5 de septiembre de 2008 - Arkoon refuerza la protección de la información en la empresa con Security BOX versión 7.0

La nueva versión Security BOX 7.0 de Arkoon integra el soporte de Microsoft Vista y refuerza la ergonomía de la herramienta de administración.

El acceso continuo a la información es una exigencia estándar para los usuarios de empresa. En este contexto, Security BOX Enterprise garantiza la autenticidad, la confidencialidad y la integridad de la información para preservar la propiedad intelectual de la empresa.
La serie de softwares ha sido diseñada para que resulte lo más transparente posible, ya sea para el cifrado de emails, de discos, o para descifrar archivos locales, remotos o compartidos. En efecto, Security BOX protege la información en cualquiera de sus formas, ya sea almacenada,  intercambiada o compartida, y se integra en todo tipo de terminal (ordenadores portátiles, de mesa, servidores de archivos compartidos, llaves USB, etc.).

Entre las novedades cabe destacar:

• El administrador cuenta con una interfaz gráfica y una ergonomía de la herramienta de administración, ambas revisadas y mejoradas.
• Esta versión 7.0 compatibiliza la tecnología Security BOX con los principales entornos desplegados en la empresa: Microsoft Windows Vista y Windows XP.
• La edición Mail de la versión 7.0 permite utilizar los últimos clientes de mensajería de Microsoft (Outlook 2007) y de IBM (Lotus Notes 8.0).

Para reforzar la seguridad, la herramienta de administración se encarga de separar claramente los derechos de administración de la seguridad y los del sistema. La herramienta permite desplegar sencillamente la solución y gestionar a los usuarios de forma ergonómica, lo cual permite reducir el coste de despliegue y de explotación de la solución.

Los datos ya protegidos mediante las anteriores versiones del software, son accesibles en esta nueva versión sin necesidad de tratamientos especiales.

23 de julio de 2008 - Good sales for Arkoon in a difficult environment

In a difficult economic context, ARKOON Network Security shows a good sales record and made €5,537 K in turnover in the first half of 2008 as opposed to €5,738 on 30th June 2007.
Including outsourced turnover made through distribution agreements concluded in 2007, revenues remained stable at €5,767 K on 30th June 2008.


Good performance of Network Security activity
Network security sales (UTM appliances and security services), the Group’s core business, amounted to €4,016 K (vs. €4,013 K on 30th June 2007), stable despite an increase in volume sales of UTM appliances.
Over that period, the network security activity represented 72.5% of total turnover.

Data security sales (Security BOX) amounted to €1,521 K (vs. €1,725 K on 30th June 2007). This activity was particularly penalised by delayed orders over that period.


Recurrent strong turnover increase: + 10%
Deferred revenues, produced by invoicing of maintenance contracts and subscriptions, increased strongly (+€418 K) from €4,218 K on 31/12/2007 to €4,636 K on 30/06/2008. This reflects the growing share of recurrent revenue and an excellent contract renewal rate, a field in which the company has invested by industrialising its processes.


Promising start for the Italian subsidiary
Following investments made in the second half of 2007 for the opening of a sales structure in Italy, international turnover increased by + 77% to reach €527 K. On 30th June 2008, sales outside France represented 10% of turnover as opposed to 5% in 2007.
Backed up by the promising launch of the Italian subsidiary, Arkoon Network Security has opened an operation in Barcelona, Spain.


Trends expected in the second half
Traditionally, ARKOON Network Security enjoyed much higher business volume in the second half. In a market that remains highly competitive, the company will focus on maintaining margins and should benefit from new leverage with:

• The launch of the new Security BOX Mobile version (smartphone and communicating PDA security software) which should stimulate sales of this product line;
• The first OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) invoicing. This policy consists in licensing ARKOON technology on other hardware platforms;
• Enhanced sales efficacy following finalisation of the reorganisation of sales and marketing structures between September 2007 and March 2008.

