This message is in MIME format. The first part should be readable text, while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools. Send mail to mimeat_private for more info. --------------3A00A3E42C0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii Content-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.981126154147.19243fat_private> http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/stories/printme/0,4235,371746,00.html Elron Picks Up Hacker Blitz By Brian Hannon The web version of "barbarians at the Gate" is "Hackers at the Firewall." Or, in the case of NFL Properties, it's a blitzing linebacker coming at the quarterback's blind side, and there's nobody back to help out. Which is how Brian Davids, director of computer operations for NFL Properties, would feel without the protection he has on his system. Without a reliable, manageable security system watching the front door, corporations cannot safely invite customers or business partners into their respective online personal spaces while keeping intruders out. Davids needed a more reliable solution after an unstable firewall periodically severed Internet access for the National Football League's West Coast publishing wing. Davids settled on Elron Software Inc.'s firewall to protect the NFL's myriad of sensitive data and copyrighted material. "I think firewalls are an absolute necessity," Davids said. "You want to be able to protect your documents. You want to be able to protect your network. The only way to do that is put a firewall between you and them." NFL Properties oversees league and team logos and photos and also produces all printed material, from Super Bowl programs to business cards. "The big issue to me is the possibility of anybody being able to get in and access the servers," Davids said. "Being that we're the NFL and we're a nice target to hack, I wanted to make sure we're buttoned up, and I'm not opening someone else [in the organization] to an attack." Davids noted that the NFL Properties Los Angeles bureau, which is separate from NFL headquarters and another NFL Properties office in New York, has had a firewall in place since installing its first Internet connection five years ago. The original firewall began crashing after the Internet connection was upgraded to 56K bps and began requiring house calls by the vendor's engineer. "To me, if you're going to have security in place, you ought to be able to maintain it," he said. Davids discovered Elron's firewall at a trade show two years ago and was drawn to its ease of use and the quality of the company's technical support, which he described as "amazing." He was planning to evaluate Elron when the other product failed for the final time. Grabbing the Elron software off the corner of his desk, he had it up and running in approximately two hours with help over the phone from the Cambridge, Mass., company. "This is an embarrassing fact, but to this day I have not read a page of their manual. ... Anything complex they can walk you right through," Davids said. Beyond being comprehensive and accessible, the technical support has another attractive feature: It's free. "I really get annoyed when you pay for software and then have to pay somebody to keep it running," Davids said. Davids' Elron firewall incorporates two cards, one for the office network and another for the Internet, each with its own IP address. The firewall translates outgoing IP addresses, while attackers are denied entry because there is no way of knowing the range of addresses maintained behind the wall. Elron officials said the firewall, which comes in a Windows NT version or a proprietary operating system edition called Secure 32OS, uses Stateful Multi-Layer Inspection technology to scan entire packets, including application layers. The product can support over 150 applications, services and protocols, including Web, e-mail, FTP and Java. The Elron Firewall for NT ranges from $3,495 for 50 users to $10,995 for an unlimited number of users. The Secure 32OS version ranges from $4,995 for 50 users to $15,750 for unlimited users. Elron's GUI acts as a master security console where, with a mouse click, users can enable or disable access to Domain Name System, e-mail, FTP and the Web. The interface also enables users to specify policies. "I can say, 'OK, everybody can come in,' or I can narrow the scope," Davids said. CASE FILE Company: NFL Properties, a division of the National Football League Location: Los Angeles The need: A more reliable firewall system that is easy to deploy and manageable in-house without visits from a vendor. Status report: The NFL's publishing division installed Elron Software Inc.'s firewall in approximately 2 hours and has enjoyed improved performance and technical support. WHAT'S NEXT Expansion plans: NFL Properties' West Coast office will continue to install upgrades of the firewall, the most recent of which offered graphical interface improvements. TOOLBOX The basics: Elron's firewall, which comes in Windows NT and Secure 32OS versions, offers Stateful Multi-Layer Inspection technology and can support more than 150 predefined applications, services and protocols. --------------3A00A3E42C0-- -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
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