Over the past few months, FastServers.Net has been conducting product replacement research on F-Prot Anti-virus and ISS BlackICE. A replacement has been found and this article discusses the deployment plan for replacing the current F-Prot and BlackICE software on managed dedicated servers.
Within the past 4-6 months, both products have caused numerous issues and server crashes due to incapability with security updates/hotfixes released by Microsoft during our monthly maintenance. In speaking with both product manufacturers, we have learned that this will be an ongoing issue until their next major revisions are distributed -- sometime in 2007. ISS, the makers of BlackICE, has also announced that they will not continue support for the Windows server platform and will focus solely on the workstation and home user market.
Armed with this information, FastServers.Net quickly began testing to find an alternative product offering to ensure that our customers would be secure going forward. After rigorous testing, we have selected a new product that will replace both F-Prot and ISS BlackICE. Beginning October 9, 2006, FastServers.Net will begin to deploy TrendMicro's OfficeScan Client/Server component in our hosting environment. The product incorporates the following features:
- Integrated Virus and Spyware Protection
- Enhanced Anti-Spyware Capabilities
- Centralized Management for updates/deployment
- Policy Enforcement
- Enterprise Client Firewall
- Damage Cleanup Services
TrendMicro was selected over a list of other vendors because it offer the most features to our customers, along with incorporating a list of spyware, malware and grayware features that other vendors could not provide in a single product offering. FastServers.Net will retire all F-Prot and ISS BlackICE licenses immediately and no further installations will be deployed within our environment going forward.
What does this mean for you the customer?
- More robust anti-virus protection for you and your customers
- Ability to have IDS/Firewall protection that you can configure and maintain
- Real time scanning abilities of all files
- Custom tailor scans for your critical files
As mentioned, beginning October 9, 2006 we will begin deploying the new enterprise product offering to customers who currently subscribe to DEFCON 1-3 services. In addition, customers who purchased F-Prot add-on services will also see the changes to their servers. Please note that this is mandatory and both existing products will be removed from all servers that are currently running the applications. If you wish to opt out of your DEFCON support due to the want/need to continue to keep F-Prot or ISS BlackICE, please speak with your sales representative immediately.
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