District Administration - March 2009 - (Page 42)

ProductFocus A GUIDE TO ONE SEGMENT OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY • Kurt O. Dyrli SECURITY SOFTWARE: WARDING OFF VIRUSES AMONG THE MANY EFFECTS OF THE U.S. ECONOMIC CRISIS IS ONE THAT MAY NOT IMMEDIATELY come to mind: an increase in computer virus attacks. As economic conditions have worsened, cybercriminals have become increasingly aggressive and have explored new tactics for accessing or damaging information, or simply wreaking havoc. e last three months of 2008 saw a boom in various types of cyberthreats, which include viruses, spam and other forms of disruptive or damaging programs. Hackers are also increasingly targeting data storehouses by writing malicious programs that inﬁltrate databases and steal or damage important information. ese threats are increasingly alarming to school districts, since more computers continue to appear in schools because of one-to-one computing initiatives, more students do more work online every day, and the number of district management functions going entirely online is ever increasing. As a result, a number of network security ﬁrms are targeting the education market with new products that can help protect vital district information. Some solutions protect individual computers, some guard the perimeter of a districtwide network, and some monitor within a network to prevent viruses that have entered from causing damage. Here are just a few of the many security software options on the market to consider using in your district. SYMANTEC Norton 360 2.0, $79.99 The Norton 360 anti-virus program can protect single computers against a wide array of threats, with features including automatic backup and restore, PC tuneup, and network monitoring. This newest version now includes Symantec’s Browser Protection technology, which defends against drive-by downloads and other new or unknown threats that exploit vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. With advanced anti-virus, anti-spyware, ﬁrewall, intrusion protection, and powerful SONAR behavioral detection technology, Norton 360 users are protected on multiple fronts. SOPHOS Enterprise Security and Control Subscription pricing varies based on installation Sophos’ Enterprise Security and Control subscription-based software provides protection for large district enterprise networks over the Internet. A suite of security solutions defends every entry point in an enterprise network on a wide range of platforms (each solution can also be purchased separately). Email Security and Control, for example, blocks spam, phishing attacks, viruses and spyware, and monitors message content and attachments. Additional solutions in the suite include Web Security and Control and Network Access Control. www.symantec.com www.sophos.com MCAFEE MARSHAL8E6 Marshal Security Software Pricing varies based on installation Marshal8e6 offers a variety of software products that protect district networks from viruses or other malicious programs, particularly those that enter a network via e-mail. MailMarshal, for example, is an e-mail gateway security solution that uniﬁes threat protection, content security, policy enforcement, compliance, and data leakage prevention by ﬁltering all incoming and outgoing e-mail at the network perimeter. WebMarshal is a secure Web gateway solution that provides comprehensive Web access control and management, complete threat protection, and data leakage prevention. Security for E-mail Servers Pricing varies based on installation McAfee’s Security for E-mail Servers provides comprehensive content security for e-mail storage servers, providing a second layer of security behind the perimeter security of a network. The program blocks viruses and other e-mail threats from incoming and outgoing mail and prevents them from being stored. It also allows users to enforce e-mail usage policies by ﬁltering offensive content and preventing sensitive data leakage. An optional anti-spam module blocks unwanted e-mail, and McAfee’s management tools enable control over an entire network from a central computer. www.marshal8e6.com www.mcafee.com 42 March 2009 District Administration http://www.sophos.com http://www.symantec.com http://www.marshal8e6.com http://www.mcafee.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - March 2009

District Administration - March 2009
Contents
Editor’s Letter
News Update
Health & Fitness
Online Learning
Conversations
District Profile
Administrator Profile
The College Promise
Do Economic Rewards Work?
The SIFication of America
Disciplining Students with Disabilities
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Tech Disruptions
New Products
Product Focus
New Books
Research Center

District Administration - March 2009