The development of the global information society is advancing at a fast pace. More complex and rapid information technology systems are taking over ever more widespread tasks. Information technology (IT) has reached all sectors of society.

Alongside the opportunities, the risks have also increased considerably. The data, which we entrust to information technology, is of a sensitive nature. In order to minimise the risks associated with the use of information technology, security functions must be an integral part of modern information technology.

The risks of viruses, unauthorised data access, uncontrolled e-mail correspondence, data manipulation and misuse of access to the internet lurk in networks at the heart of this infrastructure. At the same time many companies still lack integrated, synchronised monitoring and security systems. The financial damage caused on average by a security-related incident was put at approximately 240,000 US dollars by the Corporate IT Forum in England.

The number of internet users continues to increase. The emails sent worldwide daily bring about a flood of unsolicited advertising mails (Spam). According to estimates up to 13 billion unsolicited advertising and mass emails chase through the net each day and the trend is rising. The growing number of messages greatly impairs the business use of the internet.

Companies need security concepts, which are prepared for internal and external attacks. An integrated and scalable strategy is required. That means specifically: supplementing the few central security systems to date – generally only firewalls and virus scanners – with solutions such as content security management, authentification and the latest encryption technologies. In addition intrusion detection systems, virtual private networks (VPNs) and PKI solutions number amongst the standard components of a comprehensive security solution.

Apart from new installations, the software maintenance sector is an important part of the e-security market. Security software must always be kept up to date. The security manufacturers implement a high degree of security by means of regular updates. Security and being up-to-date are inextricably linked.

The COMPUTERLINKS Group works in the e-security division together with leading manufacturers such as Aladdin, BlueCoat, Check Point, Clearswift, Crossbeam, F 5 Networks, Finjan, Fortinet, ISS, Microdasys, Nokia, RSA Security, SonicWALL, Trend Micro, Tripwire, Utimaco and Websense.