computer reseller news nov 08

8/14/2019 Computer Reseller News Nov 08

1/44

November 2008

www.crn.co.za

Vendor helps resellers build rob ust revenue

streams >>p18

G Tandberg opens

of f ice in SA P10> >

G HP cuts costs

p22> >

G Will M icrosof t

Online Store

Affect Distributors?

P37 > >

InsideInside


2/44


3/44

N

PUBLISHERS: NOTE

Kaunda Chama editor

ovember has been quite an eventful month to say the least. It almost feels

as if it was a year squeezed into 30 days.

On the CRN side, we had a few internal changes that we have now

gotten used to and like the saying goes: it is now business as usual.

On a global scale, the economic downturn was cause for more

than just concern, but also for confusion. Watching the local currency

taking a nosedive had the channel doing more readjustments than a

crooked accountant.

After talking to a number of heads of companies in the space last

month, I realised that the idea of business as usual will have to becomebusiness unusual for quite a while because a turn around is expected to

take a minimum of 24 months.

However, even at a time like this, there is a lot of business being done

as companies strive to make the best of a bad situation.

It might be a long shot, but I believe that the fact that he has said on

numerous occasions that ICT is an undeniable asset in an effective

campaign, especially one that targets the large youth component, will

bring back some confidence in the ICT space.

So, if ICT can help win a very strongly contested election, I am sure it

can also work wonders for business.

In addition to this, one hopes that the policies that the Obama

administration puts in place will speed up the recovery of the US

economy and that they will soon have a ripple effect on the economies

of developing nations.

In the mean time, I guess we will have to work with the saying: When

the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

What a month!

I cannot speak about November 2008 without mentioning Barack Obama, the first ever black

president of the United States of America. I am not only proud of O bama because, like him, I

am a black man, but also because he is the first president I know of that maximised the

potential of information and communication technology (ICT) to win an election.


4/44

CRN Contacts:

Editor:

Kaunda Chama

[email protected]

Journalists:

Portia Shaba

[email protected]

Dominic Khuzwayo

[email protected]

Brand executive:

Hellen Murahwa

[email protected]

Sub-editor:

Jenny Bastomsky

[email protected]

Designer:

Spencer van Graan

[email protected]

Database and subscriptions:

Daisy Mulenga

[email protected]

copyright notice

CRN South ern Africa isp ublished month ly by

SystemsPublishers(Pty) Ltd. The copyright of all

material in thisp ublication is reserved by the proprietors,

except where expressly stated. The publisher, however,

will consider reasonable requests for the use of material

by otherson condition that t he source and author

of the report are clearly attributed. Due to the nature

of t he newspaper print process, SystemsPublishers

cannot be held responsible for colour variations

in printed advertising. Printed by Ultra Litho.

CRN Southern Afr ica is a licensee of CMPMedia LLC.

Private Bag X12, Rivonia, 2128Tel: (011) 234 7008Fax: (011) 234 7025Registered with the Audit

Bureau of Circulation

Contents

2 CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA NOVEMBER 2008

News & Analysis4 What s News

6 Comings and goings

10 Hi Five

12 Demand Generator takes a look at how Akura integrated

Preserv8TM

16 SAP world tour reaches SA. By Dudu Shaba

18 Cover story: Mimecast helps resellers build robust revenue

streams. By Kaunda Chama

21 SITA launches NOC. By Dudu Shaba

22 HP enhances virtual environments. By Dominic Khuzwayo

Features23 Anti-Spam: In todays rapidly developing malicious environment,

the one fifth of the globes population that is connected to the Internet

has to cope with approximately 2 000 new and mutated

viruses a day, almost 50 000 phishing attempts a month

and more than one million hijacked computers that spread

bots, rootkits, Trojans and other malware during one year.

By Dudu Shaba

27 Memory: With DDR3 technology prices expected to

drop, DDR is still the way to go as it is not proprietary and

leads on price/performance and performance/power ratios.

By Dudu Shaba

30 POS: When you decide to implement a point-of-sale

(POS) solution, you have essentially decided to change the

way you do business. By Dudu Shaba

34 Servers: One of the major driving forces for growth in

server sales is the need for more storage. In the past, servers

had only a limited expansion for internal drives, which forced

companies to upgrade more frequently due to the insufficient

internal capacity of the servers. By Dudu Shaba

37 Will Microsoft Online Store affect distribution?

Microsoft recently started selling some of its products to US cus-

tomers through an online storefront for the first time in its his-

tory. While most channel partners dont see this as a threat to

their businesses, some speculate that distributors might view

things differently. By Kevin McLaughlin

Product and Technology38 Logitech V 550 Nano cordless laser mouse

39 Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus

Parting shots40 Snapshot: Deyan Stojcevski, Bytes Document Solutions

40 Dilbert 39

18

16

10

06


5/44


6/44

Spect rum bring s Buf f alo to m arketSouth African distributor Spectrum Multimedia launches the Buffalo

LinkTheatre HD Nfiniti wireless media player.

The device streams multimedia content from any network or connect-

ed DLNA, NAS, PC, USB device directly to a TV. The LinkTheatre is also

suitable for high-definition video camera users and those wanting to

watch HD films or view high-resolution photos.

Music and media files can be streamed through the device from a

number of sources, including a Buffalo LinkStation Live and TeraStation

Live storage devices. An intuitive TV-based interface lets consumers easily

browse media content on the connected devices through a remote con-

trol. Users may also open network shares directly from the device to

facilitate easy file sharing.

New Dell Vostro rangeThis month sees Dell unveil a new range including a Vostro laptop and

two desktops.The new Vostro laptop is designed specifically for small businesses,

governments and educational institutions and is available through

authorised channel partners as well as directly from Dell.

Ben McDonald, Client Product Brand Manager, Dell SA says:

Within the world s emerging economies millions of new businesses

are demanding the right kind of technology. Today we answer their

needs by introducing new products to complement our existing Vostro

product line.

Behold My Passport driveDrive Control Corporation (DCC) announced availability of Western

Digitals My Passport Essential 500GB external drive.

It comes in three colours Real Red, Intense Blue and Midnight Black,

and the drive has either 160GB, 250GB or 320GB capacity. The device

easily fits in the palm of your hand and is perfect for those who need

mobile storage on the go.

The drive is USB powered through the USB cable and no external

power supply is required. The WD Sync and encryption software offered

with My Passport makes it easy to transfer files and securely stores thou-

sands of songs, videos and photos.

Esquir e laun ches new

pr in terSpecialist IT distributor Esquire Technologies, has

announced a new 24-needle, high speed dot matrix

printer from the Seiko range.

Mohomed Cassim, Sales and Marketing Director,

Esquire says: The BP9000Plus offers proficiency,

speed and professionalism.

The widespread adoption of these printers has

led to significant increases in efficiency and accuracy,

but high quality printing is also essential in areas like

governmental institutions, offices and banks, he says. According to

Cassim the operation of the printer is very simple because of the two-

level menu system, which displays selections on a 16-digit LCD panel.The menu is available in five languages.

Lexmark s launches new pr of ession alAIOLexmark International has introduced a new addition to its Professional

Series of inkjet all-in-ones (AIOs).

The launch of the Lexmark X7675 is in response to an increasing

need for small offices and home offices (SOHOs) to cut the cord and

implement Wi-Fi networks to improve productivity.

Paul A Rooke, Lexmark Executive Vice President and President of its

Consumer Printer Division, says that professionals are seeking versatile,

wireless AIO printers to help them multi task.

Our ongoing segment research reveals that SOHO professionals are

embracing wireless networks to improve efficiency and productivity, while

reducing operational costs, he adds.

Seagate takes a byte of the AppleIngram Micro announces the local availability of

Seagates new range of Mac compatibleFreeAgent drives.

Tyrone Gruner, Seagate Product Manager, Ingram

Micro, says that the drives are preformatted for the

Mac environment and ready for use with Time Machine, Apples built-in

backup solution for Leopard.

With the growing presence Apple has in the PC space worldwide,

Seagate has seen a great opportunity for growth and so extended the

FreeAgent brand into the Mac environment. By all indications Seagates

decision has struck a chord with the Apple community, he says.

