Data Security Number One Concern of Branch Office Managers

Market Research Study, Completed Today, Exposes Security Risks and Application Response Time Woes

(Business Wire)  April 12, 2006 -- The call for increased data security, and the surprising revelation that far-from-foolproof security methods are the norm in many enterprises, emerged from a market research survey conducted by Certeon. Fifty-one percent of respondents disclosed that branch data security is a critical concern in their enterprises. Even though a majority of the survey respondents (67 percent) are using a VPN to deliver data to their branches, they felt that a security risk still existed. The survey also revealed that some companies are attempting to encrypt traffic all the way to the branch desktop but, although this improves security, it often degrades the application response time. Another group of respondents indicated that they were simply relying on adherence to manual security policies and procedures for protection.

"These respondents indicate that the most commonly used security tool is an encrypted VPN between the branch and the data center," said Gareth Taube, vice president, world-wide marketing of Certeon. "The FBI reports that more than 80 percent of data security breaches come from inside the corporation. Therefore, a VPN and perimeter security are simply not enough: they cannot guarantee true data security from threats that come from inside the corporation."

More than 200 IT managers from companies such as Boeing, Bosch, Coca-Cola and Progressive Insurance identified eliminating data security threats as the number one priority, followed by eliminating application performance and productivity issues.

Eighty-eight percent of respondents reported major issues accessing line-of-business applications from a branch office. When accessing applications from remote offices, 61 percent of the respondents indicated that they are waiting more than 10 seconds, some up to more than a minute, just to open a simple file. The survey showed that poor application response times, poor application access and lengthy file downloads, are all major issues.

Continued Taube, "More and more business is being conducted from branch offices and remote sites. How much longer will branch office workers be expected to attempt to accomplish their work while experiencing such dreadful application response times?"

Until recently, fixing the two issues of data security and application response time was virtually impossible. Unencrypted traffic could be accelerated but this created a dangerously high security threat. Traffic could be encrypted, but could not be accelerated. Enterprises had to choose between securing or accelerating applications, but not both. Certeon's S-Series(TM) secure acceleration appliances were first to market to address both needs, dramatically improving application response times, while maintaining security from the data center to the desktop.

"Accelerating encrypted traffic is very complicated, it's no wonder these two issues are often tied together. It's what led Certeon to build upon its five patents on acceleration and three patents pending on security to address this market need," closed Taube. "The survey data confirms that company leaders must commit to reducing application response times for both unencrypted (HTTP) and encrypted (HTTPS) traffic, from the server all the way to users' desktops. Only then can we both lessen the frustration of branch office workers and protect corporate data for the future."

The survey was conducted at the SharePoint Connections Conference last week in Orlando and the Advisor Summit this week in Las Vegas. The survey was taken by IT managers representing a diverse set of industries, including medical/healthcare, manufacturing, government and defense, education, energy and financial services.

About Certeon

Certeon provides the industry's first solution for Secure Application Networking(TM) to deliver secure WAN acceleration from the desktop to the data center. Based on Certeon's patent-pending Secure Acceleration Technology, the company's S-Series appliances accelerate mission-critical applications and minimize network traffic, while, at long last, maintaining end-to-end security. Founded in 2003, Certeon is a private company funded by Globespan Capital Partners and Sigma Partners. The Company is headquartered in Burlington, Mass. For more information, visit www.certeon.com or call 781-425-5200.