New Symantec Encryption Offering

Symantec Corp. announced the expansion of its encryption solution set with the planned launch of PGP Whole Disk Encryption with support for Intel Anti-Theft Technology, Symantec Endpoint Encryption (SEE) Removable Storage Edition with integrated Symantec Data Loss Prevention capabilities, Symantec Endpoint Encryption Device Control and the newest version of Symantec Endpoint Encryption Full Disk Edition. They are components of Symantec’s integrated encryption platform that features solutions for protecting data on assets ranging from USB flash drives to laptops to departmental servers.

"As security threats continue to evolve and confidential information proliferates to a wide array of endpoints, Symantec has innovated to address the new needs in the market," said Bryan Gillson, senior director of product management, Symantec. "Symantec’s goal is to provide effective, easy-to-use information protection products with the management capabilities needed to address today’s stringent privacy and compliance regulations."

Enhanced Protection
Against Theft of Devices and Data
Symantec’s integration of Intel Anti-Theft Technology into PGP Whole Disk Encryption will allow customers to protect their devices and their data while helping to deter notebook computer thefts, protect systems during shipping, and lower the cost of decommissioning older hardware. Intel’s hardware-based asset protection and theft deterrence solution, available in many of the latest notebooks with Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7, or Intel Core vPro processors, enables network administrators to remotely disable functionality on these corporate assets after a theft or loss. Managed by PGP Universal Server, a lost or stolen notebook can be disabled either via local detection mechanisms or through the transmission of a "poison pill" by the administrator, and later reactivated if the system is recovered.

"According to the Ponemon Institute, the leading causes of data breaches are loss or theft of mobile devices, and the average cost of a data breach is more than $6.75 million in the US and approximately $3.4 million globally," said Anand Pashupathy, general manager of Anti-Theft Services, Intel Corp. "PGP Whole Disk Encryption with Intel® Anti-Theft Technology combines the best attributes of software and hardware into a robust solution helping to provide businesses mobility with peace of mind."

Increased Endpoint Performance
PGP Whole Disk Encryption will also offer enhanced performance through support for Intel AES-NI technology, available in Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. The AES-NI instruction set is designed to accelerate cryptographic operations, and can decrease the time required to encrypt a laptop by up to 40 percent2 while increasing throughput on solid state drives (SSDs).

Expanded Removable Media and Device Controls
Symantec Endpoint Encryption Device Control manages the use of portable storage devices and media drives by providing safeguards such as monitoring device usage and file transfer activity, controlling access to ports, devices and wireless networks, and restricting users’ ability to copy protected classes of information.

Symantec Endpoint Encryption Removable Storage Edition will be integrated with Symantec Data Loss Prevention for Endpoint, allowing content-aware control over which information may be copied to removable storage devices, and how encryption is applied.

Newly Supported Client Systems
Symantec provides a range of encryption solutions for organizations of all sizes seeking to protect their proprietary information against data breaches. As a testament to its ongoing commitment to previous PGP and GuardianEdge customers, the company is planning to introduce a new version of Symantec Endpoint Encryption Full Disk Edition featuring support for Mac OS X. It is planned to be available in addition to the already-released Mac version of PGP Whole Disk Encryption. Symantec’s endpoint encryption offerings are designed to support a wide range of target platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Ubuntu and Red Hat Linux, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry.

Pricing and Availability
PGP Whole Disk Encryption with support for Intel Anti-Theft Technology version 2.0 is scheduled to be available in winter 2011, subject to U.S. trade compliance approval. Symantec Endpoint Encryption Device Control, Symantec Endpoint Encryption Removable Storage Edition and Symantec Endpoint Encryption Full Disk with support for Mac OS X are scheduled to be available in winter 2011.