By Justin Lee, theWHIR.com
June 15, 2005 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Over the years the Internet has turned into a breeding ground for malicious security threats, unsolicited email, and inappropriate content. And while most managed hosting companies choose to combat this epidemic by offering the bare minimum of security services, AT&T (att.com) is set on delivering comprehensive network-based security solutions.
Further enhancing its managed security service portfolio, AT&T launched a network-based email security and content management service last week, providing built-in spam filtering, virus blocking, content management and policy enforcement. The company also introduced anti-spyware functions within the local area network, and expanded consulting services for addressing security compliance requirements.
AT&T says the built-in anti-spam, anti-virus and content management functions help businesses improve the performance of corporate email, while simultaneously reducing its overall costs ? a factor that remains consistent with the company’s direction.
“The whole value-added notion is turning AT&T’s network into a security device, making security a functional part of our network,” says Stan Quintana, vice president of managed security services for AT&T.
Backed by its global network of 26 Internet data centers, AT&T’s service provides protection from malicious and unwanted attacks that either enter or leave the customer’s corporate network.
“Most of our Internet data centers reside on AT&T’s core IP background,” says Quintana, “so we’re able to provide the necessary resilient communication infrastructure that most customers require.”
Quintana says AT&T’s secure email gateway service reduces the load on customers’ mail servers, while improving bandwidth utilization and providing centrally-controlled network managers that ease the flow of incoming and outgoing email.
As with all of AT&T services, the email gateway solution is offered as a stand-alone service or as an option for customers of the AT&T network-based firewall service. This allows customers a flexibility not normally associated with security services.
In its goal to offer Internet security-focused managed services, AT&T incorporates a variety of security services not normally offered in a one-stop solution.
“Our network-based security platforms incorporate our knowledge-based predictive and mining capabilities built into our core IP backbone, allowing us to predict worms and viruses and the precursors to worms and viruses,” says Quintana.
In addition to new technology, AT&T has also gone to considerable lengths to expand its security consulting practice, allowing companies to meet rigorous federal, state and international regulations on data security, accuracy and privacy.
AT&T’s network integration and consulting services staff help assist firms with the development of security policies, best practices, network security architecture, technology implementation and monitoring procedures to guarantee regulatory compliance.
