Feature Pack 2.0 for SAP Business ByDesign Solution Available to Midsize Companies

July 30, 2009 · Filed Under Business Software, Productivity Software, Software News · Comment 

Enhanced Business Functionality of On-Demand Solution Allows Complete Insight for Better Decision-Making

SAP AG announced the availability of the latest update – feature pack 2.0 for SAP Business ByDesign(TM). Specifically designed for midsize companies, SAP Business ByDesign is a comprehensive, fully integrated on-demand solution that helps customers gain a higher degree of visibility across their enterprise in order to make more informed business decisions. In addition, the on-demand delivery model of SAP Business ByDesign helps reduce overall operational IT costs associated with infrastructure, equipment and software management, allowing midsize companies to maintain a competitive edge. The new feature pack 2.0 for SAP Business ByDesign significantly expands functionality and provides more value to customers by offering business support for 35 end-to-end process scenarios. Managed, monitored and maintained by SAP experts in world-class hosted data centers, SAP Business ByDesign delivers the best of SAP technology, on-demand. Currently the solution is available in China, France, Germany, India, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“We are currently implementing SAP Business ByDesign and expect to gain clarity across our entire business, which will help us remain competitive and make fast, well-informed decisions,” said Patti Charlton, CFO, ResearchPoint. “We are excited about the capabilities we have seen in the feature pack 2.0 for SAP Business ByDesign and believe that it offers significant benefits to service companies like ours. Through the new release, we expect to benefit almost immediately from the new capabilities, such as business analytics, project profitability and automated project billing that the feature pack offers.”

As companies carefully examine current and future investments, those in the small and midsize enterprise (SME) market need business models that reduce investment risks while simultaneously assisting users in managing the entire organization. The new feature pack 2.0 for SAP Business ByDesign provides midsize companies with many additional functions to help them make better business decisions and gain clarity into their operations. With the feature pack 2.0, customers can achieve:

  • Complete insight for better decision-making. Through the integration with software from the SAP BusinessObjects(TM) portfolio, including Crystal Reports software and dashboards from Xcelsius software, executives of midsize companies can benefit from increased transparency into their business operation and can utilize comprehensive analytics to make decisions that can improve their business performance. Executive dashboards provide key performance indicators such as cash and liquidity management and sales projections. In addition, through customizable key performance indicators executives can control their key corporate measures.
  • Streamlined processes and faster execution. Feature pack 2.0 for SAP Business byDesign provides services and manufacturing companies more mission-critical business processes in a single, integrated solution. Designed to meet the needs of high growth services companies, feature pack 2.0 integrates customer relationship management (CRM), order-to-cash with automated billing, project profitability and resource management, time and expense reimbursement, procure to pay and service and repair. The solution also helps significantly reduce administrative overhead for services companies by offering a reduced per-user fee for consultants who only need to access the system for time and expense entry. Manufacturing companies will have complete visibility across their supply chain, including suppliers, customers, manufacturing and logistics. They can directly impact their bottom line by managing strategic procurement via an automated request for quotation (RFQ) process, as well as reduce recalls with integrated product engineering and quality management tools. The new feature pack can impact manufacturers’ top-line by having visibility into customer and product profitability using the built-in analytics and drill down capabilities.
  • Enhanced user productivity. With feature pack 2.0, companies can collaborate more effectively internally-as well as with customers, suppliers and partners — through new groupware integration with Microsoft Outlook and MS Office. Companies can achieve higher productivity by utilizing improved personalization features and a series of new third-party Web services that are now available in feature pack 2.0.

“With the availability of the feature pack 2.0, we significantly increase the value that our midsize charter clients are receiving from SAP Business ByDesign,” said Hans-Peter Klaey, president of SME and corporate officer of SAP AG. “Our charter client program for SAP Business ByDesign is a leading program to ensure close support and collaboration for innovative companies that want all the benefits of the only comprehensive and fully integrated on-demand solution dedicated to midsize companies.”

Current SAP Business ByDesign customers are notified about updates in the “What’s New” section within the solution to help them start planning for adoption of the new features at their own pace. Topics in the section enable customers to learn more about the value of new and enhanced features. In addition, customers will also receive new or updated learning courses that can be accessed in a personalized manner within SAP Business ByDesign. Further guidance will be provided on how to configure the solution to activate the new features when users are ready.

The online SAP Business ByDesign(TM) Business Center is the single place to go for information about SAP Business ByDesign and allows collaboration with SAP and its partners. Once in the business center, interested parties can access online product information, demos and role-based videos. Visitors to the center can contact SAP directly via phone, e-mail or online chat. The center also provides charter clients with access to the SAP Business ByDesign community.

