McAfee, a leading name in computer security, has announced the release of McAfee Total Protection Service. The service is one of the industry’s very first Security-as-a-Service solutions, which offers constant protection without needing investment into infrastructure on-premise.

Marc Olesen, senior vice president and general manager of McAfee Software-as-a-Service said: “Total Protection Service is a key component of the McAfee Security-as-a-Service strategy. With this release, we’re broadening our SaaS offerings to enterprise customers. While small and mid-size businesses are very familiar with Total Protection Service, larger companies are realising the benefits of SaaS in helping them reduce operating costs while strengthening their security controls.”

McAfee’s Total Protection Service delivers integrated protection for all areas of computer usage, and access to SecurityCenter. This online console, managed by McAfee, allows a greater flexibility for administration and management of Total Protection. Administrators can improve and manage the protection with customised dashboards of the security environment.

The Total Protection Service indicates McAfee’s approach to computer security as a service which must be accessible but – just as fundamentally – should also be affordable. This is particularly pertinent in a world where the economic slowdown has meant many businesses cannot afford to maintain the security of their systems.

McAfee’s Total Protection Service is made affordable by online deployment, off-site infrastructure, and reporting in real-time. This also saves significant time for the business or enterprise which runs this new Security-as-a-Service solution. The Security-as-a-Service model means that McAfee manages the system remotely, so the infrastructure to provide a business with computer security does not have be installed and maintained on-site.

Evidence for the affordable element of McAfee’s Total Protection Service include the 50% cost savings on average that is recognised by McAfee customers.

To make sure that customers are kept safe from the wide variety of sophisticated cyber threats, McAfee’s Security-as-a-Service portfolio is powered by Global Threat Intelligence in real-time. This is gathered by McAfee Avert Labs, which utilise McAfee Artemis and TrustedSource. These are cloud-based technologies which help McAfee’s Security-as-a-Service update as new threats appear.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Internet and computer security giant McAfee has outlined details of a Security-as-a-Service strategy to deliver security to businesses large or small as a service in the cloud.

McAfee’s plan to harness the cloud in such a way that means that McAfee can provide an affective and functional portfolio of Security-as-a-Service products to companies and enterprises large or small. These are more cost efficient as they are a single vendor solution to security concerns, which is particularly attractive in this time of economic downturn.

The development of this type of security service has been done in line with growing customer demand. McAfee are reacting to the evidence that shows that IT departments are losing numbers and being stretched to their limits; on top of this Gartner has claimed that even though security risks are on the increase, it looks as though worldwide IT spending will decline at the end of the year 2009.

A benefit of McAfee’s development of security products as a service in the cloud, is that the delivery option of one of the most important aspects of computer usage is flexible. Marc Olesen, SVP and General Manager of McAfee Software-as-a-Service said: “Our customers have told us they want flexibility in their delivery options. It is clear that IT resources need to focus on initiatives that are business critical, while consolidating vendors.”

McAfee’s Security-as-a-Service products works by using combined global threat intelligence from Artemis, TrustedSource and SiteAdvisor, and accumulates millions of data to compile real-time profiles of any suspicious activity. Deviations of the behavior can also be looked out for, ensuring a safeguard against rapidly developing threats. The products deliver web and e-mail protection, including malware, viruses and phishing attacks. All this is done through McAfee’s harnessing of the cloud to provide a unique cloud based management console.

The McAfee Security-as-a-Service technology offers a wide variety in its portfolio, including; McAfee Total Protection Service; McAfee Total Protection Service Extended; McAfee Web Protection Service; and McAfee Vulnerability Assessment.

The plans to harness the cloud in line with developing the Security-as-a-Service provision is there to meet market and customer demands as the ever present need for internet security increases.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

McAfee, one of the largest computer security companies in the world, has made available McAfee Total Protection for Internet Gateways.

Cost savings of over 50% can be made for those customers wanting web, mail and network DLP protection in one bundle, and which can be deployed on McAfee appliances. The cost is $50 per node for a 1,000 user organisation.

And McAfee Total Protection for Internet Gateway are integrated with McAfee Orchestrator software and the McAfee centralized security management console.

Dan Ryan, McAfee executive vice president and general manager of McAfee’s Network Security Business, said: “It provides customers with an all-in-one solution for inbound and outbound policy enforcement and threat protection. McAfee has created a bundle that no other competitor can match, decreasing costs and fitting with the customers’ needs for complete protection from email and Web-borne threats.”

Selling points of McAfee Total Protection for Internet Gateways include:

• as organisations look for ways to control costs, they look for security software that can enable productivity and security at a decreased cost. McAfee Total Protection for Internet Gateways provides best-in-class user gateway security protection and Web 2.0 business enablement at an affordable price.
• ePO support availability for McAfee Network DLP and McAfee Web Gateway. McAfee ePO software provides a dashboard view of DLP and Web Gateway performance from within the ePO console. The ePO software provides visibility into malware blocked, enterprise web filtering, web traffic volume by protocol (http, https and ftp), and data loss policy alerts.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Computer security giant McAfee has introduced a new software programme that prevents children from online dangers such as viewing bad content, getting involved in cyber-bullying and engaging in communications on social networking sites.

Known as McAfee Family Protection, it gives parents a chance to not only protect their kids whilst online, but also to teach their offspring safe surfing habits and techniques.