9 de julio de 2008 - Zombie Muscle Drives Huge Amounts of Spam and Malware

Commtouch gives us his Q2 2008 Email threats trend report,
Spam and malware levels remain high for yet another quarter, powered by the brawny yet agile networks of zombie IPs. By operating millions of dynamic IPs every day, botnets dodged defenses and polluted the Internet with all kinds of email threats. Spammers and
malware writers experimented with a few new techniques, though no innovation was needed for zombies to continue pummeling email users and networks with unwanted messages and hazardous code.

Q2 2008 Highlights:

• Spam levels throughout the second quarter averaged 77%, ranging from a low of 64% to a peak of 94% of all email towards the end of the quarter
• Top domains hosting zombies include: Telecom Italia, Brasil Telecom, and Verizon
• 10 million zombie IP addresses are active each day, on average
• United States dropped to 9th place in number of zombies globally. Turkey is #1 with 11% of all zombies
• Pharmaceutical spam is the most popular topic, comprising 40% of all spam
• Phishing scams took advantage of the higher education community, as well as Google adwords users
• Spammers experimented with vertical display in Chinese-language spam
  
  Click here to read the whole report by Commtouch

30 de junio de 2008 - Arkoon launches a collaborative initiative called “Trust Networks”

As Information Systems open up more and more to the exterior environment, with mobile users carrying around sensitive information that, in the past, never left the enterprise, it is only natural that trust play a key role in IT security.

In fact, trust is practically as important as it is difficult to define. Specifically, in IT, trust is a concept that is constantly changing.
Working from this observation, Arkoon Network Security, in liaison with RSSI, as well as a number of experts and solution providers, decided to launch a collaborative initiative called “Trust Networks”.

Trust Networks is a workgroup, a community and an exchange platform, whose goal is to coordinate reflection, share experiences and audit the security of a business’s IT tool.
“Trust Networks” will draw on roundtable meetings organized all year, as well as on exchanges over the Internet site. It is the first time in France that an open and collaborative project about IT security draws on Web 2.0 to multiply its impact.