Source: SAP AG

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Indonesia Now Using MegaMatcher Biometric Technology in Integrated Passport Issuance System

July 28, 2009 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Neurotechnology’s Multi-biometric Face and Fingerprint Identification Engine Helps Enable Fast, Accurate Passport Processing

Neurotechnology announced their inclusion as the core enrollment and identification engine for the Indonesian Integrated Biometric Passport Issuance System. MegaMatcher SDK multi-biometric technology was used by X/LINK Software, working with ICT Solution Provider PT. Berca Hardayaperkasa, to develop a distributed passport issuance system that enables the Republic of Indonesia’s 100+ Immigration Offices to quickly enroll and process local passport applications. Data from the local offices is automatically forwarded to a centralized biometric matching system that delivers fast and accurate processing of passport information. Neurotechnology’s MegaMatcher provided the best combination of high degree of accuracy, identification of duplicate registrations, exemplary technical support and a low total cost of ownership.

“Neurotechnology’s MegaMatcher has provided Immigration an affordably priced, integrated solution for our unique Passport Issuance System,” said Mr. Erwin Azis, SH, MH, Director of System Information of the Directorate General of Immigration of the Department of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia.

“Indonesia’s passport system was a large and important project and we are pleased that MegaMatcher was selected for its implementation,” said Dr. Algimantas Malickas, CEO of Neurotechnology. “X/LINK is a very experienced integrator, and using MegaMatcher technology they were able to implement a reliable, fast and fault tolerant system.”

The Indonesia passport issuance system uses MegaMatcher Client to generate templates from face and fingerprint images collected at local Indonesian Immigration Offices. These templates, along with scans of other required documents, are stored on a local server and forwarded automatically by X/LINK SAF (Store and Forward) to the Biometric Matching System at Immigration Headquarters. The Biometric Matching System, built upon the MegaMatcher Server solution, provides the identification and duplicate searching in the national passport database. Results are returned to the local office via SAF where, if appropriate, the passport is issued.

The system at each Immigration Office utilizes a Linux Server with browser Clients running Windows XP and the web-based application developed using MegaMatcher Client. The Biometric Matching System at immigration headquarters in Jakarta runs on a scalable Linux server farm.

The high speed and reliability of MegaMatcher facilitates the development of national-scale multi-biometric face/fingerprint identification systems and automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS) for both civil and forensic applications. MegaMatcher includes both fingerprint and face identification engines with a fusion algorithm that allows the two technologies to work together to provide very fast 1:N (1 to many) matching with higher reliability than AFIS or facial recognition alone.

The MegaMatcher fingerprint recognition algorithm has received full NIST MINEX certification for use in the US Government Personal Identity Verification program fingerprint recognition applications. MegaMatcher supports BioAPI 2.0 and most other biometric industry standards and can be used in conjunction with other Neurotechnology products, including VeriFinger, VeriLook and the FaceCell and FingerCell embedded development kits. All components of MegaMatcher can be used on both Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems.

MegaMatcher 3.0 SDK is available with highly competitive licensing options through Neurotechnology or from distributors worldwide. A 30-day trial version with full functionality is also available for download.

Source: www.neurotechnology.com

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Maxthon releases Alpha Version of Max-3, soon to be the world’s first automatic hybrid browser

July 27, 2009 · Filed Under Browsers, Software News · Comment 

Maxthon today released alpha version 4 of its new browser, Max-3, for public download and testing.

The alpha is available at http://dl.maxthon.cn/mx3/msetup3.0.0.139.exe . When the complete version of the browser is released, early next year, Max-3 will be the Internet’s first browser to use automatic-detection hybrid technology to power its display of Web pages.

Max-3 will contain two rendering engines. One is the Trident engine already in the current version of Maxthon, as well as being used by Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

The second rendering engine, Webkit, is newer than Trident, and used by Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari. Both of those browsers have won praise in reviews for their rendering speed. Early benchmark tests of Chrome found it to be 42 times faster than Internet Explorer 7, and nine times faster than Firefox 3. Max-3 is expected to have similar speed advantages.

A rendering engine is a collection of code that translates the text-based HTML and Javascript instructions into signals used to correctly display a Web page that could include photos, graphic decorations, video, and text.

Trident is relatively little changed since it was introduced several years ago. Since then, design trends have introduced such innovations as CSS with different functions, the W3C standard, and different aesthetics. The result is that a page rendered by Webkit may look fine. When Trident tackles the same page, it doesn’t understand the newer instructions and botches the display.

Webkit, however, may not properly construct one of the millions of older Web pages originally designed to display on systems running only Internet Explorer.

Max-3 is designed to provide the best of both rendering engines.

Shifting Gears

In Maxthon’s hybrid rendering engines, running display commands through Webkit is called Ultra Mode in recognition of its extreme high speed and its ability to work with the latest Web design fashions. Ultra Mode significantly improves JavaScript execution and page loading speed. It has also much better support for the W3C standards, as evidenced by Max-3’s passing the W3C’s Acid2 and Acid3 tests.

