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Security Watch
The Rising Tide of Spam Means A Flood Of Costs and Risks For Today’s Organizations
A recent SurfControl survey of more than 700 IT professionals showed that 25 percent of all e-mail received by many American companies is spam and other electronic junk.
Spam increases the risk of legal liability, hogs bandwidth, undermines productivity, and wastes valuable network resources. Despite the threat of tougher legislation and stiffer financial penalties, the spam coming across networks costs companies millions. More ingenious spamming methods, combined with an increasing use of e-mail in the workplace, have dramatically increased the volume and variety of spam that needs to be managed daily.
As organizations around the world look for an effective solution, new kinds of junk e-mail threats have emerged that can be just as costly as their traditional counterparts. Junk e-mail sent to the workplace by well-meaning family and friends can have the same harmful effect as the most professionally orchestrated commercial spam campaign. Every single week, employees receive up to 30 chain letters, jokes, video clips or similar e-mail messages from someone they know according to the SurfControl Survey. This means many employees may be dealing with more than 1,500 pieces of junk e-mail each year from people they know.
To fight the spam menace, organizations need to understand how it is evolving. They must change their response to it and look to more powerful and sophisticated technologies for a solution.
SurfControl E-mail Filter along with the optional Anti-Spam Agent has multiple layers of security for unparalleled spam protection. SurfControl's Anti-Spam Agent is a powerful option that protects an organization from spam and junk mail. Anti-Spam Agent's unique digital fingerprint filtering ensures near 100% accuracy and manages spam by text and multiple file types, including JPEGs, MPEGs and others. This digital fingerprint or anti-spam signature approach reduces time and resources in reviewing false triggers and provides scaling performance. In addition to the Anti-Spam Agent, SurfControl offers other critical layers of enhanced spam protection. They include intelligent content and digital signature recognition, a spam dictionary, reverse DNS lookup and HTML stripping capabilities. SurfControl also uses an advanced technology known as Adaptive Reasoning Technology (ART) to apply the power and flexibility of neural networks to the challenge of content filtering.
To help manage spam within an organization, we offer these tips for network administrators:
1) Tell users never to respond to spam e-mail messages. Sending a reply, even if it's a request to be taken off a list, confirms a user at an address and encourages the spammer to send more mail.
2) Tell employees not to forward on junk e-mail messages to other coworkers.
3) Include guidance in your Acceptable Use Policy forbidding employee use of their company email addresses when surfing or shopping online.
4) Subscribe to "real time black hole" list services that block delivery of e-mails from known spammers.
5) Subscribe to a Signature Database List, like SurfControl E-mail Filter's unique Anti-Spam Agent, which prevents the delivery of known spam and other digital junk. And make sure you update the subscription list regularly to ensure the most complete protection.
6) Install content filtering tools that scan and block e-mail messages that include suspect text like 'Get Rich Quick' or similar subject words and phrases, and those with multiple forwards or huge distribution lists.
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Tech Tip of the Month
Outsource IT to Increase Business Efficiencies and Profitability
Every year, businesses lose millions of dollars as they struggle to implement and maintain complex IT systems with limited or unskilled staff. However, many businesses have realized the benefits of outsourcing the management and support of their networks to experienced IT consultancies.
The outsourcing of IT projects should be considered a strategic business decision, not a last-minute tactic to solve immediate problems. Because no IT function operates in a vacuum, it’s important to select an outsourcing partner that can effectively analyze how the technology you use impacts your entire organization as well as recommend solutions that help you achieve your business objectives.
By offering you the expertise, resources and supplement staff to oversee the 24/7 management of your IT systems, Compuquip ensures real-time response to unforeseeable problems while enabling you to focus on your core business competencies. Following a thorough analysis of your business and IT needs, our experts can develop and manage comprehensive programs that include:
- Remote monitoring of specific network components
- Real-time troubleshooting all the way to the desk top
- Managed-security services, including installation, monitoring and updates
- Staff supplement on a permanent or temporary basis
- Project outsourcing
For more information about Compuquip’s outsourcing services, please contact Cesar Jimenez at (305) 436-7272, ext. 1221, or via e-mail at cjimenez@compuquip.com.
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What’s New at Compuquip Technologies
 Wilber Vaquerano, assistant controller, supports the management of our company’s administrative functions and financial responsibilities. Previously, he was assistant controller at Calmaquip, a Miami-based engineering services and export firm. Before this, he was an account manager with medical software developer Medasys. Wilber earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lehman College.
David Rosenwald, security technology solutions specialist, joins us from Entre Computers where he spent five years as an account manager. David earned a degree in audio engineering from the School of Audio Engineering in London.
 Steve May, senior security engineer – practices coordinator, comes to us from StrataSys Group, where he developed and managed the company’s Security and Internetworking Practice. Before this, he was a support services engineer with PC DOCS/Fulcrum in Tallahassee, Fla. Steve earned a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Florida State University and has extensive experience and certifications in the internetworking and security areas. He possesses both the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) designations.
Raquel Gonzalez, technology solutions specialist, joins us from Tallard Technologies, where she managed reseller accounts throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Before this, she was a sales coordinator with Hewlett-Packard.
Jesse Crespo, technology solutions specialist, was most recently an inside sales professional with CyberGuard Worldwide, a developer of network security products. Before this, he was a senior sales associate with Tech Data. Jesse is a recipient of the Microsoft (Caribbean) Top Customer Breadth Award and has been named a 3Com Track Star.
Christina Herrera, marketing and resource coordinator, was previously a marketing coordinator with Tallard Technologies, where she oversaw marketing communications activities.
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In the News
Sun-Sentinel, Manager Minute, (Jan. 6) (Click here for article)
The Business Journal, After the Bubble Bursts: Technology Lives in 2002 (Dec. 27)
http://southflorida.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2002/12/30/story8.html
Sun-Sentinel, Sneak Thieves: Popular Wireless Networks Expose South Florida Business's Most Sensitive Data To Drive-By Hackers (Dec. 2) (Click here for article)
The Miami Herald, Bea Garcia (Dec. 2)
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/columnists/bea_garcia/4631446.htm
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Upcoming Events
 Compuquip seminar and event programs are designed to meet the demand for information about technology solutions. To register for any of these events, please e-mail marketing@compuquip.com, and include the name of the event and your complete contact information.
HP Direct
Compuquip and HP will demonstrate the benefits of HP's enhanced procurement center and present useful tips for purchasing directly from HP.
Date: Completed January 30
Time: 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Location: Compuquip, 8399 NW 30 Terrace, Miami
Check Point - First Annual Florida End Users Conference
Compuquip in conjunction with Check Point will present "Managing an Integrated Network Security Solution." This half-day event will feature our OPSEC partners and much more.
Date: Thursday February 20
Time: 8:30a.m.- 12:15p.m.
Location: Hilton Fort Lauderdale, 1870 Griffin Road, Dania
Cisco Systems - Homeland Security Seminar
Compuquip and Cisco Systems present a free seminar to help government agencies learn the steps needed to obtain federal grants for implementing technology solutions that protect the homeland. The seminar will focus on wide-area wireless networks and IP-video surveillance systems, including mobile retrieval of wireless information by police, fire-rescue and paramedic units.
Date: Friday February 21
Time: 9:00a.m.-1:15p.m.
Location: Cisco Systems, 8200 N.W. 41st Street, Suite 400, Miami
SurfControl Content Filtering
Compuquip joins with SurfControl to demonstrate products and solutions required for the management of content filtering within an organization.
Date: TBD
Time: TBD
Location: TBD
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