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Top 10 Accounting Firm Deploys FaceTime to Secure Instant Messaging and Peer-to-Peer Communications Publication date: Tuesday, 21 June 2005 FaceTime Enterprise Edition™ provides Crowe Chizek with comprehensive instant messaging solution to secure sensitive client communication FOSTER CITY, CALIF—June 20, 2005— FaceTime Communications announced today that Crowe Chizek and Company LLC has successfully deployed FaceTime Enterprise Edition™ to manage the security and legal vulnerabilities posed by instant messaging (IM) and peer-to-peer (P2P) applications. As one of the top 10 public accounting and consulting firms in the United States, Crowe deals with a significant amount of sensitive client data. With over 2,400 employees in 19 different offices, ensuring confidentiality of data communicated over IM is a serious security concern for the company. Crowe employees use instant messaging (IM) as a cost-effective and efficient way to casually communicate with both colleagues and clients in real time. Since many of Crowe’s employees travel frequently, they also use IM as a means to communicate with their families. Crowe’s IT staff was challenged to enable these applications while maintaining the high level of network system security expected by their clients. “Using the public IM networks without any control was like buying a deadbolt lock and alarm system for the front door of the house, while leaving the sliding glass door in the back unlocked,” said Rex Voorheis, Senior Manager of Network Infrastructure for Crowe. “The ability to do file transfers, download games and play streaming audio/video via instant messaging introduced new risks that we found unacceptable. We also found that file sharing with IM and P2P networks introduced the issue of copyright infringement, along with the risk of virus infections and spyware.” Crowe is using FaceTime Enterprise Edition™ to provide comprehensive user policy management, anti-virus scanning, spyware prevention, archiving for compliance, controls to block unauthorized IM usage and P2P file transfers, and for a complete, end-to-end security and compliance solution. IM and P2P applications are part of a category of networked applications that FaceTime calls ‘greynets.’ Greynets are network enabled applications that are installed on an end user’s system without permission from IT and are frequently evasive at the network level, using techniques like port agility and encryption to avoid being detected and blocked. Greynets pose a myriad of network and information security risks including potential vectors for malware, client-side code vulnerabilities, intellectual property loss, identity theft and more. While some greynets, especially IM, have legitimate business uses, others are not so business-friendly. Even legitimate greynet applications can pose grave network and information security risks. FaceTime Enterprise Edition™ exceeded the demands of the company’s network support team in dealing with the growing greynet threat. Not only could FaceTime detect and block file transfers that transport harmful viruses and worms, it also detects and provides visibility on unauthorized IM and P2P users that previously went unnoticed by the organization. By doing so, FaceTime protects the firm from the increased legal risks associated with virus infections, copyright infringement and other such violations. “Crowe Chizek is a customer-focused organization with access to a great deal of sensitive client information,” said Kailash Ambwani, President and CEO, of FaceTime Communications. “As such, it was essential for Crowe to ensure the integrity of communications between colleagues and clients. With Enterprise Edition deployed, Crowe can safely reap the cost savings and improved client relationship benefits of real-time collaborative communications, while maintaining the security and confidentiality that their customers expect.” About FaceTime Communications Founded in 1998, FaceTime Communications is the leading provider of security solutions for the management and control of greynet applications such as adware/spyware, instant messaging, webmail, P2P file sharing, web conferencing and instant voice. FaceTime delivers the industry’s first IMPact Index, which assesses “point-in-time” risks posed by viruses, worms and other malware propagating through greynet applications. FaceTime's award-winning solutions are used by over 500 customers, among them seven of the eight largest U.S. financial institutions. FaceTime also has strategic partnerships with all leading public and private IM network providers, including AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, IBM, Bloomberg, Jabber and Reuters. For more information, visit www.facetime.com. |
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