Most of the time, Max-3 will operate in Ultra Mode. Max-3 may encounter pages, such as certain online banking sites, that Webkit cannot display. When that happens, Max-3 automatically suspends Ultra Mode and engages the Trident engine to put the browser into Retro Mode. As the name suggests, Retro Mode will function to display correctly Web pages that have used the same design commands that originated some 20 years ago. The switch from Ultra to Retro is seamless and ordinarily goes unnoticed by the user.

If the browsing mode is not switched automatically, the user can make the switch manually by clicking the Browsing Mode button next to the address bar. Maxthon makes a data entry about the mode selected by the user, and automatically activates that mode during return visits to the page.

The hybrid engines are available for testing in the new alpha. Other major updates to the alpha code include:

  • Auto-Update Module, allowing Max-3 to be updated online.
  • Address Bar Optimization. The bar now supports smart sorting of its drop-down list and shortcuts for completing URLs. For example, users may type the first part of a URL and complete it with Ctrl+Enter for .com, Shift+Enter for .net, and Alt+Enter for .org.
  • Added Favicons for display in the Address Bar, Tab Bar, Favorites Bar, and Favorite List.
  • Smooth Scrolling Support. Web pages will move smoothly when scrolling the mouse wheel.
  • Enhanced Javascript performance by about 10 percent.

Source: Maxthon

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Apple Unveils New Logic Studio with Major Upgrades to Logic Pro and MainStage

July 24, 2009 · Filed Under MP3 Audio Software, Software News · Comment 

Apple unveiled the next version of Logic Studio with major upgrades to Logic Pro and MainStage and more than 200 new features that simplify complex tasks.

Logic Pro 9 features new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins that provide realistic virtual guitar amps and stompbox effects to create amazing custom guitar rigs. A new set of Flex Time tools allow Logic users to manipulate the timing and tempo of audio quickly and easily. MainStage 2, Apple’s live performance application, includes the new Playback and Loopback plug-ins to provide backing tracks and creative, real-time loop recording for performing on stage. Logic Studio also includes the new Soundtrack Pro 3, with new multitrack audio tools for video production, and Compressor 3.5 for encoding in a variety of formats.

“The new Logic Studio is ideal for professional musicians, live performers and GarageBand enthusiasts who want to take their music to the next level,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Guitar players are going to love Amp Designer and Pedalboard and the new Flex Time tools allow you to quickly improve your recordings and create tighter performances.”

The new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins give guitar players incredible new recording and sound design capabilities. Amp Designer recreates 25 legendary vintage and modern amp heads in beautiful detail with matching controls and 25 paired speaker cabinets that emulate the sound and feel of a guitar running through a real tube amplifier. Guitar players can create their own custom rig by mixing and matching amps, cabinets, reverbs and EQs, and can choose from three different microphone types that can be positioned in 3D space to capture the ideal guitar tone. Pedalboard adds an assortment of 30 guitar stompbox pedals that can be arranged in any order to produce a wide variety of lush, creative effects including overdrive, distortion, fuzz, delay, chorus, flange, phaser, tremolo, treble boost, wah and more.

Flex Time is a new collection of tools that allow musicians to quickly manipulate the timing and tempo of recorded audio, including vocals and instruments, to create tighter performances. Using the Flex Tool, individual beats in a waveform can be moved effortlessly with a mouse click, without the need for tedious slicing and editing. Audio Quantize can instantly fix or adjust the timing of an entire performance by aligning notes and beats to a musical grid with a single menu selection. Varispeed provides the ability to slow down and then speed up an entire multi-track production to help record challenging parts. Flex Time also enables recorded tracks to be moved between different Logic projects and matched together, even if they were performed at different tempos. All Flex Time edits are performed non destructively and in real time, even when using the highest quality settings.

MainStage 2 lets musicians use all the instruments and effects from Logic Studio to turn their Mac into the ultimate live performance rig. The new Playback plug-in provides musicians with a backing band, allowing them to perform with pre-recorded audio, like drums, sound effects and other accompaniments that can be triggered to play while they are performing live. The new Loopback plug-in allows musicians to record, layer and jam along with their own performance so a single musician can lay down a rhythm and then play a lead over it.

Soundtrack Pro 3 adds powerful new audio editing tools including Voice Level Match which extracts volume information from the vocal content of one clip and applies it to another without altering any other audio content, so editors can easily correct mismatched voice levels. An enhanced File Editor includes new tools to make sophisticated edits and fine tune volume adjustments by targeting specific frequencies such as the rustle of a paper or the bump of a desk without affecting dialogue. The new Advanced Time Stretch feature stretches and compresses audio with incredible precision using three Apple-designed algorithms or other algorithms available as third party plug-ins. Soundtrack Pro and Compressor are also available as part of the new Final Cut Studio , allowing Final Cut and Logic users to collaborate and share files.