30 de mayo de 2008 - Sophos threats report:First quarter of 2008 at a glance

28 de mayo de 2008 - Netletter March 2008

March 2008
About Arkoon Network Security Partnerships Events What's new... Solving your problems With the subprime crisis, the rocketing price of oil and the constant weakening of the dollar against the euro, this winter hasn't been the calmest we've been through. Spring is just around the corner, though, and let's hope it brings a smoother ride from the economical standpoint. Arkoon has a busy diary for the next three months: new offices are being opened, we're exhibiting at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, there are new products to be introduced, we're moving into new markets – in short, there'll be no let up in our business development activities. Naturally we wish the same for our customers and partners, and hope that this spring renews the trust and confidence which will bring shared success. Thierry Rouquet, President and CEO
	> About Arkoon Network Security 2007 Financial Results On Wednesday March 26th 2008 Arkoon will announce full results for the financial year 2007 (after closing). Investor and analysts contact: Pierre-Yves Hentzen, CFO Tel: +33 4 72 53 01 01 Email: contactfi@arkoon.net For further information Czech Republic: Arkoon Security BOX referenced for deployment by the Ministry of the Interior   Arkoon continues its European market development strategy penetrating new markets in eastern Europe with a significant deal in the Czech Republic. Early this year, following a 2-month test phase with the customer, Arkoon's partner GITY began roll-out of the  Security BOX Premium solution for 800 users at the Czech Interior Ministry. The Security BOX solution was chosen as the optimum response to the need to ensure the security of email, USB key and other data exchanges within the ministry. Complementing the Security BOX Premium solution, Security BOX Manager provides the tools to centrally manage end-user deployment, and configuration, and the remote management of all encryption modules. > Partnerships Itway opens the first Arkoon ATC training center in France The only training center offering Expert level certification (ACSE) and Security BOX certification (SBA) Responding to increasing demand for training on Arkoon solutions, Itway has chosen to invest in a state of the art training center to become the reference for ATC training in France. With this investment Itway can deliver a quality training program, with qualified, expert training staff, specialists in information security and certified for training with Arkoon technologies. To meet the needs of the growing number of Arkoon partners, Itway has doubled the size of its facilities dedicated to the Arkoon training program, so that up to 8 participants can be accommodated in optimum conditions for a successful training experience. Opened in December 2007, the Itway training center has already trained more than 30 engineers on Arkoon solutions with a success rate of over 95%. The classes on offer at the Itway training center cover the full Arkoon training program: ACSA (Arkoon Certified Security Administrator), ACSE (Arkoon Certified Security Expert, SBA (Security BOX Administrator).                                                                                          Upcoming Paris-based training sessions: 11 – 14 March :ACSA 18 - 21 March :SBA 8 - 11 April   :ACSA 22 - 24 April :ACSE 13 - 16 May :ACSA 27 - 30 May :SBA 10 - 13 June :ACSA 1 - 4 July :ACSA Itway can also arrange for on-site training classes, for partners or their customers, for a minimum of 6 participants. Other training organizations can call on Itway instructors should they wish to include Arkoon courses in their catalog. For further information about this training program, please contact arkoon.fr@itwayvad.com  or call +33 (0)1 70 95 15 24. Afina helps Arkoon resellers grow their business A value-added initiative by Afina's Marketing Department helps resellers develop their image and build market awareness. Afina works with Arkoon resellers to simplify their projects with an “all in one” service: business development (lead generation, detecting projects), marketing campaigns: email, end user events (seminars, round tables), trade shows, webinars, technical workshops, targeted operations in vertical markets, incentives, customized sales tools... are just some of the areas which Afina has the knowledge and experience to successfully manage on behalf of the reseller. Contact : Sylvie VIGATO (01 41 91 23 14 – svigato@afina.fr Arkoon strengthens its distributor network in the Mediterranean At the end of 2007, Afina in Morocco and X-Net Timarance in Algeria signed distributor agreements covering the Arkoon FAST360 and Security BOX solutions. These partnerships are driven by a demand for European security solutions as an alternative to North American and Israeli technologies in North African markets. Extensive deployment of Arkoon solutions in major international accounts and governmental organizations are the guarantee for Afina and X-Net Timarance that they are offering proven solutions to their customers, perfectly capable of protecting the enterprise network against the latest attacks. These partnerships build on other recent successes for Arkoon in the Mediterranean region.  > Events On March 26th, Arkoon is participating in the INSA Telecoms department Partner Symposium As a partner of the INSA engineering school in Lyon, Arkoon will be present with a stand at the Telecoms department's Industry Partners Symposium. The half-day event will allow Arkoon to further reinforce its already strong links with a school selected as the preferred engineering school in a survey of French recruitment specialists, according to a study published by 01Informatique in its edition of February 21st 2008      Still growing fast, Arkoon will be seeking future graduates for internships and upcoming job openings. RSA Conference, San Francisco, 7-11 April 2008 – Arkoon-Cavium, stand 845 Every year the RSA Conferences in the USA and Europe bring together information security professionals and leading solutions developers from around the world for an in-depth look at the state of the art in information security. Arkoon will be exhibiting its full product line with its partner Cavium on stand 845 at the 2008 conference, April 7th to 11th in San Francisco. Arkoon R&D and marketing experts have always attended the RSA Conference in California as conference delegates. This year Arkoon has decided to go a step further, presenting it's OEM program as part of the exhibition. Arkoon has decided on a  strategy based on licensing key technologies to selected third parties to accelerate business development in markets outside its European base. Arkoon will use the