Mot orola boost enterpr ise mo bi l i tyMotorolas Enterprise Mobility business recently launched two newmobility devices the CA50 and MC75.

Motorola say that the new products represent the union of

technologies and devices that deliver a complete package specially

designed for demanding mobility applications. The new CA50 is intend-

ed for indoor use, while the rugged MC75 is ideal for field work,

incorporating a range of features that includes GPS.

Mark Kelly, Country Manager Motorola SA says: This device illus-

trates Motorolas efforts to fuse legacy scanning technologies with new

voice and wireless capabilities, to make all employees connected using

the latest technology to better serve their customers and patients.

M icrosoft unl eashes Lif eCamsMicrosoft unveils two new webcams, the LifeCam Show and LifeCam

VX-5500.

According to Ralf Groene, Industrial Design Manager, Microsoft, the

LifeCam Show is ultra sleek and one of the thinnest webcams on the

market. While the LifeCam VX-5500 takes a more sassy approach with

switchable faceplates in three colours in an innovative, collapsible design.

Our design team has been working hard to ensure that we could fit

best-in-class webcam technology into such a tiny footprint. We also

designed these LifeCams to attach to any type of PC with ease because

we know that consumers move between notebooks and desktops and

back again, and they want a webcam that can move with them, saysGroene.

4 CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA NOVEMBER 200 8

WHATS NEWS

Mohomed Cassim


7/44


8/44

Motorola completes AirDefense acquisitionMotorola has acquired AirDefense, a leading wireless LAN (WLAN)

security provider.

The definitive agreement to acquire privately-held AirDefense to make

a wholly owned subsidiary of Motorola integrated into Motorolas

Enterprise Mobility business.

Kathy Paladino, President of Motorolas Enterprise Mobility Business,

says that the acquisition of AirDefense was the logical next step to a

very successful three-year OEM partnership.

Together with AirDefense, Motorola will secure enterprise networks

with a common platform solution providing superior indoor and outdoor

wireless protection for users operating in a variety of settings including

corporate headquarters, manufacturing and distribution plants and

remote branch offices, she says.

Panda Internet security onmarketSMC Networks, global providers of LAN hard-

ware and broadband connectivity devices,

announce the availability of the Panda Internet

Security bundle.

The bundle includes a Wireless N Router anda Wireless N USB 2.0 Adapter and the device is

designed to offer small offices and home users high-speed wireless con-

nectivity to withstand high demand on bandwidth-thirsty applications.

Paul Luff, Country Manager, SMC Networks SA says: We are very

pleased to bring this latest offering which stems from a close, industry-

driven alliance between SMC Networks and Panda Security.

Duxbury boasts local HPProcurve MastersDuxbury Networking is the only distributor in

South Africa to boast three technical engineers in

its team that have achieved HP ProCurve Master

Accredited Systems Engineer (MASE) status.

Armand Steffens, Andre Kannemeyer and

Martin Mohr join an exclusive world-wide club of

specialists. They are able to design, implement

and support HP ProCurve solutions for complex,

heterogeneous, enterprise environments, which include voice and

multimedia applications.

Graham Duxbury, Duxbury Networking CEO, says:

ProCurve integration certifications follow the successful outcome

of comprehensive, hands-on examinations. Our teams success

clearly demonstrates the high skills levels inherent in the DuxburyNetworking organisation.


COMINGS GOINGS

WHATS NEWS

SAP app oin t s Joh n Papand reaSAP AG has appointed John Papandrea Senior

Vice President of the Healthcare industry

business unit.

Papandrea joins SAP from Deloitte

Consulting where he advised large healthcare

organisations on information technology

strategy, the effective use of technology and

technology innovation. Previously Papandrea

worked with Capgemini and Ernst & Young

advising clients on the value of informationtechnology in healthcare, particularly in the clinical arena.

Bob Stutz, Head of Industries Solutions and Corporate Officer

for SAP says: Mr Papandrea will be a tremendous asset to SAP

and will add value to our customers in the healthcare sector.

HP sof t w are boss t akes reign sSteen Lomholt-Thomsen is the new Vice President and General

Manager of HP Software for Europe, Middle East and Africa

(EMEA) region.

Lomholt-Thomsen is tasked with maximising HP Softwares profit

and revenue growth in the EMEA region; as

well as extending its market leadership; driving

effective go-to-market activities; and delivering

superior customer service.

He will also oversee sales of HPs Business

Technology O ptimisation (BTO) software,

Information Management software, Business

Intelligence solutions and Media solutions.

Lomholt-Thomsen joins HP from IBM where he

spent the past 10 years in the software division.

New LG M DLG Electronics SA has appointed the first non-

Korean MD of an LG subsidiary in the world.

Peet van Rooyen succeeds ST Tae and his

appointment is inline with LGs global strategy

for local leadership with relevant market knowl-

edge in regions.

According to van Rooyen there are opportu-

nities for growth in exports into sub-Saharan Africa while the retail

market is under pressure globally and on a local level.

John Papandrea

Steen Lomholt-Thomsen

Peet van Rooyen

&

Paul Luff

Graham Duxbury


9/44


10/44

HP t o bu y left hand

HP has signed an agreement to acquire LeftHand Networks, providers of

storage virtualisation and iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions for

$360 million. With the addition of LeftHand Networks, HP will add

midrange offerings to its suite of iSCSI solutions. The acquisition of

LeftHand Networks significantly expands our storage portfolio, enabling

HP to deliver customers an expanded suite of storage functionality, says

Dave Roberson, senior vice president and general manager,

StorageWorks Division, HP.

Com ztek awarded SA Microsof t s r ights

Technology distributor Comztek has been awarded the Microsoft distribu-

tion rights. The deal allows Comztek to distribute finished goods in

Southern African countries Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia and

Zambia. David Caygill, Software Infrastructure Director, Comztek, says

that the South African distribution rights remain unaffected and that the

Comzteks Microsoft distribution rights for finished goods and OEM in

East Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eritreaand Rwanda, have been renewed. Caygill says that Microsofts aim to

successfully promote its products into the rest of Africa dovetails with

Comzteks strategy to build on its current African footprint.

DiDat a b uy s SRC st ake

Dimension Data, has acquired 51 % stake in Sistemas Redes e

Communicaes (SRC), an Angolan based IT solutions company. The

acquisition marks the launch of Dimension Data Angola with its offices

based in Luanda. Bruno De Carvalho, MD, Dimension Data Angola says,

Dimension Data has an established track record of delivering world-

class technology services and solutions that enable Africans to do great

things. By combining this with SRCs strong client base and local

knowledge and skills, Dimension Data Angola is able to provide more

comprehensive services and solutions ideally tailored to the local,

Angolan market, adds De Carvalho.

HGH Busin ess Con sult ancy t aps SA

HGH Business Consultancy, a software developer and service provider in

the Netherlands has appointed Ability Solutions as its official South

African representative for its enterprise rental application DynaRent.

Developed by HGH, DynaRent is a vertical industry application that man-

ages the rental life cycle of capital equipment. DynaRent handles the full

life cycle involved in renting capital equipment, says John Olsson, sales

and marketing director, Ability Solutions. Integrating it with AXmeans

the rental agreement can be tracked from first enquiry to completion with

data automatically updated and linked to each clients historical accounts

and customer profiles, adds Olsson.

Overland Storage partners with Mobotix

Overland Storage has announced a global partnership with Mobotix

Vision Systems, one of the leaders in high-resolution IP network cameras.

This partnership will allow both companies to deliver video surveillance

and archiving solutions for the under 100-camera system market. Local

distributor of Overland Storage solutions, Drive Control Corporation

(DCC), will offer this bundled solution including Overlands Snap Server

network attached storage (NAS) appliance family with Mobotixs line of

high-resolution digital, network-based video security solutions to itsresellers. This makes it ideal for markets such as entertainment (casinos)

and any corporate environment that requires security delivering the

convenience and quality that digital image, storage and retrieval offers,

says, Jacques van Zijl O verland Storage product specialist, DCC.