Pricing & Availability

Logic Studio is now available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) and existing users of Logic Studio and Logic Pro can upgrade for a suggested retail price of $199 (US). Full system requirements and more information on Logic Studio can be found at www.apple.com/logicstudio. Logic Express, a streamlined and even more affordable version of Logic for GarageBand users who want more power and control, will ship in August for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) and will be available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

Source: Apple

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PGP Corporation launches new mobile data protection and security solutions

July 21, 2009 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Encryption Applications Enable Enterprises to Extend Corporate-Wide Data Security Policies

PGP Corporation announced two new mobile security encryption solutions, PGP Portable and PGP Mobile 9.10, designed to address the critical challenges facing organizations that share portable data and secure email on smartphones. An extension of the award-winning PGP Encryption Platform, PGP Portable is a new data protection solution that provides self-contained encryption on any removable storage device or optical media, including USB sticks, CDs and DVDs. In addition to data encryption, PGP Mobile 9.10 now includes encryption for email and email attachments (both stored and in transit) on Windows Mobile smartphones, extending PGP Corporation’s multi-platform support. Furthermore, PGP Corporation is also rolling out new enhanced support programs to meet the changing needs of its customers.

According to the recently published annual 2009 U.S. Encryption Trends Report by The Ponemon Institute, 59 percent of respondents said that it is very important/critical to encrypt mobile devices and 26 percent indicated they encrypt a smartphone or PDA most of the time, but 51 percent said they never do.

“Corporations are increasingly reliant on mobile technology as their primary platform. Mobile platforms of choice are driven by employees who are bringing in their own devices that IT departments need to support,” said Michael Osterman, president and founder of Osterman Research. “This is driving increasing concerns around mobile security and organizations now need a solution that provides email and data protection across a diverse set of platforms, which PGP Corporation offers.”

PGP Portable – Protect Data On Any Media

PGP Portable enables users to share encrypted data regardless of their operating system and without requiring them to install additional software or have special machine privileges. Based on the evolution of PGP Corporation’s patented virtual disk technology that is market proven, trusted and FIPS 140-2-validated, key features and benefits of PGP Portable include:

  • One-click encryption: PGP Portable converts removable devices and media into containers of encrypted data with a single click.
  • Access and modify encrypted data without installing software: When authorized users plug in a USB drive or CD/DVD secured with PGP Portable, they are prompted for a passphrase. Once authenticated, the user can access and modify data on these devices securely and the data remains encrypted on these devices. Users can share encrypted data with others that do not have PGP software on their system.
  • Native operating system user experience: Users access PGP Portable removable drives and media using the standard Windows or Mac OS X operating system file managers.
  • Extends data protection: PGP Portable is easily added to PGP Corporation’s centrally managed full disk encryption, network file sharing and desktop email protection applications.

“Corporations are becoming increasingly concerned with data breaches occurring from the loss of their employees’ mobile devices,” said Michael Disaboto, vice president and service director at the Burton Group. “Security offerings such as PGP Portable can provide protection for data at rest on a wide variety of devices.”

PGP Mobile – Smartphone Data Security Made Easy

PGP Mobile 9.10 for Windows Mobile now provides comprehensive email and data encryption for Windows Mobile 6.0 and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition smartphones and storage cards for information that is stored, in transit or shared.

Key benefits and features include:

  • Automatic Email Encryption and Protection: Send and receive encrypted emails and attachments directly with Windows Mobile smartphones.
  • Easy Set-up and Deployment: Automatic protection of email and file data with few changes to the user experience; reduce administrator set-up time and speed deployment with over-the-air deployment and integrated provisioning.
  • Enforced Security Policies: Centralized deployment and management of policies, users and keys using PGP Universal(TM) Server that is easy to complement using PGP Desktop Email for complete, end-to-end email encryption. Integrates with Windows Domain Authentication and Active Directory to control provisioning and key management.
  • Comprehensive Data Protection Self-Decrypting Archives enable information sharing with recipients who lack encryption software. PGP Mobile also includes PGP Virtual Disk, PGP Zip and PGP Shredder.

“People are the new corporate perimeter – whether they are employees, suppliers, partners or consultants – carrying sensitive data on mobile storages devices and smartphones that can be easily lost or stolen,” said Phillip Dunkelberger, president and CEO at PGP Corporation. “If the email and data is not protected on these devices, organizations face a huge risk in data breaches and failure to meet compliance. With PGP Portable and PGP Mobile 9.10, PGP Corporation is helping businesses manage the risk involved with today’s ever present mobile technology.”

