlong in to it. After all it is an anti-virus scanner implementation. Where is the complexity, right? Wrong. If we look at the Enterprise spectrum panning from Internet to Encryption of mobile devices and all the intricacies in-between, nothing can be left to chance. Gap anywhere would become an intrusion point and bring the business on its knees. Organizations have to remove risk and bring in certified consultants who can conduct enterprise security audit before rolling out Microsoft Forefront or any other security solutions.

As mentioned earlier it is not about just anti-virus scanner but a unified solution to track and monitor your enterprise asset. Deploying Microsoft Forefront and associated solutions will definitely reduce the TCO and improve the ROI.

Microsoft Forefront - Business Benefits

Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for business desktops, laptops and server operating systems that is easier to manage and control. By delivering simplified administration through central management and providing critical visibility into threats and vulnerabilities, Microsoft Forefront Client Security helps you protect your business with greater confidence and efficiency.

Microsoft Forefront - Technical Benefits

Built on the same highly successful Microsoft protection technology already used by millions of people worldwide, Microsoft Forefront Client Security helps guard against emerging threats such as spyware and root kits as well as traditional threats such as viruses, worms and Trojan horses. Microsoft Forefront Client Security is a highly scalable solution, designed to provide protection for both small businesses and large enterprises with thousands of client machines. This scalability is reflected in the solution's base system requirements. Forefront Client Security is a substantial product with a comprehensive array of features, designed to work in conjunction with many other common Microsoft utilities and products, and having an effective malware detection capability.

What you will need?

If you are an organization transitioning from an existing security solution to Microsoft Forefront, you would need,

1. A good plan to sunset the previous security solution as you rollout Microsoft Forefront without leaving any of your critical systems vulnerable at any point in time.
2. A specialists to help you conduct an enterprise security audit and recommend ways to roll out your new solution.
3. A monitoring systems in place to help you monitor your network.

Many of these need deep expertise as configuration changes can impact your existing setup.

The SSL Advantage

SSL is a Microsoft partner with certified Microsoft consultants. SSL has been in the security domain for almost 90,000 person months with over 10,000 incidences successfully resolved through these years: our understanding of core security issues and scenarios is unmatched. As your choice security provider, we can easily provide the best support required to seamlessly migrate between security products.

The many features and benefits of partnering with SSL for your IT needs also include:

• Comprehensive technical support – our experience in the field of malware security is brought to bear in supporting you
• Product discounts – our partnerships with leaders in IT mean you save more money
• Increased efficiency – with on-site and remote support at your fingertips
• Proactive technology support – our experts will solve IT problems before they affect your business
• Reduced migration time – our knowledge of this field of security coupled with our knowledge of the product will help you migrate to the new platform while taking into consideration all the risk factors inherent in the change of security platform for an enterprise.
• Leverage your current investments – Our security experts will help you leverage your existing investments and help you implement other relevant Microsoft tools in the process.
• Faster time to Implement – SSL with its deep knowledge in security related products and Microsoft partnership has access to wide variety of resources to help you deploy the solution in much less time thereby reducing your implementation cost.