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WhatsUp Offers Solution to Data Theft via USB Storage and MP3 Players

Announcement posted by Digital Networks Australia 11 Jul 2006

Digital Networks Australia, an Australian distributor of technology solutions, has today announced a management solution to help IT administrators monitor the connection of USB storage and MP3 players into computers connected to business networks.
The widespread availability of USB attached storage devices, such as portable music players, digital cameras, and portable hard drives has dramatically changed the risks faced by businesses through information theft and data loss.
USB interfaces are needed for a wide variety of business reasons, yet the ease of connecting mass storage devices to USB ports makes them a high risk hole in the security defences of businesses. Rather than face the risk of data loss, many businesses have taken the drastic action of physically disabling all USB ports in an attempt to patch this critical security hole.
Martin Higham, Technical Director for Digital Networks Australia commented,
Tracking the usage of USB attached devices has been too hard in the past. USB storage devices and music players such as iPods can easily be used to steal megabytes of information in a few seconds. Using WMI (Windows Management Interface), Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional 2006 can deliver affordable centralised monitoring and reporting of any attempt to connect or remove USB devices from any Windows 2000 or Windows XP computer. This provides IT administrators with the perfect auditing tool to help them uncover and prevent abuse of USB devices.
Designed specifically to suit the needs of businesses with 25 computers and upwards, WhatsUp Professional 2006 Premium Edition delivers easy to administer and install application and network management, as well as automated monitoring and reporting features.
In addition, WhatsUp Professional offers invaluable alerting capabilities to help prevent successful WiFi network attacks. WhatsUp can monitor network logins and alert IT staff when many failed logins occur, which is a leading indication that an attack is in progress.
WhatsUp Professional 2006 Premium provides easy management of Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server based applications. In addition, any Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) compliant application is automatically supported. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Versions 1, 2 and 3 compatible devices are also automatically supported. The combination of these protocols allows the monitoring of almost any network attached device.
Reports are produced using HTML, allowing reports to be easily accessed from any web browser. Standard statistical and performance reports are included, making it easy to understand network and application performance and availability.
Pricing and Availability
WhatsUp Professional 2006 Premium Edition and WhatsUp Professional 2006 (network management only) are available immediately, and are distributed in Australia by Digital Networks Australia.
WhatsUp Professional 2006 Premium Edition prices start from $3,450 inc GST for up to 100 devices.
WhatsUp Professional 2006 prices start from $2,600 inc GST for up to 100 devices
A free trial version of the product can be downloaded from www.whatsup2006.com.au .
About Digital Networks Australia
Digital Networks Australia is an Australian distributor of technology solutions. Founded in 1993, Digital Networks Australia specialises in enterprise management and security software, as well as network connectivity solutions. Visit www.dna.com.au for more information.
About Ipswitch
Ipswitch develops and markets software that works for small and mid-sized businesses worldwide. More than 100 million people use Ipswitch software every day to collaborate via Ipswitch Collaboration Suite, monitor their networks with Ipswitch WhatsUp , and transfer files over the Internet using the market leading Ipswitch WS_FTP Professional client and Ipswitch WS_FTP Server. For more information visit www.ipswitch.com.
Media Contact:
Sebastian Rice,
Silverspan, 02 9959 1991, seb@silverspan.com,
www.silverspan.com