New Enhanced Support Programs

To help customers worldwide maintain business continuity, PGP Corporation offers four support program options – PGP Bronze, PGP Silver, PGP Gold and PGP Platinum. PGP Bronze Support is best suited for small businesses and individual customers who don’t require round-the-clock Enterprise Support. PGP Silver, PGP Gold and PGP Platinum levels of support are targeted at enterprise customers who generally utilize PGP Universal(TM) Server to manage client policy. All levels of support provide customers with full access to the PGP Support site, including the PGP KnowledgeBase, FAQ and Tutorials, and the PGP Community Forum.

Pricing and Availability

PGP Portable and PGP Mobile 9.10 are both available today from PGP Corporation and its worldwide channel partners. Pricing for PGP Portable begins at $21 USD and pricing for PGP Mobile 9.10 begins at $105 USD. For more details on PGP Bronze. PGP Silver, PGP Gold and PGP Platinum Support Programs, please contact a PGP sales representative or channel partner.

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Panda Security launches Panda Cloud Antivirus Beta2, industry’s only free cloud-based antivirus

July 20, 2009 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Panda Security, The Cloud Security Company, announced the general availability of the Beta2 version of Panda Cloud Antivirus  the industry’s first and only free, thin-client, cloud-based antivirus which halves the impact on computer performance compared with traditional antivirus products. Users can download this new version for free from http://www.cloudantivirus.com or visit the official developer blog at http://blog.cloudantivirus.com.

Since its original launch on April 29, and with the participation of the product’s user community, more than three million new malware samples have been received at PandaLabs. This knowledge has been compiled and returned to the community in the form of greater protection, and has contributed to an even faster response time from Panda’s proprietary Collective Intelligence system. Each new file received by Collective Intelligence is classified automatically within six minutes.

Panda Cloud Antivirus includes local and remote antivirus protection, as well as anti-spyware, anti-rootkit, heuristic scanning and a goodware cache. On average, it consumes just 17 MB of RAM, and ensures a 50 percent improvement in computer performance compared to traditional antivirus products. To see a video of how Panda Cloud Antivirus operates, go to YouTube.

Panda Cloud Antivirus represents a new security model based on ultra-light client/server architecture to process and block malware more effectively and efficiently than traditional products that rely on locally installed signature files. By shifting the process of analyzing and identifying malware to the cloud, and applying non-intrusive interception techniques in client architecture, Panda Cloud Antivirus delivers advanced protection against new and unknown viruses with an extremely light, resource-friendly agent.

Source: Panda Security

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PandaLabs releases Safe Summer Web Guide offering consumers tips for protecting PCs

July 16, 2009 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Panda Security, the Cloud Security Company, announced that PandaLabs, Panda Security’s laboratory for detecting and analyzing malware, issued its Safe Summer Web Guide, a resource that provides consumers with valuable tips on using the Internet securely and safely this summer.

In the summer, people often use their computers for more leisure-oriented activities, and the use of services such as chats, online games, software downloads or online stores increases as users have more time on their hands. Children also tend to spend more time in front of the computer during the summer because of their vacation schedules. Cyber-crooks, however, will try to take advantage of this increased activity online to target new victims.

PandaLabs’ Safe Summer Web Guide is an important resource for consumers to provide measures on keeping their PCs protected, and ensure that they are aware of this increased risk. Following are PandaLabs’ recommendations for consumers to keep their computers protected this summer:

  • Pay close attention to your email. This is a frequently used channel for spreading threats, as well as phishing attacks and other scams distributed in spam. Typically at this time of year, waves of spam emerge offering unrealistically cheap vacation offers. These messages either surreptitiously ask users to reveal confidential data or prompt them to download information, which is really an infected file. So, ignore all emails from unknown senders.
  • Promptly install the latest security patches for your applications. Cyber-crooks frequently launch attacks that exploit security holes in commonly-used programs. Developers are continually making security patches available to resolve the problems detected. If your application doesn’t notify you that these updates are available, you should enter the product’s official page occasionally to check whether any patches need to be installed. It is therefore a good idea to update applications on your computer just before you go on vacation and also when you return.
  • Don’t download programs from dubious Internet sites – they could be infected. The summer period also tends to see a rise in the number of downloads people make. It is important to take special care with what you download from the Internet. In particular, you should scan all downloads before running them, as much malware is distributed under the guise of files such as films, series etc., to trick users.
  • Exercise caution with information you enter on social networks. Make sure you don’t publish details like the day you’ll be going on vacation, especially if details of your address are available on the same social network.
  • Leave your router switched off when not using your computer for an extended period of time. This will prevent other users connecting to your network – possibly with malicious aims – in your absence. For example, someone could connect to your network and download malicious code which could remain on the network until you start your computer and consequently infect it.
  • Take precautions if you use shared computers. Many of us go to cybercafes on vacation to read emails, chat with friends, stay in touch on social networks, etc. In this case, you should take a few precautions. Firstly, don’t enable any option that saves passwords on the local computer when you are logging into accounts from public computers. This would obviously allow the next user of the computer to access any of your accounts. Also, make sure the computer you use is not infected. At the first suspicious sign (pop-ups, malfunction…), stop using the computer. Finally, never use shared computers for bank transfers.
  • Use parental control programs. During the summer vacations, children will undoubtedly be using the computer more than usual. That’s why it is as important as ever to instruct them on how to use the Internet safely. It’s a good idea to set timetables for using the Internet, keep an eye on them when they are browsing and prevent them from accessing certain pages or content that could be unsuitable for them. Given that parents will not always be around to monitor how children use the Web, it is advisable to install a parental control program, a tool that will help establish which Web pages your children can see, and which they can’t.
  • Make sure your computer has an up-to-date and active antivirus solution installed. There are free antivirus programs available from the Web, such as Panda Cloud Antivirus, which you can download from www.cloudantivirus.com.

