ZENworks Articles:
ZENworks End-Point Security Management
By Donna Moyer

Laptops … they are everywhere! With an increasingly mobile workforce, the need for laptops increases. But while laptops are great for convenience and user productivity, they significantly increase the risk to your data. In fact, it is estimated that two-thirds of critical company data is on individual laptops and not on company servers. So the big question is: how do you protect your data while still giving your users the access and convenience they need?

The answer? By taking advantage of a new addition to Novell's ZENworks product line: End-Point Security Management or ZESM! With ZESM you can:

• Create location-specific policies. By establishing location-specific policies, you can ensure that if the laptop is connecting to wireless in an airport or at the local Starbucks, access will be different than if it is connected to the corporate LAN.
• Initiate VPN sessions automatically. Perhaps you want users to connect to VPN exclusively while on the road. How can you make this easier while still enforcing this rule? Simple: ZESM allows for automatic acceptance of terms and conditions and automatically initiates VPN sessions from certain locations like hotels or coffee shops.
• Manage rights to the desktop. In order to give your users the ability to function when outside of the office, they may have power user or administrative rights to the desktop. So how do you keep them from turning off programs meant to protect the device or from uninstalling them altogether? ZESM policies can prevent turning off or uninstalling certain applications even by administrative users.
• Control port access. Bluetooth, Firewire and infrared ports are everywhere. How do you prevent data from being snatched by an unauthorized device? ZESM can control access to certain ports based on user access or location.
• Prevent data theft. USB devices can quickly take data from a laptop without leaving an audit trail. How can you prevent data from being stolen? Through ZESM, you can disable access to removable storage based on location, allow only approved devices, or automatically encrypt data.
• Set firewall rules. How about firewalling? Users will often disable this feature to get the access they need. ZESM provides advanced firewall rules to allow for the right access at the right time.
• Ensure security updates. One of the biggest problems with mobile devices is that regular anti-virus and spyware updates don't occur while the device is not on the corporate LAN, thus presenting a security risk when users return to the office environment. ZESM can enforce update policies to ensure that all devices are kept up to current levels. It can also perform integrity checks that will allow access only when devices are up-to-date, and provide remediation and quarantine when devices are not.

With ZESM, your data and security nightmares are over! Set your policies once, and guarantee 100% compliance … automatically. Now that’s IT peace of mind!

© Copyright 2008, Uptime NetManagement, Inc.

Article Source: http://www.uptimenmi.com/

You have my permission to reprint and distribute this article as long as it is distributed in its entirety, including all links and copyright information. This article is not to be sold or included with anything that is sold.

About the Author:
Donna Moyer is Principal/Senior Network Consultant of Uptime NetManagement, Inc. (http://www.uptimenmi.com/). Uptime is a Novell Gold Solutions partner providing technology solutions, customized training, and consulting services. If you are interested in finding out exactly what Novell can do for your business, or are seeking to maximize the benefits from your current Novell systems, call us today at 610-621-1244!