Brent Remai, vice president of consumer marketing at McAfee, said:
“Cyber threats are increasing exponentially, and at the same time more and more children are spending time online. I see these dangers every day and the threats are very real for kids. It takes both education and technology to protect kids from online dangers, and the McAfee Family Protection software makes it simple for parents to keep their kids safe online.”

McAfee revealed that 62% of parents worry just as much about teenage online safety, as they do about drinking and driving. Furthermore, studies have shown that 52% of teenagers have provided personal information online to people they didn’t know. What’s more, one out of 17 children have been bullied, harassed, or threatened online.

McAfee Family Protection includes a number of unique features. Foremost, is its ability to be structured in terms of the child’s age group. Then comes parental emails, or texts, which warn when their child is trying to access banned websites. Parents can also filter out inappropriate YouTube videos and also block instant messaging and email services. And it does all this without exposing the computer user to unnecessary screen advertising.

And for those parents who cannot be near their child’s computer for long periods of time, they can create and change settings remotely by logging onto a website where they can access their personal account.

It costs from $39.99 and works with various other McAfee computer security products, including McAfee VirusScan® Plus, McAfee Internet Security and McAfee Total Protection.

Features include:

• Web Blocking. Lets parents block up to 35 categories of bad content including pornography, hate sites and school cheating;
• Program Blocking. Helps avoid programmes such as peer-to- peer file sharing programs that may disable family PCs;
• E-mail Content Management. Allows parents to pre- approve e-mail addresses of friends and block unknown e-mail addresses. It can also completely block Web-based email;
• Social Networking. This feature records and alerts parents when inappropriate, or personal information is posted to popular social networking sites;
• Instant Messaging. Lets parents monitor and record instant messaging chats. Parents can also block IM programs that are installed on the PC by using the Program Blocking feature.
• Time Limits. This enable families to select the amount of time children and teens can use the Internet.
• Reports. Provides parents with a complete view of sites visited, including banned sites, as well as recorded IM activity.
• Instant Alerts. These are provided by e-mails, or texts, and warn parents when access to bad material is attempted and when confidential information is posted on social networking sites.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Despite recessionary times, McAfee has lodged record results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009.

Revenues increased 18% to $469 million year-over-year and 5% quarter-over-quarter. There was a record $1.31 billion of deferred income which represented a 20% year-over-year increase and a quarter-over-quarter 3% increase.

Currency fluctuations hit the revenue line to the tune of $22 million. Respectively, GAAP and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.18 and $0.60, respectively. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share reached a record $0.60, an increase of 15% year-over-year and 5%. quarter-over-quarter

Dave DeWalt, the president and chief executive of McAfee, said about the results:
“For the second quarter of 2009, we are proud to report quarterly records in revenue, deferred revenue, non-GAAP operating income, and non-GAAP net income. Our continued market share gains prove customers and partners choose McAfee for security leadership.”

He continued:
“With our pending acquisition of MX Logic, McAfee expects to strengthen our position as an innovative leader in the security Software-as-a-Service segment with one of the most diverse portfolios in the industry. We expect to bring customers enhanced cloud based email and Web security with archiving in a rapidly growing segment. This combination will give customers greater access to critical messaging SaaS offerings and an expanded network of partners across the world.”

McAfee serves both the business and consumer sectors. In the business sector, revenue grew 21% year-over-year to a record $291 million in the second quarter of 2009. In the consumer sector, revenue grew 13% year-over-year to a record $177 million in the second quarter of 2009. And McAfee signed, or extended 24 agreements and launched 63 new or enhanced online partnerships. This brought the total to over 200 brand name partners worldwide.

When they announced results, McAfee recapped the highlights of the period:

• completed the acquisition of privately owned Solidcore Systems, offering first end-to-end compliance solution that includes dynamic whitelisting and application trust technology, antivirus, antispyware, host intrusion prevention, policy auditing and firewall technologies;
• unveiled McAfee Family Protection, a new software program that can protect a child from online dangers, such as viewing inappropriate content, participating in cyberbullying and engaging in risky interactions on social networking sites;
• released McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator 4.5 software to help secure organizations from a vast and ever-growing threat landscape;
• released Total Protection Service, the industry’s SaaS solution offering always on guard protection without additional investment in on-premise infrastructure;
• upgraded its enterprise firewall products with next generation capabilities that help customers increase network security and lower their compliance and operational costs in both physical and virtual network environments;
• released McAfee Total Protection for Internet Gateways. One purchase gets Web, mail and network DLP protection to be deployed on McAfee appliances, providing advanced threat protection with acquisition cost savings of 50%;
• research firm Gartner has placed McAfee in the leaders quadrant in its Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms. In addition, McAfee was named a leader in two reports from Forrester Research "The Forrester Wave: Web Filtering, Q2 2009" and "The Forrester Wave: Email Filtering, Q2 2009."

At the same time as the results, McAfee announced the acquisition of the privately owned MX Logic for $140 million with an additional $30 million contingent upon achieving certain performance milestones.

MX Logic is the world’s leading independent SaaS provider of on-demand email, Web security and archiving solutions with nearly 40,000 customers and four million end users.

McAfee also announced that its expects third quarter net revenues of $475 million to $495 million.

Guest Article by Neil Camp