Source: Panda Security

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85 percent of US organizations hit by one or more data breaches within the last twelve months

July 14, 2009 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Latest Research from The Ponemon Institute Shows Data Protection is Part of Overall Enterprise Risk Management Strategy

PGP Corporation, a global leader in enterprise data protection, announced the results from The Ponemon Institute’s fourth annual study on encryption usage in the enterprise – The 2009 Annual Study: U.S. Enterprise Encryption Trends. This year’s study surveyed 997 IT and security practitioners and identifies the trends in enterprise encryption planning strategies, budgeting and spending, deployment methodologies and impact on data breach incidents. While 78 percent of organizations have an encryption strategy in place and are moving toward a more consistent approach to data protection, data breaches continue to rise across the board. 85 percent of survey respondents experienced at least one data breach in the last 12 months, consistent with 84 percent in 2008, and the number of companies experiencing more than 5 data breaches in one year rose to 22 percent, up from 13 percent last year. For the first time, fifty-eight percent of the respondents reported that data protection is a very important part of their overall risk management. Additionally, as organizations increasingly rely on mobile technology and PDAs as their primary computing platform, 26 percent indicate they encrypt a smartphone or PDA most of the time, 51 percent said they never do.

“In our fourth year of conducting this study, we are consistently breaking new ground in identifying new data protection trends to help enterprises as they assess their risk posture,” said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of The Ponemon Institute. “Organizations are looking for more complete solutions that can protect their data wherever it may reside. The focus for 2010 needs to be on applying a strategic approach to data security across the enterprise.”

The following list summarizes key findings from the study that included nearly 1000 U.S.-based enterprise IT leaders, analysts and executives:

  • Data protection is an important part of an organization’s risk management efforts. For the first time, Ponemon asked how data protection relates to an organization’s risk management efforts. Fifty-eight percent report that is a very important part of risk management and 22 percent say it is an important part.
  • Encryption of data on mobile data-bearing devices used by employees is very important or important. More than 59 percent of respondents say it is very important or important to encrypt employees’ mobile devices – a sign that organizations recognize that valuable data is more mobile than ever.
  • More than 70% have fully executed or just launched data encryption strategy in their organization. Once again data encryption strategies are being implemented across a majority of the respondent participants. The majority of organizations, 78 percent, have some type of encryption strategy, up from 74 percent in 2008 and from 66 percent in 2007.
  • Data Breaches continue to be a huge problem: Eighty-five percent of organizations surveyed had had at least 1 data breach in the last 12 months, demonstrating that there is no let up in breaches as this is consistent with 84 percent sited in the 2008 report. Companies suffering more than 5 data breaches rose to 22 percent in 2009 up from 13 percent in 2008.
  • Encryption is mostly used to mitigate data breaches and comply with privacy and data protection regulations. In addition, there was an increase in the percentage of respondents who reported that encryption is also important to preserving brand and reputation.
  • The percentage of organizations using the platform approach to managing encryption solutions has increased. Additionally, 76 percent would strongly recommend or recommend the platform-based approach if it reduced the cost of acquiring, deploying and managing encryption applications.

“This year’s research clearly demonstrates that compliance, breaches and brand damage are driving companies to deploy more data protection solutions,” said Phillip Dunkelberger, president and CEO of PGP Corporation. “The risk migration goal is clear; take a more strategic approach to protect your data – at rest, in motion and in use.”

The 2009 Annual Study: UK Enterprise Encryption Trends was released last week and reports in Germany and Australia will be released in the coming months.

