Home » The Art of Data Protection

Have you heard? Sentinel Cloud, SafeNet's award-winning software monetization solution, enables independent software vendors (ISVs) to easily license and monetize their on-premise, hybrid, and cloud-based solutions.

“This enhancement to the Sentinel portfolio was specifically designed for ISVs that are reaching for the cloud but not quite ready to make the full transition away from on-premise software,” said SafeNet vice president, product management, Jake Fox. “We know there are a lot of reasons why vendors can’t fully transition their software to the cloud – from legacy customers to legacy back-end systems and licensing models. We get that, and we have enhanced the Cross-Locking of our Sentinel portfolio specifically to help them seamlessly migrate all or a portion of their business to the cloud on a timetable that works best with their existing architecture and licensing models.”

Read more at SD Times: http://sdt.bz/36604, or on the LicensingLive! blog: SafeNet Delivers Industry’s First Licensing and Monetization Solution for Hybrid On-Premise and Cloud-based Software Portfolios | LicensingLive!.

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By Jason Hart, VP Cloud Solutions

Last night I dreamt I was back at Infosecurity 2012. Glittering stands. Shiny technology. Throngs of the great and the good in IT security. And then I woke up and remembered that two vendors really did have London double-decker buses as booths, and TV legend Roy Walker did host Catchphrase on our stand!

But seriously, while the show was great, it risked recycling the same old themes with its focus on anti-malware, intrusion detection, security monitoring among other security industry favourites.  There’s so much déjà vu about the show even as it seeks to talk about what’s next. This extends to the new threat bogeymen like advanced persistent threats (APTs) which are little different to the threats of the past in their blending of criminal determination, social engineering and malware.

While there’s nothing wrong in these technologies (nor how Infosecurity functions as a forum for debate and ideas), it is becoming apparent that investing in them alone simply isn’t doing enough to prevent either high/ low level e-crime or the data protection compliancy mishaps hitting public bodies and private enterprises.   For example, PWC, which has been surveying UK businesses on information security threats for many years, says that one in seven large organisations detected hackers within their systems, which is the highest level recorded since their survey started in the 1980s. Organisations also continue to find themselves contravening data protection laws with the UK ICO saying there were 730 self reported data breaches in the last financial year – but, given the reluctance of some private companies to disclose a breach immediately, this figure may be understated. And, the pressure to comply with data protection regulations is set to get tougher as disclosure requirements are extended and strengthened; and authorities like the ICO become more proactive and gain new and wider powers to investigate and fine.

We need to take stock of how IT security works and go back to fundamentals of data protection. What’s being overlooked in all the excitement about IT security is that there are two steps that any organisation can do to protect their data.

One, get rid of passwords and replace them with OTP and whatever form of robust multi-factor authentication works for your organisation.

Two, encrypt all sensitive data everywhere. And by definition sensitive is not restricted to financial details. It extends to all the data that’s valuable to you and your customers and users; and thus hugely attractive to an e-criminal and highly damaging to mislay or lose.

To be honest there’s no excuse in not taking these two steps because the technology is proven, affordable, easy to manage and scale up to do the job.

Why relearning this fundamental two step lesson is so critical is because I also fear we are on the verge of forgetting it entirely as we move into a post-PC era based on cloud and mobile computing via tablets, smart phones and other always-on anywhere connected devices.

People are, I fear, too blasé...

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This week, SafeNet is participating in the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) All About the Cloud conference. As part of the conference, SIIA interviewed SafeNet CEO Chris Fedde about the role of IT in cloud computing, specifically as more and more companies move from the virtual datacenter or private clouds to a hybrid cloud environment.

Here are some excerpts from the interview, but you can read the full article on the SIIA web site.

...the strategy will be for the hybrid cloud to continue a shift away from the private infrastructure in to the public infrastructure.  The hybrid will be more public.  Mobile and remote access, instant provisioning and more manageable IT costs provide inevitable momentum that will force the market to deliver solutions to the problems around governance and compliance of data.

Software startups today rarely consider developing software for on-premise deployment - because they know that business will prefer to acquire new solutions and innovations as a service.  Large businesses today already rely on cloud based collaboration, CRM, payroll, accounting, data archival, anti-spam and anti-malware technologies.  The next wave will come in the form of more generalized desktop applications such as presentation, document editing and, importantly email solutions.  Cloud based solutions naturally solve problems of access in every corner of the globe and on every device.

These trends also reduce the complexity and costs of managing software licenses.  SafeNet helps companies manage licensing for the products they build - their customers also have to manage the costs and complexities of the licenses they consume.  The ability to be nimble and to shift software platforms are hampered not only by data migration, secuirty and training factors - but also because of license agreements that entrap companies financially.  Moving to cloud based software solutions reduces the financial constraints of traditional on premise software - and greatly relieves the burden of managing deployed software.  Cloud based software solutions provide easy, centralized and instantly variable options - they also shift the compliance burden on to the vendor and away from the customer - relieving customers from the constraints of an audit and so on. 

 Continue reading...

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SafeNet Named to CRN’s 2012 5-Star Partner Programs Guide for Fourth Consecutive Year

 

Now, I don't like to brag, but this award is pretty close to my heart. It's one of the few that recognizes not the strength of our portfolio, or the innovation of our technology, but our dedication to people. Promoting, teaching and enabling success for our channel partners has always been a priority for SafeNet. Winning the CRN 5-Star award for the 4th year in a row is a great confirmation that we're doing something right.

What is the CRN Partner Programs Guide?

“The companies listed in CRN’s 2012 Partner Programs Guide represent a comprehensive list of the best channel programs in the market today,” said Kelley Damore, vice president and editorial director, for UBM Channel’s CRN. “The 5-star award is reserved for vendors that understand that a successful partnership does not rely solely on the technology. By offering their partners tools, education, and regular updates, vendors on this list go above and beyond traditional support to ensure a mutually beneficial partnership.”

 About the SafeNet Partner Program

SafeNet’s overall program is known for offering a highly innovative data protection portfolio, generous sales incentives, and continuous development of enablement tools that help partners to drive revenue growth, while offering unique and competitive solutions that address the ever-changing business and infrastructure landscapes of their customers.

In 2012, SafeNet’s Partner Program placed a notable focus on accelerating product and geographic specializations, improving enablement through automation, and driving new sales opportunities for partners through innovations for the cloud. Most recently, through SafeNet’s recent acquisition of Cryptocard, SafeNet provides a unique opportunity for its partners to rapidly introduce “authentication–as-a-service” to their end users through the Blackshield Cloud platform.

“More companies are coming to the realization that their security infrastructures are insufficient in today’s emerging threat landscape,” said Jim Harold, vice president, global channel sales, SafeNet. “SafeNet’s partners sell market-leading data protection solutions, cloud-based services, and localized support, helping their customers develop security architectures that are nimble and able to adapt to both current and emerging security demands. The Five-Star program designation from CRN is a testament to the collaborative nature of our expanding channel partner network and, more importantly, to our shared commitment to ensuring the security of our customers’ data.”

Are you a reseller looking to join the SafeNet Channel Partner Program? Sign up here & a channel manager will contact you with more information.

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This year, the SafeNet UK team decided to do something more fun for the Infosecurity Europe conference. So they brought in Roy Walker, legendary host of the popular UK game show "Catchphrase." All this week, Roy will be hosting infosec-themed games of Catchphrase at the SafeNet booth, D81. Stop by to see the legend in person!

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