RSA Conference as a showcase for the OEM program, already operational with a number of partners. > What's new... Upgrading Common Criteria certification for Arkoon Firewall/VPN technologies The security target for Common Criteria EAL3+ certification of the firewall and VPN components of the Arkoon FAST360 product family has now been accepted by the DCSSI, the CC certification authority in France. The ISO-defined Common Criteria allow security solutions to be evaluated according to internationally recognized standards, classifying solutions according to their security level. By investing in this new certification phase, Arkoon is demonstrating it's ongoing commitment to delivering security solutions that have been tested and validated to the most demanding public standards, guaranteeing the highest levels of security. Arkoon's technology certification strategy is part of the global objective of satisfying the requirements of key major accounts including NATO and leading French and European public and private sector clients. The security target has been designed to allow the DCSSI to qualify the product in depth, and in particular to certify that the VPN component meets the criteria for protecting sensitive information corresponding to Restricted, NATO Restricted and EU Restricted classifications. > Solving your problems Arkoon customer support adds standard configuration models Quality of service and a close relationship with the customer are the keystones of technical support at Arkoon, building a long-term relationship between the vendor and clients. The customer area at  offers a number of tools to help customers better understand and use Arkoon solutions, and to accelerate problem resolution. Amongst the tools available to customers and partners are: Updates for all products, along with the corresponding documentation and release notes A knowledge base and FAQ: answers to the most frequently asked questions, plus recommendations for the configuration and deployment of advanced configurations Diagnostic procedures: step-by-step instructions to facilitate problem diagnosis and resolution by system administrators and/or integrators Customer Support contact form, to log a request for support when the online tools cannot resolve the problem, to exchange defective hardware, or to log an enhancement request. Starting in March 2008 the customer support site will also offer examples of typical configurations which can be used as a basis for the deployment by the customer of certain specific functionalities (for example, VPN, proxies) with FAST360 system releases 4.0 and 4.2. Working with partners, Arkoon offers security solutions for push mail Q: More and more enterprise managers and on-the-road users are running push mail solutions on their PDAs and smartphones. What are the risks? A: Mobile users expect continuous real-time access to information, and more especially real time email updates. Push mail is a service which delivers mail instantaneously, in real time, to the user's terminal (PDA or smartphone) without waiting for the device or the user to trigger synchronization with the enterprise email server. It depends on maintaining a permanently open connection with the enterprise network, leading to certain specific risks. These risks include interception or monitoring of traffic between the device and the enterprise network – including the possibility of modifying or corrupting data exchange – but also access to locally or remotely stored email and other data. Loss, theft, or simply lending the terminal to a third party opens up the risk of unauthorized access to enterprise information. For an information pirate, getting their hands on an identified user's terminal device is a much easier way of accessing confidential data than trying to intercept communications. That said, this type of attack tends to be opportunistic; it normally only offers a limited window of opportunity and is difficult to repeat. For these reasons traffic monitoring, though more difficult to accomplish, will always be the preferred method for the most determined attackers. To intercept network traffic the attacker typically needs to be physically close to the device user, from where they can pick up the radio frequency exchanges with the mobile terminal. With third-party cooperation it's also possible to monitor traffic at internet access points, similarly to the way classic telephone wire-taps are carried out. Q: How does Security BOX protect users against these threats? A: The Security BOX Mobile solution has an answer for each of these risks. Local storage of email (message bodies and attachments) can be encrypted using strong algorithms,  protecting information in the case of loss or theft. Communications between the mobile device and  enterprise information systems can be protected using VPN connections (with authentication by digital certificates and SSL encryption) so that all communications including push mail are carried in a secure encrypted tunnel. The Security BOX Mobile VPN guarantees the confidentiality of communications and relies on strong authentication (using digital certificates) for access to information systems. No matter what type of connection is used or how the emails are routed, the information they contain is secure and protected. Q: Is this adequate security for a mobile device which is being used to access email? A: Apart from the "push mail" functionality, it's also necessary to protect access to the device with some from of strong authentication. This is needed to prevent unauthorized access to data stored locally on the device, but also to prevent a third party opening connections to enterprise information resources (by activating the VPN access, for example). User authentication procedures on mobile devices must be designed bearing in mind normal patterns of usage for the device. Typically users want to use the terminal for short periods, but relatively frequently; they won't accept a lengthy, unfriendly, difficult to use authentication process. To reach the right compromise, Security BOX Mobile relies on the device's SIM card. In this way authentication is quick, easy, and intuitive, but can also be blocked if too many (pre-programmed) attempts fail. Let's not forget that “push mail” solutions also include synchronization of to-do lists, appointments, and address books, all information which is just as sensitive as email. By encrypting all information on the mobile device – the PIM database, but also all other files – Security BOX Mobile turns the mobile terminal into a digital vault, protecting all your data. Watch out for the NetLetter from Arkoon on June 20th 2008!
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29 de abril de 2008 - Arkoon Network Security takes its first steps in Spain