Alt i t ude Sof t w are part ners w ith OcularTechn olo gies

Global independent contact centre solutions vendor, Altitude Software

has partnered with Ocular Technologies. This partnership will see both

companies provide the growing South African BPO industry with customer

interaction management software solutions. According to Pommie

Lutchman, Ocular managing director, this will expand the companys

customer interaction management solutions and enable it to cater suffi-

ciently for contact centres of all sizes. We are confident that this partner-

ship will contribute to both Ocular and Altitude gaining new successes inthis market. Shlomo Harari, Altitude Software president APAC says:

O cular Technologies is a prominent player in the contact centre space

and we are thrilled about working with its team of contact centre experts.

Fort inet part ners w it h DiData

Fortinet, a provider of unified threat management (UTM) solutions, has

signed a global agreement with Dimension Data. The agreement will

allow Dimension Data to integrate, install and provide consultancy ser-

vices for Fortinets network security solutions to enterprises worldwide. The

new partnership is set to combine an innovative and proven security plat-

form with Dimension Datas robust and trusted integration capabilities,

which will decrease clients time- and cost-to-market in creating secure

infrastructures. This agreement with Dimension Data, operating in 47

countries across five continents, marks Fortinets deepest and broadest

global systems integrator partnership.

Tarsus signs Link sys

Tarsus Technologies has announced the extension of its distribution agree-

ment with Cisco to encompass Linksys. Risna Steenkamp, Cisco business

development manager, Tarsus says that the company is particularly

intrigued by its new access to the Linksys Small Business Pro range as a

strategic fit exists between the products in this range and the needs of

Tarsus SMB resellers. We originally took the Cisco brand into the Tarsus

stable with the intention of growing its presence in the small- and medium-

sized business sector, Steenkamp explains. We now have access to a

really compelling range of products to service that market with, she adds.

McAfee part ners w it h Com mVaultMcAfee, Inc. and CommVault has announced a strategic partnership to

deliver an integrated data and security management solution. The part-

nership will provide customers worldwide with easy access to jointly inte-

grated data and security management technology solutions from both

McAfee and CommVault. In coming together, CommVault and McAfee

can provide customers with award-winning data protection capabilities

that work hand in hand with industry-leading security applications for a

complete, more easily deployable and cost effective data and security

management solution, says Lauren Whitehouse, analyst, EnterpriseStrategy Group.


ANALYSIS: DISTRIBUTION MOVESSOLUTION PROVIDERS


11/44

kura Manufacturing Engineering Company,

a manufacturer of specialised machinery

based in Paarl Valley in the Western Cape,

has integrated Preserv8TM an email archiv-

ing software system and also offers services

for the Microsoft globally certified solution.

Akura was established in 1970 and builds

and supplies specialised machinery andoperates sales and service branches on the

East Rand, Gauteng and in Pinetown,

KwaZulu-Natal.

The company employs 75 staff that design

and supply equipment to blue chip clients in

the paper, plastic, recycling, waste manage-

ment and mining sectors.

However Akura recently faced problems

that included inadequate archiving and

downtime resulting in frustration with email

communications, so the company decided to

search for a new solution.

We thoroughly investigated the various

offerings in the market and found that most

products masquerading as Unified Email

Management (UEM) platforms were either

built on open source technologies or were

simply commoditised solutions, says Anton

du Toit, General Manager, Akura Engineering.

We strongly believe that for a solution to

be effective, efficient, robust and scalable, it

needs to compact and simple in design.

Simplicity without the loss of functionality

remains the hallmark of a well thought out

solution, adds du Toit.

According to Du Toit the open sourceofferings appear to contain large portions of

freeware components that cannot be classi-

fied as best of breed or enterprise strength.

The commoditised solutions are a com-

posite of disparate systems strung together

with an overlaid interface to expedite the ven-

dor time to market. We believe that, based

on software product lifecycles, this approach

sacrifices quality and reduces longevity.In comparison Preserv8 is the only system

designed and built from the ground up as a

true UEM platform, using best-of-breed

Microsoft technologies that carry the requisite

global support and are proven to include the

enterprise environment, says du Toit.

Preserve8 is available to the local market

and is developed by Integr8 IS, a Microsoft

Gold Partner and providers of Software plus

Services to the global market.

Deon Robertson, CEO, Integr8 IS says

that this solution meets all the necessary cri-

teria as laid down by Akura Engineering and

they can now fully manage their entire email

function via the unified messaging platform.

Our clients are in the market for a solu-

tion that does not represent a myriad of

architectures and is engineered from the bot-

tom up. Preserv8 is only product to carry the

Microsoft S+ S ISV certification and is deliv-

ered through high capacity carrier grade

architecture in multiple top tier secure data

centres across the globe, says Robertson

Robertson adds that this solution provides

an innovative dimension to unified email

management and gives companies opti-mised services.

Preserv8 resides on tier one internet

backbone in secure data centres around the

globe, and protects, captures, sanitises,

brands and archives all your inbound and

outbound email while in transit, he says.

We are pleased to have in place an

extremely solid partnership with Akura

Engineering that are widely respected and

acknowledged for their technical capability

and acumen, as well as their ability to lever-

age off the most robust, reliable and proven

systems, says Robertson.

In addition Robertson says that Integr8 IS

has a solid pipeline of potential customers in

SA and the UK (the Nordicks countries) and

they are currently investigating additional

cloud computing offerings.

If you have any demand generator stories

to share with us please email Dominic [email protected].

BYDOMINICKHUZWAYO

A

Akura integrates Preserv8TMOptimising e-mail communication

Deon Robertson, Integr8 IS

DEMAND GENERATOR:AKURASOLUTION PROVIDERS

CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA NOVEMBER 2008 9

Preserv8 is only product to carry the Microsoft S+ S ISV

certification, and is delivered via high capacity carrier

grade architecture in multiple top tier secure data centres

around the globe. Deon Robertson, Integr8 IS.


12/44

HIGH FIVE: TANDBERG

SOLUTION PROVIDERS

BYDOMINICKHUZWAYO

ANDBERG, one of the leading global providers of telepresence,

highdefinition videoconferencing and mobile video products and

services has recently opened an office in South Africa. The

Norwegian-based TANDBERG previously operated locally but only

offering technical support. According to Bryan Thompson, TANDBERG

area manager, Sub-Sahara South Africa, the companys focus is on

providing videoconferencing solutions anywhere, anytime and any

place. This enables users to participate in video communications in

the office, home, hotel room, airport or in the boardroom, any time,

he says. TANDBERG was recently awarded the 2008 Frost & Sullivan

Market Leadership Award. The award recognizes TANDBERGs leader-ship position in both the global video conferencing market and the

global video conferencing infrastructure systems market. In this month

High Five we take a closer look at TANDBERGs expansion territory.

CRN: Why are you opening an offi ce in SA?

BT: Previously it was only a support office. Now it will incorporate

sales, marketing and management. TANDBERG has identified South

Africa and Africa as a large potential market.

CRN: How will your customers benefit from the new

office?

BT: There will be a full TANDBERG presence in SA with the entire

infrastructure as well. There is a full range of product that will be

launched over the next few months.

CRN: What do you want to achieve in SA?

BT: TANDBERG currently has over 50 local customers, many blue

chip. The aim is to grow the customer base in SA and across Africa.

CRN: How is Tand ber g doi ng in SA?

BT: Over 50 customers. The sites are stable, customers happy.

CRN: What challenges are fa cing in vid eoconferencing

industry in SA?

BT: Previously low bandwidth. That challenge is diminishing. Flexibility

as well previously VC was only available boardroom-to-boardroom.

With TANDBERG it is possible to communicate via video from a

boardroom to a branch office PC, home user and even to a user

sitting at a coffee shop or airport via their notebook. Comms can now

also be to a cellphone or even from a digital camera to a boardroom

showing the progress on a construction site.

TANDBERG opens office in SA

T

Bryan Thompson, TANDBERG


13/44


14/44

Protecting organisational information is a priority that should be met with

vigilance and the resultant security protection. To ignore the increasing security

and maturity of malicious threats is detrimental to any organisation, large of

small, which is why Drive Control Corporation (DCC) provides South African

businesses with the latest solutions from Symantec, enabling them to fortify their

systems against the next attack.

Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0 the integration of essential

security technologies

Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0 offers all-important defence against malware

attacks on laptops, desktops and servers. Combining Symantec Antivirus

technology with advanced threat prevention, it integrates essential security

technologies in a single agent and management console, increasing protectionwhile lowering TCO.

Key features and benefits include:

G Integration of essential technologies such as antivirus, antispyware, firewall,

intrusion prevention, device and application control;

G Endpoint protection;

G Instant NAC upgrade without additional software deployment for each

endpoint;

G Stops malware such as viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, adware, bots,

zero-day threats and rootkits; and

G Prevents security outbreaks thus reducing administrative overhead.

Symantec Multi-tier Protection 11.0.2 the improved security

management solution

Symantec Multi-tier Protection protects enterprise assets and lowers risk by

providing protection against threats for laptops, desktops, mobile devices, mail

servers, and SMTPgateways. The solution includes the companys Endpoint

Protection and Symantec Mail Security for groupware and the SMTPgateway,

stopping spam and viruses while mitigating security risks


G Integration of essential technologies such as antivirus, antispyware, firewall,

intrusion prevention, device and application control;

G Symantec AntiVirus for Windows Mobile, Linux, and Macintosh, providing

virus protection against malicious threats that target Windows Mobile

operating systems (OSs), Linux and Macintosh systems;

G Mail Security 8300 Series, Premium Antispam, Mail Security for Microsoft

Exchange, and Mail Security for Domino solutions, providing heightened

protection for multiplatform networks;

G Protection against email-born virus threats and security risks in a turnkey

package with guaranteed interoperability; and

G Prevention of security outbreaks, bots, zero-day threats and rootkits thus

reducing administrative overhead.

Symantec Backup Exec 12 comprehensive backup and protec-

tion for todays systems

Symantec Backup Exec 12 for Windows Servers delivers certified disk-to-disk-

to-tape backup and fast, efficient recovery. With its Granular Recovery

Technology and continuous data protection for critical Microsoft applications,

business data is protected and easily restored.


G Complete data protection for Windows-based server environments;

G

Multi-product integration with market leading technologies;G True Continuous Data Protection eliminates the backup window by

continuously protecting data as it changes;

G Backup Exec Agent for Enterprise Vault that ensures valuable data archives

are backed up and easily recoverable;

G Symantec Online Storage integration which provides a secure, cost efficient,

easy to manage off-site storage location; and

G Symantec Endpoint Protection integration that triggers proactive backups of

critical databases to further protect data from crippling virus outbreaks.

Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery 8 complete solution for

multiple environments including virtual

Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery 8 features complete Windows system

recovery and the ability to restore systems in minutes to even dissimilar hardwareor virtual environments. It features flexible offsite protection and enhanced

recovery capabilities, integration with Symantec security and systems management

solutions, and support for Windows Server 2008.

Key feature and benefits include:

G Comprehensive virtual conversion capabilities directly to VMDK or VHD files

G Offsite backup copy to FTPlocation or secondary disk drive for enhanced

disaster recovery capabilities;

G Granular recovery of Exchange, SharePoint or files and folders from a single,

multi-tab interface (via the Granular Restore Option);

G Strict recovery time objectives (RTOs) are met as complete systems are

recovered in minutes, even from a bare-metal state;

G

Elimination of backup windows as entire live Windows systems are capture,without disrupting user productivity or application usage;

G Multi-product integration with technologies including Symantec ThreatCon

and Altiris Notification Server; and

G Centrally managed backup and recovery tasks for multiple servers across the

entire organisation (via Backup Exec System Recovery Manager).

ADVERTORIAL

DCC strengthens security and storage systemswith Symantecs comprehensive product setDCC strengthens security and storage systemswith Symantecs comprehensive product set


15/44


16/44


17/44


18/44


19/44

ANALYSIS: SAP WORLD TOURSOLUTION PROVIDERS


is paid as a closing reward. The program is

easily accessible and only requires a one-

time online registration. Once registered,

members can securely enter the program

through a dedicated referral member portal

where they can quickly access program infor-

mation, register opportunities and access reg-

ular status updates on the referred lead.

The SAP Referral Program portal provides

exclusive sales material on the complete port-

folio of SAP solutions for small business and

midsize companies, along with opportunity

qualification tools and e-learning sessions. A

clear set of eligibility rules form the basis of

the SAP Referral Program in order to ensure

transparency and compliance with legal

requirements and business ethics, she said.

SAP Ext end ed Business Progr am

Another program introduced to SMEs was the

SAP Extended Business Program that supports

the role of organisations in promoting and

implementing SAP solutions in partnership

with channel partners who are authorised

value-added resellers.

Paul Vermaak, head, SAP Business One,

SAP, said under the Extended Business

Program, organisations can be granted the

appropriate access to SAP systems, resources

and training to support their business rela-

tionship with their VARs.

To become members of the program,

Vermaak explains that organisations must

meet requirements such as the following:

SAP and VARSponsorship local SAP chan-

nel and one valueadded reseller must for-

mally recommend the program member

Signed Collaboration agreement each

applicant must sign the SAP Extended

Business program collaboration agreement.

Business Cooperation agreement between

VARand Program member in addition to

a signed collaboration agreement you must

provide written confirmation of existing coop-

eration between your organisation and SAP.

Program membership to become a mem-

ber of the program, your organisation must

have selected employees complete the

required Web-based qualification test.

Business Plan your organisation should

establish a business plan with your VARpart-

ner that outlines specific goals, including rev-

enue and staffing plans.

Membership selected members from yourorganisation need to complete the required

training and respective qualification tests

successfully within three months of the date

your organisation signs the collaboration

agreement. Your organisation will be

given limited access to the SAP Channel

Partner Portal site only to be able to

complete the required training Web-based

qualification tests.

This has given us a good opportunity to

interact with our end-users and SAP is grow-

ing its business by one customer everyday,

Vermaak said.

Success story

David Borchart, SAPsales and consulting, BPS,

a company providing a SAPAll-In-One

Solution for the engineering and constructionindustry, said the companys attendance at the

world tour has assisted it to get free advertising.

We are working directly with SAP and this

is a good platform for us to grow and to help

people understand what our company

offers, he said.

Partnership

Michelle Beetar, MD, Novell, a vendor that is

doing joint work with SAP in terms of

addressing the needs of SMEs, said SMEs are

still faced with a lot of challenges and their

long-term relationship with SAP will lower

the barriers.

SMEs understand what they need in their

businesses and the most important thing they

are looking for is support. Cash flow is also

not easy for them to manage, but, as Novell,

we believe that bringing our brands together

addresses the biggest challenges faced by

SMEs today, she said. O ur customers as

well as SAPs partners have also started work-

ing together and this is really for the benefit

of the customers, she added.

Go fo r Grow th

Recently, SAP held a Go for Growth competi-

tion at the Johannesburg Securities Exchange

aimed at encouraging customers to use SAP

software to further grow their businesses.

Serima said that SMEs want to ensure that

their businesses are run effectively and one of

the aims of this competition is to encourage

businesses to use SAP solutions for their

best advantage.

The competition is about SAP taking an

interest in the growth of businesses that werun and encouraging them to be better run,

he said. Two SMEs, NutriLida Healthcare

and Pilot Crushtec, won listings on the

JSEs AltX Exchange in the 2008

Go4Growth competition.

Seven additional companies, LPM

Reinforcing, Electrosense, Forge Business

Online, (TBC), Renasa Insurance Company

Limited, Bloodhound Technologies, Fraxion

and Umlimi Holdings, have won millions of

rands worth of SAP business software, poten-

tial venture capital funding from Hasso

Plattner Ventures and business advisory assis-

tance from Deloitte advisory services.

Global SAPSME president and CEO,

Hans-Peter Klaey said SMEs are the growth

engines of the economy. The Go4Growth

competition is the only one of its kind world-wide. Its an innovative way to build optimism

and energy in a very exciting market, he said.

The two AltXwinning companies were

judged the most growth-oriented SMEs

from a shortlist of 10 finalists, selected

from a total of 320 entries in the

Go4Growth competition.

