Email Security Whitepapers and Ebooks

Security and archiving are critical functions that all organizations, regardless of their size or the industries in which they operate, must deploy and manage. However, security is becoming more difficult to manage because of a growing variety of security threats, the increasing sophistication of these threats, and the enormous financing that spammers and malware developers have at their disposal. Archiving is also becoming more critical as government increases its oversight of organizations in a variety of industries, and as e-discovery becomes more common. Therefore, organizations need to implement robust security and archiving capabilities but, in an era of shrinking IT budgets, they must do so as inexpensively as possible. Organizations of all sizes should seriously consider the use of cloud-based services for a variety of reasons: � � To improve their spam and malware capture rate To reduce their costs for security and archiving functions � as noted in the examples above, a mid-sized organization can reduce their security and archiving cost of ownership by 63% when using hosted services. A key component of the cost savings is significantly reduced labor requirements with the added benefit of making this IT staff time available for other projects. To make their more predictable To free IT staff for other tasks that will provide more strategic advantage

IT managers are working hard to combat the increasing volume of malware attacks on their enterprises. These attacks are also becoming progressively more sophisticated. As a result, the risks of them causing damage to the business are greater than ever before. The majority of threats that reach a company do so through the mail server. There are several reasons for this trend: � � � � � � � The enterprise's mail service is the most frequently used communication channel across the Internet An e-mail is easy to access and manipulate The SMTP mail protocol is simple and can be emulated by any Internet user Many confidential company communications are still transmitted using e-mail Firewall-type corporate security devices do not filter SMTP traffic which reaches e-mail servers Mail directories often include highly sensitive corporate information, such as organizational charts, key functions, directories with strategic information, etc. The mail service is a channel for mass infection, via worms and Trojans that replicate in each target, using infected computers and reading mail lists in the host computer. E-mail has become an indispensable tool in business management and even in personal relations, all but replacing traditional means of communication. But as with widely implemented tool, it is susceptible to being used deliberately in ways that are detrimental to the users of the mail service.

The contact center performs one of the most vital functions within an organization, forging the essential link between a company and its customers that builds loyalty and reinforces the values of the company brand. In keeping with its critical role, enterprises have traditionally invested millions of dollars into building and maintaining best-in class contact centers. For decades, this strategy made sense. In today's environment of rapid technological change and economic volatility, an on-premises contact center is no longer an asset; in most cases, it is a clear disadvantage. Hardware, software, and other related equipment require major capital expenditure in a world where technology is evolving so quickly that an on-premises contact center starts to become obsolete nearly as soon as it is assembled. When market conditions inevitably shift, companies saddled with aging equipment and massive maintenance fees are unable to stay flexible, making them vulnerable to more nimble competitors. Building a culture of innovation requires a shift in focus, putting an emphasis on agility while maintaining IT functions more efficiently and affordably. Today, on-demand contact centers are being recognized as a smart way for companies to stay agile while still delivering tremendous value to their customers. On-premises contact centers once the only reliable choice for the enterprise, a necessary investment with no real alternatives.

Motivated by the lure of profits from the sale of stolen confidential information, cyber criminals today are shifting to the Web as their chosen attack vector, which provides an ideal environment for cyber crime. Many Web threats can be deployed unbeknownst to the user, requiring no additional action than merely opening a Web page. Large numbers of users, an assortment of technologies, and a complex network structure provide criminals with the targets, exploitable weaknesses, and anonymity required for largescale fraud. Web threats pose a broad range of risks, including financial damages, identity theft, loss of confidential business information, theft of network resources, damaged brand or personal reputation, and erosion of consumer confidence in e-commerce. These high stakes, the pervasive use of the Web, and the complexity of protecting against Web threats combine to form perhaps the greatest challenge to protecting personal and business information in a decade. Web threats employ blended techniques, an explosion of variants, and targeted regional attacks often based on social engineering to defraud users. And these threats often use multiple protocols, such as an email that delivers a link to a dangerous Web site, using both the SMTP and HTTP protocols in the attack. Conventional do not provide adequate protection from these threats, and no single method or technology will improve this situation.

Most spam falls into the following categories, listed in roughly descending order of received volume: � Fake pharmaceuticals � Fake fashion items (for example, watches) � Pornography and prostitution � Stock kiting--that is, spammers driving up the price of stocks by inciting victims to buy them (also known as "pump and dump") � Phishing and other fraud, such as "Nigerian 419" and "Spanish Prisoner" � Trojan horses attempting to infect your PC with malware � Misdirected nondelivery reports and autoreplies sent by badly configured mail servers replying to forged email ("backscatter") � Spam from other types of senders, such as ignorant marketers, rogue affiliates, and misguided politicians or charities The word "spam" is sometimes used narrowly to describe just commercial advertisements for products and services. This definition is dubbed UCE: unsolicited commercial email. However, spam is more frequently used to describe any unsolicited email that is sent in bulk. Therefore, we prefer the definition UBE: unsolicited bulk email. This broader definition includes viruses by email, phishing, and other email-borne threats. #12;Sending Mechanisms A typical spam campaign sends millions of email messages. The economics of spam and ISPs' terms of service usually make it impractical for a spammer to send a large volume using a conventional mail server.

