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McAfee has baked encryption technology into its latest data security product in a bid to protect mobile devices, endpoints and the network from data leaks.
Dubbed McAfee Total Protection for Data, the product is the Santa Clara, Calif.-based security vendor’s answer to compliance regulations requiring business secure customer data.
It is an amalgamation of a number of McAfee products, including the company’s Endpoint Encryption, Device Control, DLP Host and DLP Network software. Though each component adds its own layer of security and can be purchased separately, with the inclusion of encryption technology, McAfee officials hope they can help customers address a key element of data loss prevention – the case of the missing device.
“One in two data loss incidents we saw in 2007 had to do with lost media or [a] lost laptop, yet there aren’t that many solutions available that can protect against that as well as a number of other issues,” said Vimal Solanki, vice president of solution and competitive marketing at McAfee. “(The) endpoint encryption will essentially encrypt everything on a laptop, server or mobile device.”
The endpoint encryption is meant to take McAfee’s data loss prevention strategy a step beyond those of its rivals. The technology came from McAfee’s purchase of SafeBoot in October, Solanki said. SafeBoot specialized in mobile data protection, and at the time of the announcement, McAfee CEO David DeWalt made the point that the purchase would give his company key capabilities in encryption, port control and device control.
But as the name suggests, Total Protection for Data does not stop at encryption. McAfee officials said they are looking to protect data across all communication channels, from e-mail and Web mail to instant messaging and P2P file-sharing.
“Imagine having to subscribe to ten different security monitoring services for your house,” Solanki said. “One guy monitors your door lock, another guy monitors your windows, a third guy monitors your motion sensors. It’s just not practical. That’s exactly where the corporations are today as far as the data loss problems. We are looking at the overall data protection.”