Startup Bit9 Gaining Traction In Channel

Late last month, the security company added six new regional solution providers with experience in endpoint security and government organizations, said George Kassabgi, president and CEO of Bit9, Cambridge, Mass.

Doug Marlin, managing partner at Independent Technology Group (ITG), a solution provider in Oak Park, Calif., said Bit9 complements his company's network-based security offerings. Although ITG typically has steered clear of endpoint security solutions, that's changing due to a groundswell of customer inquiries, he added.

Bit9's Parity offering provides an effective way to manage Windows desktops by monitoring the network and allowing only authorized applications to run on PCs, thus reducing the risks associated with unauthorized software, he said.

Parity comprises software on the endpoint and back-end server, and protects the network by blocking unauthorized executable files from operating, Kassabgi said.

Bit9's technology goes beyond security and allows companies to limit unauthorized use of bandwidth and prevent non-work-related applications such as Apple Computer's iTunes from running on company PCs, Kassabgi said.

Phil Thompson, president of Ciphaus, a VAR in Vancouver, Wash., said Parity is particularly useful for ensuring business continuity in the event of virus outbreaks. "This emerging technology is a proactive way of guarding against threats, and it's going to change the landscape in terms of what virus scanners do," he said.

The technology doesn't take up nearly as much CPU power as conventional antivirus software because it takes a snapshot of the system and doesn't let anything new or unknown execute, he said.