Wessel van der Merwe, JSE-approved

executive of Vunani Corporate Finance, an

active designated adviser to a number of

AltX-listed companies, says the top five com-

panies were all strong contenders in the com-

petition and suitable for listing. We selected

two companies we felt were most likely to

sustain their growth and benefit from a list-

ing, he said.

Derek Kudsee, SAP SME Director, Africa,

said LPM Reinforcing, ElectroSense and Forge

Business Online won SAPs Business One

software aimed specifically at small business-

es and Renasa Insurance Company Limited

won SAPs Business All-in-One software for

medium-sized businesses.

Deciding on both small and medium-sized

enterprises as the winners in the competition

allowed SAP to offer software to more than

one category of winner.

These companies will hopefully benefit

from the competition in terms of value and

growth, which is after all what Go4Growth is

all about, said Kudsee.

Klaey said the response to the SAP world

tour was very good and SAP has succeeded

in strengthening its relationship with SMEs.

SAP is looking forward to another world tour

next year and we want to continue creating

synergies between SAP and its partners,he concluded.


20/44

MIMECAST: COVER STORY

SOLUTION PROVIDERS


MimecWhile other vendors are withdrawing

renewal business from the channel,

Mimecast has made it clear that

channel partnerships will be

maximised in this new model

and remunerated over the

customer lifetime.

Garth Wittles, MimecastSouth Africa


21/44

COVER STORY: M IMECASTSOLUTION PROVIDERS


oftware as a service (SaaS) company

Mimecast South Africa, together with its sister

operations in North America, Europe, and

more recently the Middle East, continues to

enjoy 400 per cent business growth year onyear and has decided to pass on some of its

good fortune to its partners.

The company says it understands that a

huge part of its success is due to its channel

and has decided to launch a channel

programme to enhance its partners

experience when doing business with it.

The programme is currently being

launched in the UK and will have a gradual

national launch locally very soon.

The programme is centred on Mimecasts

SaaS email management service and is

designed to build new business revenue and

attract new partners for its offering.

Garth Wittles, managing director,

Mimecast South Africa explains that the

company was formed in 2003 and opened

operations locally a year later motivated by

the fact that its CTO and CIO are both from SA.

Mimecast was born out of the realisation

that companies were struggling with their

e-mail systems and a good number of them

considered outsourcing their management

as a viable option because it was the only

way they could get around the technical

challenges of keeping them running around

the clock, he says.

Wittles mentions that to him SaaS is more

like the second generation of Application

Service Provision (ASP). Although the ASP

model did not prove too successful, he is

confident that the market has matured

enough for the SaaS model to succeed.

Meanwhile, the programme has been

launched just as Gartner predicts that

email will lead the charge into mainstream

adoption of cloud computing and that thepercentage of commercial mailboxes using a

cloud-provisioned model will grow from one

per cent in 2007 to 20 per cent by 2012.

Gartner predicts that by 2010 up to 40

per cent of IT services will be acquired as a

service. This market has been moving veryquickly in recent years and because it has

matured at a fast pace, people are no longer

questioning its viability, explains Wittles.

Mimecasts email management service

connects a customers existing email system

to in-the-cloud email security, continuity and

archiving for an annual fee. The company

claims that its service has the potential to

reduce costs by as much as 75 per cent and

offers a bottomless email inbox for up to

10 years, always-on-outlook continuity, plus

protection from email-borne viruses, malware

and spam.

The advantage of our solution is that it is

not designed to replace the likes of the

Exchange environment, it is a perfect

complement for a company that works in an

Exchange environment and gives a company

round the clock availability, he says.

According to Richard Mowbray, Channel

and Alliances manager at Mimecast South

Africa, SaaS has often alienated the channel

as it is used to a traditional software businessmodel reliant on upfront transaction revenue.

st to the rescueBYKAUNDA CHAMA

S

Vendor helps resellers build robust revenue streams.

Without a doubt, cloud-based services are going to

become a common option for customers given the

current economic climate. We have seen a rapid uptake

by customers opting for Mimecasts innovative SaaS

email management offering because it delivers morevalue for less and they can quickly connect their existing

in-house email systems to the online service.


22/44

He says that Mimecasts software as a

service is an annual subscription where both

the partner and Mimecast are intrinsically

bound to the customer for the lifetime of the

email archive.

As more people work from home and on

weekends, e-mail continuity becomes more

of a must have and our solution even

provides security from malware and other

issues as well as data leaks, says Wittles.

Bottomless email is another addition to

the Mimecast offering as it helps companies

that need to store large amounts of

corporate data for legislative and corporate

governance reasons.

In addition to this, the solution has an

E-Discovery high performance search tool. It

also includes corporate identity management

capability.

The companys partner programme has

two tiers, the first being the business partner

and the second the certified partner, both of

which are based on annuity margins.

The business partner will engage with

Mimecast and its customers and will simply

act as a reseller of the companys service.

The certified partner will have a more

proactive role in that it will be a strategic

business partner to both Mimecast and the

end customer; it will have a more proactive

sales team and will also have certain targets

to meet.

Both partner tiers will have access to a

number of tools that will help smooth their

business practices; the first is presentation

interactive marketing tools (PIMS), which

enable resellers to send marketing information

to potential customers.

In addition, Mimecast will provide resellers

with a portal that can be used for both

marketing and order placements.Mimecast has also set up a dividend

programme; with this programme, if

Mimecast closes a direct deal, it will place

the amount of money it would have paid to

the reseller into a dividend account, then at

the end of a financial year, the money sitting

in that account will be shared among the

resellers according to their contribution to

the business in the respective period.

Partners that join the programme and are

Microsoft certified will get a free Mimecast

account because it plugs seamlessly into any

Microsoft solution.

I strongly believe that revenue

opportunities for our partners will be almost

instantaneous and, in addition, a typical

mimecast customer stays for no less than five

years, and all of them have between 50 and

100 users. With this in mind, I think there is

potential for immediate profit generation,

says Wittles.

Meanwhile, the company currently has

16 reseller partners and, through the

programme, is expecting to attract many

more in SA and the rest of the continent.

We do no have a specific number that

we are expecting to get but with over

4 000 or so Microsoft certified resellers,

there is huge potential for business in the

region. We see even SA as being virtually

untapped, he says.

He adds that Mimecast intends making it

as easy as possible for resellers to fully

understand and resell its solution. It will

provide them with free training, onsite or

over the Internet, and they are free to repeat

the training as many times as they wish.

We believe that investing in our partners

will be mutually beneficial, he notes.

When asked why his company chose to

launch the programme now, Wittles says:

We have spent a good number of years onkey reference accounts and we feel than now

is the right time for such an initiative. We

have key references in every vertical; at the

moment we see the biggest potential for

sales in the medium-sized business space.

The benefit for our resellers is also that the

sales cycle for our solution is very short and

a sale can be concluded within 24 hours.

He comments that where most technology

companies are seeing gloomy days ahead

because of the global economic downturn,

the state of the markets has actually created

great scope for businesses such as Mimecast

because its solution goes a long way in

helping businesses save time and money by

going the SaaS route.

Commenting specifically on why SaaS isthe next big opportunity for the channel,

Mowbray explains that partners are by

design involved in the companys SaaS

platform and throughout the customer

lifecycle, not just the initial transaction.

As a SaaS provider, we are looking for a

lifetime relationship with the customer and

partner. For example, partners are part of the

on-boarding process of connecting their

customers in-house email system to our

cloud-based service, he says.

While other vendors are withdrawing

renewal business from the channel,

Mimecast has made it clear that channel

partnerships will be maximised in this

new model and remunerated over the

customer lifetime.

Mowbray adds: There are unique levels

of protection on renewals; quite simply, any

non-incumbent partner trying to poach

renewals will have their margin reduced dra-

matically. Our primary goal is to work with

partners to grow the market.

Long-time channel partner Think IT

Solutions director Louis Botha comments:

Without a doubt, cloud-based services

are going to become a common option

for customers given the current economic

climate.

We have seen a rapid uptake by cus-

tomers opting for Mimecasts innovative

SaaS email management offering because it

delivers more value for less and they can

quickly connect their existing in-house email

systems to the online service.