For more information or to receive a copy of this study, visit: http://www.encryptionreports.com/

Source: PGP Corporation

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Microsoft launches Silverlight 3 and Expression 3

July 13, 2009 · Filed Under Productivity Software, Software News · Comment 

NBC Sports, Continental Airlines and MGM leverage new releases to cost-effectively deliver immersive experiences across the Web and desktop.

Delivering on its commitment to help enable the creation and deployment of the world’s most compelling applications, Microsoft Corp. launched Microsoft Silverlight 3 and Expression 3, combining groundbreaking new capabilities with simplified packaging to provide the industry’s leading media and rich Internet application (RIA) solution. In conjunction with Microsoft Visual Studio, Silverlight and Expression offer a highly collaborative development and design environment that simplifies the process of delivering engaging user experiences. Adoption of Microsoft’s platform continues to rapidly accelerate as evidenced by strong demand for Microsoft Silverlight 2. In less than nine months since its release, more than 1 in 3 Internet devices now have Silverlight 2 installed. In addition, a surge of new Silverlight and Expression customers were announced today, including MGM’s “SGU: Stargate Universe” and Continental Airlines Inc. In addition, NBC Sports announced its intention to use Silverlight for all of its high-quality online video delivery across its numerous sporting franchises.

“NBC Sports is committed to bringing our viewers premier sporting events such as the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) events, the Wimbledon Championships and the Olympic Games,” said Perkins Miller, senior vice president of Digital Media at NBC Sports. “NBC Sports has evaluated many different technologies for delivering high-quality experiences online, and none have delivered the video quality, scalability and business value that Microsoft Silverlight has consistently brought. As we look forward to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver as well as other major championships in 2010, we will be using Silverlight as the preferred technology to deliver the best in next-generation online high-definition video experiences.”

Following quickly on the heels of NBC Universal’s deployment of Silverlight and Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7) Smooth Streaming for its Live at Wimbledon video experience, Microsoft highlighted how other new customers are leveraging the power of Silverlight and Expression, including the following:

  • MGM: MGM’s “SGU: Stargate Universe” used Deep Zoom and Microsoft Photosynth within Silverlight to deliver an immersive experience on the official site, http://stargate.mgm.com/, for the Stargate TV franchise, allowing fans to explore the sets where the show is filmed in great detail. Using Silverlight technology, MGM’s “SGU: Stargate Universe” can also extend greater flexibility to prospective advertisers through various in-stream ad formats supporting multiple publishing frameworks.
  • Continental Airlines: Continental is updating its call center reservation system by redeveloping the application as a RIA using Silverlight and delivered through a Web browser. This will enable the company to enhance customer service, reduce costs and increase productivity, processing more than 70,000 calls a day.

In addition to widespread customer adoption, Microsoft also highlighted the strong partner ecosystem, with more than 300 Microsoft partners in more than 30 countries helping customers around the world design, develop and deliver compelling experiences with Silverlight and Expression, including leading content delivery networks, solution providers, and encoding independent software vendors. More information about Silverlight partners is available at http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/partners/default.aspx.

“Silverlight and Expression fill a clear need in the marketplace for a complete end-to-end solution that makes it easy for development teams to work together effectively, from concept to deployment, to create the types of rich interactive experiences today’s users expect,” said Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the .NET Developer Platform at Microsoft. “In a record amount of time, we’ve gone from being the industry newcomer to achieving a remarkable rate of industry adoption, rapidly delivering capabilities such as SketchFlow and IIS Smooth Streaming that are unmatched by other vendors. With more than 6 million developers with .NET programming skills worldwide and a platform that delivers a rich user experience at some of the lowest costs possible, Silverlight ubiquity is a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if.’”

Create the Applications of the Future Today

As part of its commitment to provide powerful, low-cost solutions for building rich user experiences, Microsoft announced it is further simplifying the pricing and packaging for its design and development tools. For example, developers and designers can now purchase Visual Studio Professional Edition and Expression together for a reduced rate of only $999 (U.S.) estimated retail price. Silverlight remains a free runtime that almost anyone can use to deliver great Web experiences. More detailed information on pricing is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/silverlight.

Microsoft is introducing several groundbreaking features in Silverlight 3 and Expression 3 that enable development teams to create RIAs and media applications with capabilities not offered by competitors, including the following:

  • Expression SketchFlow. Available to customers just four months after its initial debut at MIX09, SketchFlow provides development teams unrivaled capabilities to rapidly prototype applications and take their ideas from concept to reality.
  • Out of Browser. Silverlight 3 provides the seamless ability to add out-of-browser, connected and disconnected scenarios for cross-platform applications, radically improving the productivity and capabilities over traditional RIAs.
  • IIS Smooth Streaming. As part of Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7) Media Services and combined with Silverlight 3, IIS Smooth Streaming enables the industry’s first HDTV-quality (1080p) video experiences with rich interactivity for both on-demand and live video.

