Security firm GFI is updating its management tool for locking down portable storage peripherals to cover more mobile devices, including smartphones and handhelds. The product has also been renamed.
GFI EndPointSecurity, formerly known as LANguard Portable Storage Control, is set to ship from 28 March. It is currently available as a beta version. The earlier product addressed the threat to security posed by USB Flash disks, which can be used to carry sensitive documents offsite. The new version enables central control over other devices that link with PCs, such as PDAs.
"We've redeveloped the product completely to cater for other devices beyond
iPods and portable storage, to control whether users can connect PDAs and make
wireless LAN connections," commented GFI marketing manager Stephen Chetcuti
Bonavita.
EndPointSecurity implements a group-based access policy that lets administrators
dictate which type of device or connection particular staff can use with their
Windows PC.
"You can define different sets of users with different rights, such as those allowed to have PDAs," said Bonavita.
New features include the logging of all activities, so administrators can see who has been using which devices, and which files they might have transferred to and from the network. Later versions will develop on this capability to build trend reports, according to Bonavita.
The renamed product also features improved deployment tools, using technology from GFI's LANguard products to enable EndPointSecurity to be rolled out across an entire network in one go.
GFI has also security hardened the EndPointSecurity agent itself. "We've added security features so no one can temporarily disable the agent in order to plug in an unauthorised iPod," Bonavita said.
EndPointSecurity works with Microsoft's Active Directory, and so supports client PC systems running Windows 2000 or Windows XP. The management console must be installed on a server such as the primary domain controller, GFI said.
Pricing will be disclosed nearer to the official launch date, GFI said. However, the company added that there will be an upgrade discount for customers running LANguard Portable Storage Control.
