360-Degree Security

The beauty of information technology is that users generally benefit from its evolution. Hardware prices drop as functionality increases. Software becomes more agile and productive. Labor-intensive manual processes are automated, freeing up people to focus on other tasks. In the case of network security, however, one very small user group is benefiting while the rest of us suffer-hackers. These individuals get their kicks by gaining network access and destroying other people's data. Unfortunately for the millions of victims who suffer at the hands of these criminals, hackers are getting better and better at their craft. Case in point: Since its introduction on January 25, the MyDoom virus has become the most active ever, according to MessageLabs, which has caught more than 54 million copies of it. Worse yet, this marauder has opened doors for two more viruses, Doomjuice and Deadhat. Unlike MyDoom, these two viruses do not travel by e-mail. Instead, they randomly scan network addresses and upload themselves to any machines they find that are infected with MyDoom. As a result, the hackers are able to control infected PCs remotely. Lost and stolen data is another enormous problem. Stolen laptops are the second-largest source of corporate data loss - and that doesn't include those that get left behind in airports and hotel lobbies. Unscrupulous contractors or employees steal business-critical information by e-mailing it to blind destinations, or storing it on removable media and walking away. The frequent service calls associated with PC problems yield yet another opportunity for outsiders to access and remove data. Bottom line: Even though corporate security is of the utmost importance, PC security could not be more porous. Fight Back with Thin-Client Computing There may be no panacea for this blight, but there is a better way to protect against it - thin-client computing. According to market research firm International Data Corp., "Enterprise thin clients can offer organizations an opportunity to achieve two seemingly contradictory goals: improving security while lowering IT costs." The thin-client approach can only improve on the current computing paradigm when it comes to security. As it stands now, a majority of users have desktops or notebooks with access to local/removable storage and external networks. This makes them susceptible to virus infection as well as lost and stolen data. Eliminating the PC security threat is easy-just eliminate the PCs. Replace them with less-expensive thin-client terminals containing no local or removable storage. The inherent reliability of these affordable devices may also enhance security because they require fewer service calls. Further, many thin clients run operating systems that are rarely targeted by hackers - including Microsoft Windows CE .NET and Windows XP Embedded, as well as Linux and proprietary OSs like Wyse Blazer. Centralized Protection The thin-client architecture is based on a server-centric data-center environment that acts as a centralized depository for data and applications. This model, which relies on a single Internet pipe, makes it much easier to keep current with security patches. It also effectively eliminates user tampering. Data centers can be protected with centralized and sophisticated anti-virus software that is updated daily. On top of that, their firewalls and packet-sniffing capabilities ensure full control of all information exchanged between the internal and external environments, especially when that information is exchanged on the Internet. In the wake of escalating Internet virus and worm attacks, a new, more secure personal computing paradigm is required. The traditional approach of populating PCs with local, removable data may not always make sense in today's advanced world of destructive hackers and lost or stolen data. With no time to spare, a new, thin client-based security solution is emerging. This centralized, data center-centric approach protects data by ensuring that there is only one data access point.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Wyse.