Beyond the well-understood productivity drain that spam inflicts on businesses, threats posed by illicit email circulating through a network are causing many security professionals to rethink protective measures. Staff members sometimes unwittingly unleash security threats by simply clicking on a greeting card link, opening a mail attachment, or previewing a message that contains a malware script. Spam is more than a nuisance--it is often a vehicle for hackers and fraudsters to bridge network defenses and release dangerous payloads inside the network. Enterprise-scale organizations often protect themselves against illicit email intrusions with elaborate gateways, using expensive and complex screening techniques. Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) however, sometimes leave themselves open to risks--largely because they lack the resources to implement countermeasures. Mail gateways scaled to the needs of smaller businesses offer a means to combat spam, mitigate security risks, and restore productivity to companies grappling with an influx of illicit email. Anyone who has ever returned from vacation to confront an inbox overflowing with hundreds of email messages, most of them spam, knows firsthand the productivity drain this form of communication can present. IT administrators wrestle with this problem daily and as fast as they implement solutions, new challenges arise. Email indispensable to modern business operations, but to be useful it has to be both safe and convenient.

Business When John Brunswick, a maker of fine billiards tables, founded Brunswick in 1845, he probably didn't foresee his company's growth into a global leader in the recreation and lifestyle industry. Today, Brunswick is a multi-billion dollar global operator and a leading maker of boats, marine engines, fitness equipment, bowling, and billiards brands headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. At a Glance What they wanted to do: � Enable one anti-spam solution across all global offices and email systems � Break the cycle of maintenance, upgrades, costs, and hands-on management required by their on-premise solution � Make more productive use of IT resources What they did: � Installed Google Message Security to streamline worldwide spam prevention and simplify IT What they accomplished: � Instantly provided all users with higher-quality spam control, regardless of what email system they used � Saved 60% over previous costs � Improved network security team's productivity by 90%, freeing two full-time headcount to focus on strategic work Challenge Brunswick's three primary data centers, located in North America, Europe, and Australia, each required local management, along with dedicated resources for server support and software maintenance in each location. That maintenance came at a high price. Looking to early 2008, John Iatonna, Network Security Manager at Brunswick, recalls, "Our anti-spam solution was expensive � and, with all of the maintenance, it became cost-prohibitive to continue using it."

Your organization's sales performance is only as good as your list of prospective leads. The right business data means sales sta s can quickly get in touch with key decision makers and initiate the sales cycle. Incorrect or outdated information can lead you on an expensive and time-consuming � not to mention frustrating � goose chase with no chance at a sale. Having the right information to explore new leads has become critical to the success of companies in virtually every industry. That's why more and more businesses are turning to data service providers to augment their sales and marketing e orts. Business data providers not only collect the most up-to-date information for decision makers throughout an organization, they update the lists � sometimes several times a year � to ensure your sales sta is spending its time making the sale, not hunting for contact information. This white paper will discuss how business owners and salespeople can source the freshest business data and what to look for when choosing a business data provider. What's driving the sales industry to need real-time contact data? The truth is, as soon as a contact list is printed, it's out of date � how fast the business landscape is changing.

The success of your marketing e orts no matter how e ective your sales sta or cutting-edge your marketing campaigns depends on the quality of your business data. The data you know about your leads sets the direction for all of your activities throughout the funnel from initial contact to closing the sale. High quality data points your e orts in the right direction and increases your chances of a sale while inaccurate, low quality data wastes time and resources. Moreover, the e ort your sales force spends trying to contact leads with bad data, such as those with incorrect phone numbers or e-mail addresses, means that quali ed leads aren't getting the attention required to convert them into customers. What makes a quality lead? Lead quality is measured by how likely a lead is to result in a sale. Lead quality is impacted by three principle factors: Data validity a lead must have good and su cient data or may be unquali ed or impossible to contact for follow-up activities. Interest a lead must have a reasonable level of interest (intent) in the product or service o ering. Leads that fall within target market should have a presumed level of interest.

Your organization's sales performance is only as good as your list of prospective leads. The right business data means sales sta s can quickly get in touch with key decision makers and initiate the sales cycle. Incorrect or outdated information can lead you on an expensive and time-consuming � not to mention frustrating � goose chase with no chance at a sale. Having the right information to explore new leads has become critical to the success of companies in virtually every industry. That's why more and more businesses are turning to data service providers to augment their sales and marketing e orts. Business data providers not only collect the most up-to-date information for decision makers throughout an organization, they update the lists � sometimes several times a year � to ensure your sales sta is spending its time making the sale, not hunting for contact information. This white paper will discuss how business owners and salespeople can source the freshest business data and what to look for when choosing a business data provider. What's driving the sales industry to need real-time contact data? The truth is, as soon as a contact list is printed, it's out of date � how fast the business landscape is changing.