Symantec Update Plugs Hole In Information Security

The lack of information security policies is often cited as one of the weakest links for companies trying to secure networks, systems, and data. Security vendor Symantec Corp. hopes to help strengthen those policies with Enterprise Security Manager 5.5.

The updated software, which is used to assess network vulnerabilities, now lets IT managers create, manage, and enforce network security policies. The new functions could help fill an IT security gap: According to the recent InformationWeek 2001 Global Information Security Survey of 4,500 people fielded by PricewaterhouseCoopers, half say they have no, or only an informal, security policy.

The software lets security administrators automate the planning, supervision, and monitoring of security policies from a central location, says Ronald Van Geijn, Symantec director of product management. With LiveUpdate, administrators can download and deploy the latest security updates to multiple servers and desktops running the software.

LiveUpdate may help control ad hoc security fixes. "The last thing a company wants is every yahoo in every part of the company installing their own updates," says Frank Prince, security analyst for Forrester Research.

The software includes a preconfigured and customized reporter that lets security administrators create reports and queries based on their specific network design. It also supports the ability to import and export security policies to branch offices for consistent policy distribution. "ESM Enterprise Security Manager takes much of the traditional pain out of policy management," Geijn says.

Analysts agree but say the software won't make up for poor policy execution. "It still comes down to the company having and maintaining the procedures they need," Prince says.

Enterprise Security Manager 5.5 is available now for $1,995. Server agents run on Linux, NetWare, OpenVMS, Windows NT 4.0, 2000, Unix, and XP, and are priced at $995. Workstation agents support Windows NT 4.0/Pro- fessional and XP and are priced at $95.