With SaaS receiving so much hype, this

will be a space well worth watching, nowand in the next three to five-years.


MIMECAST: COVER STORY

SOLUTION PROVIDERS

We have spent a good number of years on key refer-

ence accounts and we feel than now is the right time for

such an initiative. We have key references in every verti-

cal; at the moment we see the biggest potential for sales

in the medium-sized business space.


23/44

ANALYSIS: SITASOLUTION PROVIDERS


BYDUDUSHABA

T

Implementing innovative IT solutions that compare with international trends.

he State Information Technology Agency

(SITA) launched its Network Operations

Centre (NOC) last month, aimed at enablingconverged communications to minimise

network and security-related network down-

time as well as protecting SITA customers

data traffic from manipulation.

According to Femke Pienaar, acting CEO,

SITA, the NO C is proof of SITAs commitment

to using its ICT expertise as a strategic

resource to improve governments service

delivery and to meet the challenges faced by

a developmental state.

He says the investment in the centre is set

at R55 million of which R40 million was

spent on the network management software,

adding that the additional R15 million was

used to establish the actual centre, which

also incorporates a Security Operation

Centre (SOC).

In the SITA journey and evolution to

improve service delivery we recently estab-

lished the world-class Next Generation

Network (NGN) carrier infrastructure which

replaced the outdated Government Common

Core Network (GCCN).

This NGN network offers one of the most

advanced multi-function suites with network

services that include different classes of VPNs,

Voice over IP (VoIP) services and video

streaming, he says.

Pienaar explains that the primary function

of the operations centre is to support the

newly established NGN and the products and

solutions SITA sells such as VPN services, VoIP

and other network products and solutions.

He further states that the NOC will support

Converged Communications (CONCOM)

services and products and is driven by a

deep-seated belief in consistently improvingSITAs service delivery and products.

The primary focus of the NOC is on pro-

active monitoring, speedy incident resolution,

SLA management, capacity management,change management and configuration

management to ensure improved service

delivery to clients.

Through the NOC, SITA will have a one-

stop view of the entire NGN. This will ensure

better management and improved control of

the facilities that house the NGN and switch-

ing centres countrywide. Access to these cen-

tres, for example, will only be obtained

through the NOC which will monitor and

control them, he comments.

Pienaar highlights that the biggest chal-

lenge for SITA was the lack of a comprehen-

sive management service which emphasised

proactive data monitoring. He explains that

all security- or WAN-related incidents were

handled separately and the previous system

was largely reactive.

Also, provincial government departments

have different capacities and their ability to

detect problems with the network differs.

With the NOC in operation, he says that all

networks will be monitored centrally and

clients will be alerted pro-actively.

A hypothetical example is that a sitecould be down due to a data line failure

in social services on social services payout

day. This would have an extremely negative

impact on citizens. The situation would beexacerbated in areas where limited communi-

cation infrastructure is available to report the

incident to SITA immediately.

The establishment of the NOC will result in

automatic detection of such a failure without

the client having to report it. The NOC is

built on sound processes and procedures and

has been automated as far as possible

Pienaar also highlighted that the primary

goal of the NO C is business assurance for

SITA and its clients and also to enable busi-

ness processes and prevent disruptions.

O ur research has shown that this goal

cannot be achieved with network and security

operations working in silos. Therefore SITAs

unified NOC and Security Operations Centre

will determine the root cause of an incident.

It is also flexible enough to reclassify the

problem and resolve it by applying the

necessary security, system and network skills,

he comments.

We believe that the NOC is further

evidence of SITAs drive to find innovative

IT solutions that compare with

international trends and developments,he concludes.

SITA launches new NetworkOperations Centre

The primary goal of the Network Operations Centre isthe business assurance for SITA and its clients, and also

to enable business processes and prevent disruptions.

Femke Pienaar- SITA.


24/44

T giant HP recently launched a breakthrough

networking, storage and server technology

that reduces costs, the HP Virtual Connect

Flex-10 Ethernet module.

It is also set to increase bandwidth flexibili-

ty and improve overall performance of virtual

server environments.

The HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 Ethernetmodule, a direct connect storage bundle for

HP BladeSystem, and the HP ProLiant DL385

G5p server are among HPs offerings that

are helping customers to deploy their virtu-

alised infrastructures efficiently.

While a growing number of companies

deploy server virtualisation to gain opera-

tional savings from their technology infra-

structures, the cost of networking virtual

servers continues to climb. For example, a

typical server that hosts virtual machines

requires six network connections.

To reap the benefits of their virtualised envi-

ronment, companies are finding it necessary

to invest in additional networking equipment,

including network expansion cards, switches

and cables. As an example, customers must

purchase expensive network switches in either

one Gb or 10Gb increments to meet the

increased bandwidth required for additional

virtual server workloads.

HPs new Virtual Connect Flex-10 Ethernet

module is one of the industrys first intercon-

nect technologies that can allocate the

bandwidth of a 10Gb Ethernet network port

across four network interface card (NIC)

connections. This increase in bandwidth flexi-

bility eliminates the need for additional net-

work hardware. As a result, customers

deploying virtual machines and using VirtualConnect Flex-10 can realise savings of up to

55 per cent on network equipment costs.

In addition, Virtual Connect Flex-10 can

save 240 watts of power per HP

BladeSystem enclosure or 3 150 kilowatt

hours per year compared to existing net-

working technologies.

Rory Green, ISS product manager, HP

TSG SA says, These technologies breakdown the barriers of virtualised networks,

giving customers the greatest return on their

investments.

Customers looking to eliminate the com-

mon obstacles of networking costs and band-

width flexibility should look no further than HP.

Industry-leading cost benefits and four-to-

one network consolidation

HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 distributes the

capacity of a 10Gb Ethernet port into four

connections enabling customers to assign dif-

ferent bandwidth requirements to each con-

nection. Optimising bandwidth based on

application workload requirements enables

customers to leverage their 10Gb investments

across multiple connections, and support vir-

tual machine environments and other network

intensive applications. This reduces overall

network costs and power usage by provision-

ing network bandwidth more efficiently.

The recently announced HPProLiant

BL495c virtualisation blade includes built-in

Virtual Connect Flex-10 functionality that

enables it to support up to 24 NIC connec-

tions. With increased network bandwidth and

memory capacity, the BL495c can accommo-

date more virtual servers than other competi-

tive blade server offerings on the market.

Existing HPProLiant c-Class blade customers

can upgrade to Virtual Connect Flex-10 withthe new HPNC532m Flex-10 expansion card.

Simple, cost-effective storage expansion

for HP BladeSystem customers

HPs new direct connect storage bundle

for HP BladeSystem includes two HP

StorageWorks 3Gb serial attached SCSI

(SAS) BL switches and an MSA2000sa stor-

age array.

Traditionally, BladeSystem server adminis-trators have had limited direct-attach or

shared storage options and have had to rely

on personnel with specialised knowledge to

build a storage area network (SAN) based

solution. This new low-cost, reliable storage

option allows server administrators to deploy

scalable shared SAS storage without the

costs and complexity SANs require. By simply

purchasing additional MSA2000sa arrays,

customers can deploy up to 192 terabytes of

external shared storage directly connected to

an HP BladeSystem enclosure.

The combination of the HP ProLiant

BL495c virtualisation blade server, Virtual

Connect Flex-10 modules and the shared

SAS storage bundle reduces the cost per vir-

tual machine by more than 50 per cent

when compared to competitive solutions.

HP has enhanced its Virtual Connect 4Gb

Fibre Channel module to allocate storage

resources on a per virtual machine basis.

This further simplifies storage and virtualisa-

tion deployments for fibre channel storage

customers. Customers can assign up to 128

separate SAN volumes per server blade for

greater performance and flexibility.

Innovative server design removes bottle-

necks to virtual server performance

The new HP ProLiant DL385 G5p is a

rack-based server optimised for virtualisation.

It offers up to 6 terabytes of internal storage

as well as double the memory and 67-per

cent improvement in energy efficiency when

compared to previous generations.

