DigitalPersona Pro Workgroup SaaS ($48/Year/Computer)

DigitalPersona, Inc., provider of authentication and endpoint protection solutions, announced DigitalPersona Pro Workgroup (Software-as-a-Service), a new cloud-managed full disk encryption (FDE) solution.

Harnessing the power of the cloud, DigitalPersona Pro eliminates costly server overhead and deployment challenges that have historically prohibited small- to SMBs from using disk encryption. DigitalPersona Pro Workgroup now delivers powerful, yet simple to manage, data protection for a monthly fee as low as $2 per notebook or desktop computer, allowing businesses of any size to deploy enterprise-class security.

Benefits of DigitalPersona Pro Workgroup SaaS:

• Gives SMBs the power of full disk encryption that larger companies have had, without the pain and cost associated with traditional on-premise products.
• Simplifies deployment, eliminating the pain and cost of installing or managing a server.
• Eliminates high upfront investments as well as ongoing backup and maintenance costs.
• Enables enforcement and monitoring of data security policies anywhere users are connected to the Internet, whether in the office, at home or on the road.
• Scales easily, providing flexibility for adding, organizing and removing users.
• Enables advanced security, such as strong authentication and password management to be added seamlessly as business requirements evolve.

According to Richard Gordon, a research vice president at Gartner, Inc., "The migration to public cloud services is currently one of the hottest topics in IT, and Gartner’s latest forecast found that spending in this area is projected to grow four times faster than spending on overall IT. The emergence and adoption of cloud is an important trend, and in some markets, it’s already a significant factor." (Forecast Alert: IT Spending, Worldwide, 2008-2015, 2Q11 Update, June 28, 2011)

The new cloud-managed version of DigitalPersona Pro Workgroup gives administrators a single Web console where they can configure, enforce and report on disk encryption policies and recover access to locked computers in the event of an emergency. Security policies are automatically updated over the Internet, keeping information safe even when users work outside of the corporate network. This allows SMBs to enforce data protection policies and simplify compliance with industry regulations, no matter where employees are located. As an organization’s needs evolve, DigitalPersona Pro Workgroup SaaS enables advanced security, such as authentication and password management, to be added for a low incremental cost. This allows SMBs to address new threats and regulations as needed. DigitalPersona Pro can also manage the protection tools that come factory-installed on tens of millions of laptops and desktops, allowing SMBs who have these computers to get up and running within minutes.

Managed FDE Expands Reseller’s Security Offerings
A recent IDC research report estimated that revenues from SaaS-delivered endpoint security solutions will grow at a CAGR of 26.7 percent from 2010 – 2014 (Worldwide Endpoint Security 2010 – 2014 Forecast and 2009 Vendor Shares, November 2010). DigitalPersona Pro Workgroup SaaS enables MSPs to expand their offerings and deliver enterprise-class managed FDE to SMB customers with a low, predictable monthly cost. Additionally, with out-of-the-box compatibility with tens of millions of computers, MSPs are provided with a sizeable market to tap into.

With DigitalPersona Pro Workgroup SaaS, MSPs don’t need to invest in hardware and complex IT infrastructure before they can begin selling services, allowing them to start making money immediately. The service’s integrated Web console enables MSPs to manage FDE policies for their customers, boosting the value they can offer. The solution also supports data protection and access control solutions, such as authentication and password management, enabling MSPs to expand their product offering portfolio and revenue streams as customer needs grow.

"We have seen an extraordinary amount of demand for full disk encryption. For SMBs, the majority of available solutions are over complicated, difficult to deploy and time consuming to mange, so they simply choose to go unprotected," said Adam Trussler, sales director, C-MI Labs. "DigitalPersona’s new cloud-managed disk encryption solution resolves these obstacles and opens up new revenue opportunities for us in the process."

"The rules are changing. Businesses of all sizes are being told they have to protect data they never used to worry about. Unfortunately, for many organizations, addressing the growing legal requirements for disk encryption has been an uphill battle against high costs and complexity," said Jim Fulton, vice president, DigitalPersona. "DigitalPersona Pro Workgroup SaaS breaks down these barriers. It makes disk encryption and other advanced security solutions, such as password management and strong authentication, practical for businesses that haven’t had simple and affordable options before."

Pricing and Availability
DigitalPersona Pro Workgroup SaaS is available in different packages from DigitalPersona and its worldwide network of solution providers. The solution supports PCs running Microsoft’s Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. Yearly subscriptions for cloud-managed full disk encryption begin at $24 per computer. Incremental pricing for additional data protection and access control solutions is determined by the modules selected, with the full data protection and access management suite available for $48 per year per computer.