Silverlight 3 also delivers hundreds of features and controls that increase development team productivity, including 3-D and hardware graphics acceleration. Combined with continued innovation in world-class tools for development teams in Expression 3, which builds on and complements the strengths of Visual Studio and works with Windows Server, the global Web community is now empowered to create cutting-edge RIAs and media experiences.

All this news and more will be highlighted as part of the Silverlight 3 and Expression 3 interactive virtual launch experience available at http://www.seethelight.com/. Visitors can watch product demos, visit customer and partner pavilions and see the latest in digital design and development in the new “Visual Kitchen.” Replays of the July 10 launch event keynote and in-depth product sessions will also be available.

Product Information and Availability

Silverlight 3 is available today for download at http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight. Customers already using a previous version of Silverlight may be automatically upgraded to Silverlight 3. Expression 3 will be available within the next 30 days, including a free, 60-day trial version available at http://www.microsoft.com/expression/try-it. A Release Candidate of Expression Blend 3 with SketchFlow is available today for download.

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Enterprises confront the ugly truth of hidden malware in their networks

July 9, 2009 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Trend Micro security threat assessments help enterprises discover stealthy malware slipping through their security systems.

Enterprises that have invested time, money and resources into implementing top-tier security products for their organizations were confronted with reality when they took advantage of the Trend Micro security threat assessment – a risk-free, 2-week security assessment that allows Trend Micro to monitor an enterprise’s security environment and help them discover how, why and where security threats happen.

Not as Secure as They Think

Enterprises that thought they were secure discovered otherwise: The security threat assessment uncovered active malware and threats that had slipped through existing security infrastructures, and were residing undetected on corporate networks and endpoints on 100 percent of all participating companies from North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. On average, these companies have over 11,000 employees and include those from the finance, heath care, government, education and manufacturing industries.

“The results garnered from our security threat assessment prove that as threats become more numerous and sophisticated, conventional security technologies such as endpoint antivirus, Web security gateways, email security gateways and IPS solutions are struggling to keep up,” said Jai Balasubramaniyan, director of product management and marketing. “The types of malware we found were more than just a nuisance, they were malicious and designed to steal data.”

Trend Micro security threat assessment provides an opportunity for participating enterprises to measure the effectiveness of their current security infrastructure. In just two-weeks, Trend Micro can reveal the answer in a customized executive report that identifies any security gaps and pinpoints exactly where the malware resides.

Between October 2008 and June 2009, Trend Micro performed over 100 assessments on enterprises worldwide and discovered that:

  • 100 percent of them were infected with active malware.
  • 50 percent had at least one data-stealing malware hidden in their networks.
  • 45 percent had multiple data-stealing malware infections.
  • 72 percent had at least 1 IRC bot.
  • 50 percent had 4 or more IRC bots.
  • 83 percent had at least 1 malware Web download.
  • 60 percent had more than 20 malware Web downloads.
  • 35 percent had at least 1 network worm.(1)

What’s Causing These Security Gaps?

While traditional security solutions are critical for a first line of defense, organizations still face a number of security gaps that are continuously exploited by modern-day malware. Today’s stealthy malware infiltrate corporate networks for a variety of reasons:

  • Mobile users who go on and off the network with infected devices that compromise corporate networks.
  • Inadequate remote office security, lack of onsite IT personnel, and lax policy enforcement impact security.
  • Increased usage of easily exploited technologies such as P2P, file sharing, streaming media, and instant messaging.
  • Unmanaged and unpatched endpoints such as legacy systems, contractors and guest laptops, USB devices, and other portable and mass storage devices.

Discover How, Why, and Where Threats Occur

Trend Micro security threat assessment utilizes a non-invasive, listen-only appliance that doesn’t interfere with network operations.

Trend Micro engineers quickly install the assessment appliance at the network layer on the core switch where it monitors network traffic to detect resident malware activities, such as botnets. The appliance also monitors inbound email and Web traffic to detect potentially infected messages and suspicious Web sites.

Traffic received by the appliance is analyzed using a combination of Trend Micro’s scanning engines and technologies and integrates with the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network, a next-generation, cloud-client security architecture that provides a unique approach to blocking viruses, spyware, spam, and Web threats before they reach business networks

At the end of the risk-free, 2-week assessment, Trend Micro will issue an enterprise-specific report that:

  • Examines potential vectors of infection.
  • Identifies malware, information stealers, affected assets, infection sources, and disruptive applications.
  • Pinpoints specific problem areas by IP address
  • Increases visibility into the company’s security network for better understanding of how the threats occurred, where they entered the network, and how to fill security gaps.

(1) Data based on 60 assessments

Source: Trend Micro Incorporated

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