Based on the new AMD Opteron 2300

Series Quad-Core processor, the DL385

G5p improves application performance andexpands support.


ANALYSIS: IBM

SOLUTION PROVIDERS

BYDOMINICKHUZWAYO

I

These technologies break down the barriers of virtu-

alised networks, giving customers the greatest return on

their investments. Rory Green, HP TSG SA.

Enhancing virtual environments.HP cuts costs


25/44

ANTI-SPAM / ANTI VIRUS

SOLUTION PROVIDERS

The reason behind is revolved around profit and financial gain.

BYDUDUSHABA

I

Viruses, Piracy andMalware top the list

n todays rapidly developing malicious envi-

ronment, the one fifth of the globes popula-

tion that is connected to the Internet has tocope with approximately 2 000 new and

mutated viruses a day, almost 50 000 phish-

ing attempts a month and more than one

million hijacked computers that spread bots,

rootkits, Trojans and other malware during

one year.

This is according to Sally Strugnell, sales

manager, Holton and Associates, she says

the reason behind most e-crime-related

activities in 2008 revolve around profit,

mainly financial.

To ensure considerable gains, cybercrimi-

nals need a way to compromise a large

number of systems to deploy as many bots as

possible as well as adware and spyware with

little or no cost at all. The most difficult prob-

lem is not the malwares and spams dissemi-

nation, but the systems infiltration and expo-

sure to other threats.

This explains both the automation of

spreading processes as well as e-threats

heavy mass production in past months. If we

glance at the current spam waves and classi-

fy them with regard to their impact, we can

determine at least two types of targets, the

computers and the users, she explains.

The spam messages that focus on attack-

ing the computers are characterised by the

fact that they carry an adware, malware or in

most cases a Trojan. The attackers use vari-

ous motivational pitches to achieve their pur-

pose, from pornographic content, various

advertising offers, details regarding nonexis-

tent accounts and e-cards to breaking news

headlines.

The unsolicited messages which address

the user belong to different categoriesdepending on their final purpose such as

selling medicines, replica watches, software,

diplomas, requiring accounts details to empty

online banking accounts or to get access to

gaming accounts or appealing to the undy-

ing wish of getting rich quickly through

Nigerian scams, gambling or lottery tickets,

Strugnell adds.

Latest att acks

According to Strugnell,

BitDefenders latest E-Threat

Chart reveals that in September,

the first 10 positions were

occupied by Trojans, rogue,

adware and spyware.

It seems that Web-based

e-threats are the new mass

mailers in terms of preva-

lence and the infection

strategies that are used,

she comments.

Haydn Pinnel, MD,

Gallium, an EOH company

and certified HP platinum

partner, says that unlike

certain worms and viruses

that exploit network security

weaknesses, Web application

attacks go after flaws in the

application itself. He commentsthat organisations must adopt a

Riaan Otto,10Net

Many users who are getting addicted to these types of

applications, such as Facebook, lower their suspicionswith regard to possible malware infections and

phishing attacks as they feel comfortable in a familiar

environment. Riaan Otto, 10N et


26/44

proactive approach in protecting their critical

Web applications and understand how

important application security is in the

software development cycle.

Pinnell says that one way to achieve

sustainable Web application security is to

incorporate application vulnerability testing

into each phase of an applications lifecycle,

from development to quality assurance to

deployment and continually during operation.

Since all Web applications need to meet

functional and performance standards to be

of business value, it makes good sense to

incorporate security and application vulnera-

bility testing as part of existing function and

performance testing. Unless you test for

security at every phase of each applications

lifecycle, your data is probably vulnerable,

he says.

Riaan Otto, GM, 10Net believes that the

current trend of emerging Web 2.0 applica-

tions is continuing and will be increasingly

used to deliver malware to collect personal

details for financial gain.

Many users who are getting addicted to

these types of applications, such as

Facebook, lower their suspicions with regard

to possible malware infections and phishing

attacks as they feel comfortable in a familiar

environment.

Web-based software services, like Google

Apps, are becoming common targets and

are attacked on a regular basis.

More targeted spam and phishing attacks

are emerging that target specific personnel

in organisations to gain access to IP or com-

mercial espionage data, he remarks.

Otto goes on to say that spammers are

unfortunately a problem that wont simply go

away as they generate huge revenues from

their operations.

There will be advances in blocking spam

in the future, but there will also be advances

in spamming technology.The international community will have to

cooperate to curb spam and phishing

attacks with international legislation enforced

to control the attacks and clamp down on

the criminals.

However, action must also be taken to

start closing down botnets. This is the most

urgent issue since 65 per cent of spam is

sent from botnets that spammers rent to use,

according to research by the Multi-State

Information Sharing and Analysis Center in

the US.

Instant messaging is also being targeted

by spammers and VXers to infiltrate users

computers as its use has increased

dramatically.

Spam over Internet telephony (SPIT) is

also becoming a real nuisance; voicemail

boxes can be a potential denial-of-service

hazard as disk space and networks are filled

with thousands of calls from malicious

callers who have automated callouts, he

comments.

IT security concerns

According to the BitDefender Global

Security Survey 2008, 68 per cent of

respondents are more knowledgeable

about IT security than last year, only

8 per cent say they are less knowledgeable

and 24 per cent are about the same. The

report also states that this increase in

knowledge may also play a part in how

much computer users plan on investing this

year, as 46 per cent plan to increase their IT

security spending.

The BitDefender survey also found that

the less knowledgeable are more concerned

about IT security and consider their security

solutions to be less effective. On the other

hand, the results also show that the more

knowledgeable the user, the less concerned

they are about IT security and these respon-

dents found their security solutions more

effective than last year.BitDefender also reveals the following

main concerns of computer users:

When respondents were asked about their

biggest PC security concerns, the Global

Security Survey findings indicated the following:

Viruses> > > > > > > > > > > > > 36%

Privacy> > > > > > > > > > > > > 20%

Malware>>>>>>>>>>>>15%

Hackers> > > > > > > > > > > > 11%

Cyber-criminals> > > > > > > > > 8%

Phishing attacks> > > > > > > > > 4%

Have no concerns> > > > > > > > 2%

O ther> > > > > > > > > > > > > > 4%

Also, the survey found that in comparison

to last year, respondents are apprehensiveabout the state of security especially with

regard to online banking, shopping, Web

search and personal e-mail.

The survey findings highlight an interest-

ing connection between how much people

understand about IT security and their

concern for the security of their PCs, says

Bogdan Dumitru, BitDefender CTO.

With more understanding about the state

of IT security, the less worried users are

about their PC and the more faith they have

in their security solution. BitDefender strives

to provide users with solutions offering

complete protection for their PCs, he says.

Whats hot in t he securit y

sof t w are and h ardw are space?

Andrea van der Westhuizen, McAfee

product manager at Workgroup says

Anti-Theft can safeguard users against

identity and PC thieves, hackers and others

by enabling them to lock their important

files, such as bank statements, tax returns,

business documents and even photos in a

digital vault.

Consumers and small business owners

have more digital information on their PCs

than ever before. McAfee research shows

that nine out of ten consumers now keep

personal information such as wills, financial

documents, identity numbers and passwords

on their PCs, and more than 50 per cent

would not want other people to see certain

documents and files.

With two mill ion laptops stolen every

year and someones identity stolen every two

seconds, consumers and small businessescan now protect their sensitive information,



The reason behind most e-crime-related activities in

2008 revolves around profit, mainly financial. SallyStrugn ell, Ho lton and Associa tes.

SOLUTION PROVIDERS


27/44


28/44

he says. Van der Westhuizen says McAfee

Anti-Theft was designed to enable con-

sumers and small businesses to use the

product regardless of what security software

they already have installed.

McAfee has combined ease of use with

data and information security to make it

simple for everyone in the family or small

business to secure personal and sensitive

information quickly, he says.

Modifying malware to evade detection is

easy when dealing with an antivirus product

that relies exclusively on signatures. There

have been a great deal of cases where mal-

ware creators used automated tools to alter

the code responsible for the virus signature.Bagle, Peed or Zbot are a few examples

where the malware or one of its components

suffered frequent alterations that allowed the

Trojan or virus to dodge signature-based

products.

