IBM has announced a first-of-a-kind endpoint security offering, IBM Proventia Endpoint Secure Control (ESC), that is designed to enable enterprises to escape from the constraints of vendor lock-in and to enhance endpoint security, compliance and operations at a lower cost. This new endpoint security offering is delivered by IBM Internet Security Systems (IBM ISS) leveraging IBM's depth in security experience and technology from BigFix, Inc. for endpoint security management.

The IBM ISS solution delivers endpoint security management designed to address two major problems in the industry today: the escalating cost of security and the growing complexity of endpoint security management. Companies today face a dilemma, they either have to choose between managing dozens of point security products separately to meet their needs or lock into one vendor who doesn't. The single vendor suites in the marketplace today are often a result of multiple security acquisitions that haven't been adequately integrated so that customers still need to manage separate point products. Further, the strategy that locks-in clients to one provider allows vendors to remain complacent instead of innovating to provide the strongest security on the market. Both scenarios can mean rising operational and licensing costs for customers, and fall short when it comes to providing best-of-breed security. The IBM Proventia Endpoint Secure Control offering balances customer needs with a single security management interface and flexible choice of some of the best security solutions in the marketplace to address those needs.

In addition, according to the 2008 IBM X-Force Annual Trend and Risk report released in early February, client-side vulnerabilities are at an all time high and end-users are key targets to fall prey to attacks. In fact, the report indicates that the number of new malicious Web sites in the fourth quarter of 2008 alone surpassed the number seen in the entirety of 2007 by 50 percent. Seemingly innocent applications such as document readers and editors experienced a 162 percent increase in vulnerabilities, while vulnerabilities in often used multimedia applications increased by 127 percent. As employees unknowingly access these malicious web sites and applications through their corporate machines, endpoint security is critical. With IBM Proventia ESC, IBM ISS will leverage the endpoint offering to help deliver 'ahead of the threat' X-Force security content.

IBM Proventia Endpoint Secure Control combines many of the key areas of security endpoint management -- including intrusion prevention systems (IPS), firewall and network access control; data protection such as device control, data loss prevention and endpoint encryption; security configuration, and compliance management; as well as IT security operations such as security patch management, and deployment/removal of security tools -- that frees enterprises to choose best-of-breed point security products from an array of vendors and manage them as a consolidated solution. The end result can be superior security with increased ease-of-use at a lower overall cost. Moreover, as information security threats and customer requirements evolve, the product is designed to easily integrate new security capabilities.

"The killer application in endpoint security is management," said Dan Powers, vice president of business development at IBM Internet Security Systems. "Historically, enterprises have had to make tradeoffs between consolidated security management and best-of-breed technology for endpoint security. With IBM Proventia Endpoint Secure Control, enterprises can benefit from best-of-breed security technology and consolidated management of the security products at the endpoint for the first time. This solution illustrates IBM's commitment to lead the next wave of innovation in the industry while helping to reduce the cost and complexity of security for our customers."

IBM Proventia ESC breaks new ground by encouraging vendors to open their solutions to work together, thus radically simplifying the complex endpoint security marketplace. The new tool will complement IBM Tivoli's operational desktop management offerings with robust endpoint operational security solutions, allowing customers the ability to address end point security. IBM Proventia ESC will also provide key endpoint security audit data to IBM Tivoli Security Information and Event Manager (TSIEM), further strengthening TSIEM's enterprise-wide compliance reporting capabilities.

"We're excited to work with IBM to provide open endpoint security management," said Dave Robbins, BigFix Chairman and CEO. "Customers want escape from reactive, one-tool-per-threat security to consolidated approaches that help reduce costs and strengthen defenses."

IBM Proventia Endpoint Secure Control will be available in the spring of 2009. At that time IBM will provide current IBM Proventia Desktop clients an upgrade path to the new offering.