Time to lay on layered security

The latest virus scares are an opportunity for resellers to position themselves as security systems partners, argues Sean Remnant

The recent chaos caused by the SoBig.f virus and the poorly programmed MSBlaster worm is further evidence that there are huge gaps in customers' security systems.

This is an opportunity for resellers to position themselves as security systems partners; basically the 'value-added' part of their title.

Footballer Thierry Henry is putting the va va voom into the Renault Clio, and perhaps resellers should take heed and put some va va voom back into their VAR.

Transfer of knowledge and education is key. Resellers should monitor security forums for the latest vulnerabilities and attacks continually, then transfer this knowledge to their customers.

If resellers can highlight the need for ongoing security audits they will have the opportunity to put retained contracts in place and play a role in damage limitation and the implementation of new security solutions.

The layered security approach is a fairly new concept that provides opportunities for resellers in the form of upgrades or add-ons for existing solutions.

After implementing a basic security solution for the customer, resellers can evaluate the need for migration to a layered security system. A tailored route can be mapped out to improve security and reduce total cost of ownership.

Once the perimeter defences have been locked down with a firewall, resellers can advise on the need to examine the content of network traffic.

For customers on small budgets, virtual security solutions can be implemented, whereas larger customers may take the best-of-breed approach. Products for this level include application-layer firewalls and intrusion detection.

The next line of defence consists of application-specific security systems to secure and manage email, web and peer-to-peer traffic.

These solutions protect against internal and external threats, and misuse of the corporate network and bandwidth that can arise from the growing use of internet and email.

Antivirus, anti-spam and content management solutions fall into this category, and many solutions now exist that complement other layers of the security system.

VARs that succeed in implementing this approach will enjoy long and fruitful relationships with their customers.

Sean Remnant is technical manager at equIP Technology.