Moscow, September 9th, 2004 - Kaspersky Labs, a leading information security software vendor has founded a daughter company - InfoWatch to provide solutions to protect corporate data against internal threats: leaks of confidential information, industrial espionage and sabotage.
During 2003 it was reported by IDC that 80% of the losses attributed to information security issues were caused by employees knowingly or unwittingly leaking confidential information. Today, most enterprises and organizations still focus on external threats, such as viruses, hackers and spam, whilst remaining vulnerable to internal threats such as sabotage, leaking of "inside" information and employees" carelessness.
InfoWatch provides a set of unique solutions for preventing data leakage. Once an internal security policy has been defined, all files within the network are tagged according to their level of confidentiality and a lexical bank supporting content filtration is then created. Finally, all users are granted specific rights to gain access to specific documents and these same rules are also used for monitoring e-mail and Internet traffic. All file operations (copying, editing, forwarding and printing) are also monitored according to these rules. Parameters and notification alerts can be set by the security engineer to block and log forbidden or suspicious actions. As a result, InfoWatch reliably monitors and controls both internal and external movements of confidential data; possible leaks and unauthorized usage are identified and blocked.
InfoWatch solutions are highly flexible and are completely customizable to meet the internal needs and local system requirements of the customer, using the integrated administration panel. Currently, InfoWatch solutions are being integrated into a number of enterprises and organizations in the Russian Federation. Garald Bandurin, IT Director at the Volga Cascade, Russia"s largest hydroelectric complex notes, "InfoWatch is a unique system that is irreplaceable in ensuring the security of a modern enterprise. We are impressed with the reliability, flexibility and effectiveness of the InfoWatch solutions."
InfoWatch is headed by Eugene Preobrazhensky, who previously held the role of Corporate Sales Director at Kaspersky Labs. The new company already employs 18 full-time staff, consultants and technicians. Mr Preobrazhensky commented, "Internal security is the least developed segment within the information security market today. At the same time, analysts are predicting huge growth in this area in the near future. We expect not only to play a leading role, but to be a deciding player in this emerging market."
"The significant differences in positioning and marketing solutions for external and internal threats led us to found a daughter company and to separate InfoWatch solutions from the Kaspersky Labs portfolio," stated Natalya Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Labs, "We are sure that our new venture will succeed because protection from internal threats is a core need in today"s information-based environment."
