WatchGuard Strengthens Email Security Appliances

SEATTLE, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- WatchGuard® Technologies, a global leader of business security solutions, today released a new software update to its extensible content security (XCS) family of web and messaging security appliances.  This software release allows businesses to take advantage of new, easy to use data loss prevention (DLP) features, superior content and policy controls for accelerating web traffic, and cutting-edge spam and phishing prevention technologies.

"Company email is the leading vector that criminals use in order to steal sensitive data," said Roula Vrsic, XCS Product Manager at WatchGuard Technologies.  "Not only is email the easiest way into the business network, but it is also the primary egress point for confidential data.  Because of this, WatchGuard has improved its DLP capabilities so that sensitive data stays safe behind the corporate firewall."

New XCS Software Features:

• Two Minute DLP Wizard
• Frequent Tasks Tool for Quick Access to Commonly-Used Configuration and Management Tools
• Signature-Based Anti-Spam To Augment Knowledge-Based Learning System
• Enhanced Attachment Controls
• Granular DLP With Complex Rules and Nested Rules
• Per-Rule Notifications For Increased Visibility Into Data Loss Violations
• Message Tracking Enhancements for Simplified Audit and Compliance
• Completely Re-Architected Web Proxy
• FTP Scanning Expands Protection and Eliminates Security Gaps
• Web Caching Increases Scanning Efficiency and Accelerates Web Usage
• Enhanced Controls for Managing Uncategorized URLs, Including Ability to Bypass Scanning of Trusted, Uncategorized URL's
• Simplified, Intelligent Multiple Software Updates Management Tool
• Web Bandwidth Usage Visibility & Reporting

"Until recently, data loss prevention technology has been predominately relegated to enterprise organizations that have the staff or resources capable of managing the administrative complexities associated with DLP," said Eric Ogren of the Ogren Group.  "The new DLP features in this WatchGuard release focus on providing mainstream business environments with the badly needed benefits of enterprise-strength DLP in a simple to manage solution."

Security Made Easy

WatchGuard XCS has become increasingly simple to deploy and use with more intuitive controls, graphical displays for easier interpretation of results, and reduced steps for defining content controls.  From novice to expert, administrators of all experience levels will find several new tools, UI enhancements and easy-to-use configuration wizards that guide users through the steps for common messaging security scenarios and tasks, for simple setup.

Data Loss Prevention for the Masses

While some organizations require simple outbound content controls, others require extreme granularity in defining DLP policies and identifying violations based on a wide range of privacy and compliance policies.  With this latest release, businesses can have it all.  The ability to define simple policies can be created with just a few clicks via WatchGuard's new DLP wizard.  

For more granular data loss prevention controls, XCS provides the tools to apply in-depth controls with the ability to apply an arbitrary number of conditions to a content rule, or even apply nested rules within any grouping.  Bi-directional attachment scanning and attachment controls of over 400 attachment types can be applied in minutes from a convenient, single UI.  Furthermore, administrators can be notified of DLP violations with customizable per-rule notifications (also available for senders and recipients, if chosen) for knowing which rule or rules triggered a violation.

Proactive Protection from New and Emerging Spam and Phishing Attacks

WatchGuard XCS provides the ability to combine new powerful spam signatures with its content and context-based anti-spam protection that learns from each unique messaging environment to make accurate decisions on spam handling.  The new XCS Spam Rules feature provides enhanced protection from unwanted spam and criminally motivated phishing campaigns seeking to obfuscate confidential data from end users.  By augmenting the XCS knowledge-based learning anti-spam technology with signature-based anti-spam, XCS now strengthens its protection to more effectively detect new spam variants that deliver targeted spam campaigns and phishing attacks which fall under the radar of most other anti-spam technologies.  

Enhanced Security Controls and Web Traffic Acceleration

Web-based applications have become a critical tool for organizations of all sizes due to the myriad of business and social benefits they deliver.  Although Web-based applications offer significant benefits to organizations, Web 2.0 has driven the explosion of large interactive and collaborative programs that tend to be rich in content, require greater bandwidth, and put stress on corporate networks.  Any latency in browser requests is noticeable by end users and results in delays in conducting critical business functions.  The WatchGuard XCS release features a new web proxy, uncategorized URL enhancements and controls, and critical web traffic improvements that speed up web traffic scanning efficiencies and reduce latency, bandwidth consumption, and server loads, which results in a less expensive and better performing network.  

Frequent Tasks Screen

With this new release, administrators now have access to a Frequent Tasks screen that ensures fool-proof setup and provides quick access to commonly used configuration and management tools, which includes new tools such as the QMS Integration Wizard and the Data Loss Prevention Wizard.  The Frequent Tasks screen appears after the XCS Initialization Wizard, and remains as the administrator's landing page each time upon login, unless he/she opts out of it.

WatchGuard QMS Integration Wizard Simplifies Off-Loading of Quarantined Messages

The WatchGuard QMS Integration Wizard, which is accessible via the new Frequent Tasks tool, assists administrators in configuring the integration of an XCS appliance with the WatchGuard QMS appliance to offload quarantined messages.  

Pricing & Availability

The new WatchGuard XCS release will be available for upgrading all XCS products immediately.  Web security subscription pricing is dependent on the XCS appliance purchased.  The QMS Wizard provides interoperability between the XCS appliance and the WatchGuard QMS appliance or the Virtual QMS.  

About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.

Since 1996, WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. has been the advanced technology leader of business security solutions, providing mission-critical protection to hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide. The WatchGuard family of wired and wireless unified threat management appliances, messaging, content security and SSL VPN remote access solutions provide extensible network, application and data protection, as well as unparalleled network visibility, management and control. WatchGuard products are backed by WatchGuard LiveSecurity® Service, an innovative support, maintenance, and education program. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle and has offices serving North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit www.watchguard.com.

WatchGuard is a registered trademark of WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. All other marks are property of their respective owners.

SOURCE WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.