U.S. Department of Defense contracts with McAfee for security software
McAfee Associates, Santa Clara, last week announced that the Defense Information Systems Agency has contracted with McAfee to protect the entire Department of Defense with the company’s antivirus security software. In the multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal, the DOD will license several of McAfee's network security and antivirus software products for deployment to more than two million personal computers, and their networks, spanning all of the continents.
As the largest private network in the world, the deal includes the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, defense agencies, military academies, and also includes home use by DOD employees (where many of today's workplace viruses originate).
"We looked at virtually every antivirus security vendor and McAfee's Total Virus Defense (TVD) was the most complete solution we found," said Mark J. Bogart, contracting officer for DISA. "McAfee's wider operating systems coverage, and their multi-layered approach to security for client, server and Internet gateway, combined with the ability to support us around the world, gave them the edge over their competitors."
The DOD will license components of McAfee's TVD Suite, including VirusScan, WebSheild, NetShield and GroupSheild. Networked systems are increasingly vulnerable to security intrusions and virus-infection due to heavy e-mail usage and increased exposure to external networks like the Internet. The McAfee TVD Suite offers protection of systems across the corporate network, from client to server.
- VirusScan protects end-users' computers against viruses transmitted from floppy disks, over the Internet and through e-mail attachments.
- WebShield protects a company's Internet gateways from virus-infected Internet e-mail, file transfers and Web traffic, including increasingly menacing Java and ActiveX applets.
- NetShield stops virus infections on file and application servers. NetShield scans information as it is deposited to, and removed from, the server for complete protection.
- GroupShield is an antivirus solution designed specifically for groupware environments such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange, which are the backbone products of the DOD's Defense Messaging System (DMS). GroupShield stops viruses in the groupware systems' e-mail database and e-mail attachments.
The DOD is guaranteed to receive products and upgrades based on new versions of operating systems or alternative platform changes throughout the life of the license. An innovator in electronic software distribution, McAfee leverages its SecureCast technology to ensure that its customers are kept upgraded with the most current products. McAfee SecureCast will automatically "push" new updates of antivirus software to DOD offices around the world.
"McAfee is the only company in the industry to offer integrated solutions that are equally effective on a single computer or millions of computers," said Peter Watkins, general manager of McAfee's Antivirus and Security Division. "The DoD's selection of McAfee over more than a dozen competing companies is a testament to McAfee's technology by the most mission-critical institution on the planet."
Founded in 1989, McAfee is the leading worldwide vendor of network security and management solutions for enterprise networks. The company is also the leader in Internet- and Web-based electronic software distribution. McAfee is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and can be reached at (408) 988-3832 or on the Internet at http://www.mcafee.com.
DOD users and network systems administrators will soon be able to get more information and download software at http://199.211.123.12/ASSIST/avirus.html.
© 1997 Silicon Valley Today, Jon
Kennedymmm