McDATA improves security for data storage with addition of SANtegrity Security assessment

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, June 7, 2004

McDATA Corporation (Nasdaq:MCDTA)(Nasdaq:MCDT), the expert provider of Multi-Capable Storage Networking Solutions, has announced the availability of SANtegrity Security Services.

According to the Harvard Business Review 2003, nine out of ten companies experience a security breach annually. Industry leaders are looking for ways to better protect themselves from vulnerabilities that may contribute to data loss, lost productivity, legal ramifications or other possible penalties.

The assessment services are an essential component of McDATA's SANtegrity Security Solutions, which provide an effective and proactive security strategy for customers. Through auditing services, customers can mitigate the risks associated with the management of data. This can include financial records, intellectual property, trade secrets, personnel information, business partner's data or proprietary information. The focus of the SANtegrity Security Service is to assess and document potential risks that may exist in their storage network environment allowing McDATA's customers to manage and address potential risks in a proactive versus reactive manner. McDATA is the only storage networking company to specifically address strengthening storage networking security with defined assessment services.

"Security in the storage network is a major enterprise concern. The 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality no longer holds true--security of stored data is moving to the forefront as companies become more aware of the plethora of issues facing stored data, including legal ramifications or penalties, that arise when it comes to the loss or alteration of a data," said Bob Passmore, senior analyst, Gartner. "Instead of relying on standard security policies that do not address the challenges inside the data center, customers with storage networks are focusing on building a trusted infrastructure to combat against possible risks through assessing their current storage network security posture and documenting processes and procedures for managing risks to the business."

McDATA's SANtegrity Security Solutions assist companies' efforts to meet compliance requirements and assess their existing security policies and points of vulnerability, as well as take the necessary steps to help fortify valuable business information.

Every year security breaches cost companies an estimated $17 billion; more than 70 percent of those attacks are initiated from within the organization. Today, many companies' security policies rely on the assumption that the information stored in the SAN is secured. Yet, as companies grow and interconnect various SANs, and storage continues to come out from behind the server into the network, security needs to be carefully considered. Therefore, executing a security strategy in order to address the multitude of government mandates covering data retention, privacy, security and the protection of rights of stakeholders, is a concern that spans the entire company. Currently, 90 percent of organizations place risk reduction as a top priority, although only 34 percent rate themselves as compliant.

Storage network security also directly links to Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. By addressing vulnerabilities associated with data mobility over distances, McDATA's SANtegrity Security Services helps businesses realize improved management and control of their storage network environment.

"With McDATA's SANtegrity Security Solutions, customers receive a detailed security assessment that evaluates their existing storage environment for weaknesses and offers a prescribed security strategy to assist their protection efforts," said Jeff Vogel, senior vice president, worldwide marketing for McDATA. "While companies are interconnecting networks to meet the demands of growth, they need to consider the people, process, and technologies required to lower the risks they may face. As a leader in networked storage and business protection solutions, McDATA is actively involved helping our customers understand and address the importance of protecting their data assets security-focused solutions."

McDATA SANtegrity Solutions help customers of all sizes to determine the risks related to their storage infrastructure. The solution begins with an industry-leading SAN security assessment and threat evaluation. Then, McDATA's team of technical experts will identify and document the threats and weaknesses of the SAN and provide the customer with a complete overview of the company's storage network security posture. Once the SAN's security posture is documented, McDATA Security services personnel will show the customer how to align it with corporate policy and industry practices.