Security Vendors Take Aim At Multiprotocol Threats, NAC, Compliance

Security vendors Borderware and Elemental Security used Interop Las Vegas 2006 as a backdrop to unveil their new wares.

Borderware introduced a platform for protecting companies from inbound and outbound threats through multiple protocols, while Elemental Security rolled out a network access control (NAC) solution that uses a policy-based approach to safeguard networks.

Borderware's Infinity Platform flags incoming and outgoing threats in e-mail, instant messaging, the Web and VoIP plus provides central management to help companies stay up to date with compliance regulations, according to Andrew Graydon, CTO at the Mississauga, Ontario-based vendor. The platform integrates with network edge devices from Cisco Systems and F5, he said.

In addition, Borderware took the wraps off the Borderware Security Network (BSN), a reputation service that examines IP address behavior on e-mail, IM, the Internet and VoIP and identifies potential threats to the corporate network from sources such as zombies and botnets, Graydon said.

Octavio Diaz, infrastructure manager at International Integrated Solutions, a BorderWare partner in Plainview, N.Y., said customers that understand the need for strong security across multiple protocols will be the first to embrace the new platform. A key feature that Borderware brings to the table is the ability to identify areas where companies have compliance issues that must be addressed, he noted."Their reporting is by far the best I have seen, and their ability to integrate management platforms is something that very few of their competitors have been able to do," Diaz said.

Elemental Security, meanwhile, showcased the Elemental Security Platform, which provides NAC functionality along with policy and configuration management, according to Joe Gow, product manager at the San Mateo, Calif.-based startup.

The solution includes a security policy editor that can be configured to restrict access to the server to authorized endpoints and to deal with the threat of unmanaged devices. "We provide visibility into the network as well as metrics on where companies stand in terms of network security," Gow said.

Companies are increasingly being asked to implement a layer of security governance to show regulatory compliance, and Elemental's tightly integrated networking capability addresses that need, he added.

Elemental has about 25 channel partners, all of which are using the vendor’s platform to provide security policy development services, Gow said. "This is a platform on which partners can add value by building customized security policies and help companies address compliance issues," he said.0