As a countermeasure, security companies

introduced heuristics and behaviour-based

technologies that made malware writers

job more difficult. Thus, a new or mutated

breed of malware can be detected and

annihilated based on architectural or

behavioural pattern rather than using a list

of known e-threats. This led to a drastic

decrease in the time lapse between the

launching of malware and the issuing of an

antimalware signature update, also known

as window of exposure. BitDefenders

B-HAVE heuristics, for instance, detect 63

per cent of e-threats without needing a sig-

nature, Strugnell says.

Pinnell says the HP Application Security

Centre delivers exceptional benefits in sup-

porting the entire Web application lifecycle

from development to ongoing operations

management and auditing.

According to him, such security products

identify vulnerabilities early in the software

lifecycle and help prevent new vulnerabilities

from being introduced throughout the life of

the application. The software includes

advanced compliance reporting and testing

tools which support major laws, regulations

and best practices.

While traditional application security

scanners do well to find vulnerabilities in

some of the more mature Web technologies

they lack the intelligence required to scanemerging Web 2.0 technologies. The HP

Application Security Centre software offers

highly advanced common components and

assessment technology which gets to the core

of service-to-customer applications, quality

performance and security, Pinnell says.

He goes on to say that the assessment

technology includes pre-built security poli-

cies for more than 20 laws, regulations and

best practices and checks for vulnerabilities

like log injection, cross-site request forgery,

session strength, secure socket layer certifi-

cate issues, spam gateway detection and

brute force authentication attacks.

Companies invest significantly in develop-

ing high-performance Web applications

which enable their customers to do businesswhenever and wherever they choose. While

convenient, this 24/7 access has a critical

drawback its inherently insecure and easily

compromised. The only way to win the war

against attacks is to build safe and sustain-

able applications from the start, Pinnell says.

Securit y t raining and certif ication

Through its powerful regional customer sup-

port network, Strugnell says BitDefender

responds to various training needs from its

customers and is always available to offer

assistance.

In addition, through its network of tech-

nology partners, the cost-effective

BitDefender scanning engines are easily inte-

grated and deployed over numerous plat-

forms and applications. Our experienced

Development and Integration team can

assist and advise an organisation during the

implementation process by offering: minimal

effort/ resources for the integration through

API, detailed documentation of the API and

source code exemplification, the highest

level of technical expertise and assistance,

disinfection modules as well as an extensivearchive support, he says.

In addition to that, Pinnell mentions that

the BitDefender distributor in the local

market, Holton & Associates, is continuously

focusing on channel distribution through

training and special offers.

Recurrently Holton & Associates are

offering cross-grade pricing with the

BitDefender solutions and offers for licensing

on a determined period, he explains.

Predictions

Otto predicts that there will be more

complex blended attacks using e-mail,

websites, instant messaging and call centres

to fool users into revealing personal

information or to install compromisingsoftware on their computers.

Because the main reason behind

e-threats is profit, says Strugnell. There will

probably be a proliferation of malware

seeking to exploit systems vulnerabilities in

terms of data protection. She says predicts

that Trojans, downloaders, key loggers as

well as other types of spyware are most likely

to dominate the threat landscape in the

months to come.

In terms of spam and phishing, in the

current context of the world economic crisis,

we expect to see a migration from targeting

customers of large banks towards those

working with smaller financial institutions as

well as increased targeting of users of

e-commerce sites. Social networking

websites will also probably be heavily

exploited as reputation theft or attack

becomes a significant trend.

As for the other types of spam, we believe

that in the near future we will see an

increase in number, and variation in

structure and approach of all types of spam:

selling medicines, replica watches,

diplomas, dating, software and many more,Strugnell concludes.


It seems that Web-based e-threats are the new mass

mailers in terms of prevalence and the infection

strategies that are used. Sally Strugnell, Holton

and Associates.


SOLUTION PROVIDERS


29/44

MEMORY FEATURE

SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Introducing advanced processors that boost performance.

BYDUDUSHABA

W

AMD and Intelleading in processor space

ith DDR3 technology prices expected to

drop, DDRis still the way to go as it is not

proprietary and leads on price/performanceand performance/power ratios. The fully

buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM), a proprietary

memory technology, is still too expensive,

generates too much heat and we expect it to

remain this way due to its inherent architec-

ture design. O n the graphics side, GDDRis

pushing the envelope in terms of processing

and speed.

This is according to Imi Mosaheb, AMD

country general manager, South Africa.

Mosaheb says AMD has launched 45nm

in the server space and will soon be doing

the same in client products.

AMD still leads in the processor space

with the integrated memory controller and

Direct Connect Architecture that allows us to

have a single-die, multi-core processor for

servers, desktops and notebooks, he com-

ments.

He adds that virtualisation is driving high

memory density

DIMM support with our integrated mem-

ory controller. AMD also leads in this seg-

ment in Rapid Virtual Indexing due to its inte-

grated memory controller, he says.

Meanwhile, Intel has announced that it

has introduced its most advanced desktop

processor ever, the Intel Core i7 processor.

The Core i7 processor is the first member of

a new family of Nehalem processor designs

and is the most sophisticated ever built, with

new technologies that boost performance on

demand and maximise data throughput. The

Core i7 processor speeds video editing,

immersive games and other popular Internet

and computer activities by up to 40 per cent

without increasing power consumption.Broadly heralded by the computing indus-


AMD still leads in the processor space with the

integrated memory controller and Direct Connect

Architecture that allows us to have a single-die,

multi-core processor for servers, desktops and note-

books. Im i Mosaheb, AMD.

Imi Mosaheb, AMD


30/44

try as a technical marvel, Patrick Gelsinger,

senior vice president and general manager

of Intels Digital Enterprise Group, says the

Intel Core i7 processor holds a new world

record of 117 for the SPECint_base_rate2006

benchmark test that measures the

performance of a processor. He says this is

the first time any single processor has

exceeded a score of 100 points.

Intel has delivered the fastest desktop

processor on earth to the most demanding

users on earth, the ones who are using their

PCs for video, gaming and music. When

you couple what is Intels biggest leap in

chip design with other incredible innovations

like its solid-state drives, the Core i7

processor has redefined the computer of

tomorrow, he comments.

The Core i7 processor more than doubles

the memory bandwidth of previous Intel

Extreme platforms, speeding the transfer of

computer bits and bytes in and out of the

processor with Intel Q uickpath Technology.

Designed with Intel s Hyper-Threading

Technology, the processor also allows multi-

ple computing threads to run simultaneously,

effectively enabling it to do two things at the

same time. As a result, the Core i7 quad-

core processor delivers eight-threaded per-

formance.

Gelsinger goes on to say that the Intel

Core i7 processor also offers unrivalled per-

formance for immersive 3-D games, over 40

per cent faster than previous Intel high-per-

formance processors on both the 3DMark

Vantage CPU physics and AI tests, popular

industry computer benchmarks that measure

gaming performance.

The Extreme Edition uses eight threads to

run games with advanced artificial intelli-

gence and physics to make games act and

feel real, he says.

He adds that the Intel Core i7 processors

and Intel X58 Express Chipset-based IntelDesktop Board DX58SO Extreme Series are

MEMORY FEATURE

SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Intel has delivered the fastest desktop processor on

earth to the most demanding users on earth, the ones

who are using their PCs for video, gaming and music.

When you couple what is Intels biggest leap in chip

design with other incredible innovations like Intels solid-

state drives, the Core i7 processor has redefined the

computer of tomorrow. Patr ick Gelsinger, In tel.


31/44

for sale immediately from several computer

manufacturers online and in retail stores,

and as a boxed retail product via channel

online sales.

We launched Phenom X3 and Phenom

X4 processors during 2008 and we recently

announced a new line of faster Phenom II

processors which will be launched in early

2009, says Mosaheb.

Windows Vista and Office 2007

Mosaheb comments that processor and

memory sales have improved as a result

of the release of Windows Vista and

Office 2007.

As these applications have a higher

demand for computational performance, ithas driven replacement cycles and improved

overall sales.

The fact that

computer reseller news nov 08

Documents