Data at loss-not anymore

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: SPAM filters at Bangalore-based Iteamic, a software services company were able to block a large percentage of mails that it recognised as obvious spam. The real challenge, however, was to create a software that could constantly be updated to protect users from new IT threats in real-time. The company’s primary service lines are product development and application management services for the banking, finance, security and insurance (BFSI) sector. Iteamic selected IronPort Systems’ mail gateway appliance and web security appliance for its email and web-based requirements.

The implementation took place about three months ago. The web security appliance was first deployed followed by the mail gateway appliance. There were not many phases except for a proof of concept (POC), and it took one day to deploy the final appliance. Iteamic invested around $15,000 for

this deployment.

Over the past year, the IT systems team at Iteamic had faced the overwhelming task of sorting through several thousand email messages every week to separate the company’s and its clients’ email from spam. The web software applications employed by Iteamic had proved to be ineffective in filtering spam and other online threats.

Rajiv Dodderi, IT systems manager, Iteamic, says, “Nearly 80% of all email received till December 2006 was spam. Our existing solution for email gateway was a software solution, which was ineffective in preventing the latest spam-based threats.”

Company mailboxes were getting cluttered with spam, internal network bandwidth was significantly affected. The bandwidth available was affected as the email gateway solution worked on a concept wherein emails would be allowed to enter the network before a software engine went about its task of quarantining them.

Niyogi Krishnappa, co-founder and vice-president (projects), Iteamic, says, “Although most of the email sent are internal, we have to communicate with our offices in San Francisco and New York. We also receive mail from our clients and frequently need to email them large documents. With a low bandwidth ratio, we were unable to communicate seamlessly and this impacted our business. Since email is the main form of communication, our overseas clients were growing dissatisfied as documents would not reach them on time.”

Since the day the company commenced its operations in Bangalore, it has used several email and web security software systems from well-known vendors. However, the effectiveness of spam filtering was unsatisfactory. It was also noticed that the spammers were becoming smarter and were able to bypass the existing detection software. The speed at which the software could be updated in response to online threats was poor.

As the existing web filtering solution did not meet all the needs of Iteamic, apart from the problem of not being able to integrate well with its firewall and network, the company grew increasingly concerned and began seeking a more efficient email and web solution.

Ambarish Desphande, regional director of India and SAARC, IronPort Systems, says, “Though spam filters are able to block a large percentage of mail that are recognised as ‘obvious spam’, the real challenge is to create a software that can constantly be updated to protect users from new IT threats in real-time.”

Dodderi points out, “We did consider other appliances, vendors and alternative solutions in the market, but our research pointed towards IronPort. A successful POC triggered the purchase.”

By deploying IronPort’s Mail Gateway and Web Security Appliance, Iteamic has benefited from a significant improvement in web traffic between its offices and clients. The company has also seen a tremendous drop in the amount of spam reaching its network. “A report is generated every week distinguishing spam and genuine email. The filtration processes are extremely satisfactory,” adds Krishnappa. The IT team at Iteamic has seen a decline in spam—from 80 to 1-2%. Accidental deletion of legitimate emails (along with spam messages) has also stopped.

“Apart from basic systems checks, we now spend little time checking our network for spam or being concerned about real-time threats and hacking activities. IronPort updates our software and informs us about any new threats that have emerged,” states Dodderi.

The company’s bandwidth is now functioning at an optimum capacity, as the IronPort gateway blocks the spam before it can enter the network. “I am also able to monitor the network usage by all our employees and receive an alert if any unwarranted sites are being accessed or if any spam is being circulated,” says Krishnappa. Thus, the firm has been able to improve its productivity and is looking at expanding its current operations shortly.

The company has been able to secure data from being stolen and faced no system security breach till date. Besides, the IronPort proxy has also been working towards the company’s satisfaction and Iteamic is especially happy about the L4 monitoring functionality, which blocks malware.

Lastly, the web solution helps block online threats such as malware and spyware at the gateway, which means malicious software that previously affected various workstations in the company’s offices, has been blocked completely.

“The SMB sector in particular is very susceptible to online threats. We are glad that we have been able to provide Iteamic with a solution that has helped reduce their spam volume,” concludes Deshpande with evident pride.