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Endpoint management critical

Although there are defined terminals and a better controlled IT landscape in most branch banking environments, the broader financial sector is definitely still at risk.

Most computer users today can be classified as a mobile workforce. Moving data around is not defined by if you have a notebook or a desktop – both contain corporate information and can be accessed with similar devices to copy or move data. Increased agility and productivity of today’s mobile workforce requires moving data and access outside of the enterprise to the endpoint, resulting in increased risk of lost or stolen data and equipment. Securing the end point by using Novell’s End Point Security Management’s location-aware security policies allows for data protection, user productivity and regularity compliance.

While perimeter security measures for the enterprise are required, they are found wanting to address all the risks for today’s mobile computing environment. Protecting the end point from emerging threats involves the management of removable media, wireless access and application control while providing 24/7 integrity of the endpoint not just when accessing the corporate network, but outside of the office as well.

Often overlooked in this process of protecting the information and the endpoint is the user. Generally speaking we place too much emphasis on the device and not enough on the people or profile accessing the device or information. The user’s identity must be managed according to the associated business policy.

If a person physically needs to be at the corporate building to work on more sensitive applications, then such a person should not be allowed to remotely access the corporate network for these specific applications. Some applications can only be activated once a user physically enters into the building, be it via proximity access or biometrics. This emphasises the use of location-aware security policies and the integration of physical, logical and identity-based access controls. Novell’s End Point Security Management, Identity Management and Access Management solutions assist corporates to overcome these challenges.

Ensuring that the risks are further reduced and compliance can be proven, especially in the financial sector, there must be an integrated monitoring, alerting and compliance reporting platform. To really know what is happening in a complex IT environment is worth gold, but more important is to be able to pro-actively react on unauthorised events. Sentinel from Novell provides the overall monitoring, alerting and reporting and based on the application or security policy will take the specified actions to prevent the right information being accessed by the wrong people.

Lewis Taljaard, business unit sales specialist at Novell SA

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