Product Roundup: Six New Security Offerings

• Symantec released DeepSight Threat Management System 5.0, a global early-warning system that proactively alerts organizations to active attacks and offers analysis with suggestions for countermeasures to mitigate risk. With this version, worldwide virus data will now be integrated into the Symantec system. DeepSight also includes an optional Custom Reports Add-on, a reporting capability that enables organizations to mine the global security-event database by time, country and industry, offering more granularity when analyzing a specific security event. Administrators also have the ability to generate detailed reports in more than 20 different reporting formats.
• DeepSight has a ThreatCon rating system that provides a summary measure of the current global threat exposure on the Internet, much like the Homeland Security Department's color-coded terror alert system. The system is complemented by DeepSight Alert Services -- which provide customized and detailed notification of vulnerabilities and malicious code as they are discovered -- and Security Response, an Internet security content, research and support organization that leverages threat and early-warning systems to help proactively guard against complex threats.
• Symantec also announced its Gateway Security 5400 Series, a line of firewall appliances that offer a network-security solution designed to protect against various types of malicious threats, including viruses and worms. The solutions reduce network security costs and provide customers with gateway-level protection by integrating full inspection firewall, intrusion prevention, intrusion detection, antivirus, content filtering, virtual private networking, and anti-spam technology into a single device. The Gateway Security 5400 Series is scheduled to be available in mid-September in three models (5420, 5440 and 5460), starting at an estimated $3,995. Symantec is offering a flexible licensing plan with the series that provides up to one year of telephone support, advanced replacement, upgrade insurance and content updates.
• Internet Security Systems (ISS) has announced new service levels to assist its customers with the deployment and ongoing operations of all ISS products. ISS also has launched its True Blue customer portal, which enables customers to submit and track support incidents online and receive priority notifications with information on new and emerging threats.
• The three new support levels are Standard, which offers access to 24x7 telephone-based technical support and most recent X-Press Update product enhancements, along with limited access to the True Blue portal and unlimited access to the ISS Knowledgebase and X-Force Threat and Vulnerability Database; Select, which provides customers with more proactive and personalized service through direct access to senior support engineers and priority response to support incidents; and Premium, which adds designated technical account managers for all support needs, highest priority response to support incidents, two on-site security reviews per year, credit toward use of ISS X-Force Professional Security Services and Education, and real-time access to the X-Force Threat Analysis Service. Select, Premium and the True Blue access for Standard support currently are available only in North America.
• In a related announcement, ISS this week introduced new resources to help organizations comply with legislation such as HIPAA, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and Sarbanes-Oxley. To help customers meet security best practices and achieve regulatory compliance, ISS employs a five-step process that covers the security management life cycle, including phases for assessment, design, deployment, management and education (ADDME). The ADDME process identifies and analyzes the gaps between an organization's current security status and government and industry requirements. Following the ADDME process, ISS helps customers close the gaps and ensure ongoing compliance. All the resources are available on the company's Web site.
• Other companies making announcements this week include BTC Network Systems, which released its SabrNet Pro family of all-in-one security appliances that include all the features and functions of standalone firewalls, routers, VPN devices and intrusion-detection systems in a single rack unit. The appliances start at $,2795. Certicom shipped Version 4 of its Security Builder Crypto toolkit, which includes new Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)-validated algorithms, making it easier for ISVs and OEMs to build devices and applications that meet U.S. government regulations. The toolkits are based on C and Java technology, providing interoperable, end-to-end security for mobile devices, desktop computers and servers.
• Finally, e-mail protection and security services company MX Logic announced that it has the General Services Administration (GSA) IT schedule of HydroGeoLogic (HGL), a technology and environmental engineering firm. Under this agreement, HGL will offer MX Logic's premier e-mail protection and security services to all government agencies.