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Application Control

In most companies, end users with local administration rights can download and install applications of their own choosing. While some applications can provide efficiency gains, others carry a risk of unwanted risks and consequences. Unauthorised applications can also be a support headache if not properly tested and deployed; they can impact on productivity with users playing games when they should be working, and use up valuable network bandwidth and processing power.

Applications with the potential to create security, legal, support and productivity issues cause end user organisations the most concern. Peer to Peer (P2P) and Instant Message (IM) are two of the applications that cause greatest concern, as they are particularly targeted by malware based attacks. Regulations including Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA and the Data Protection Act make it a priority to maintain and protect data. Installation of unauthorised IM and P2P applications increases the risk of a legal breach.

SaintGroup’ Application Control services provide Web Filtering and Content Management, which allows administrators to easily manage the types of sites and resources that users can access, and Applications Detection and Usage Control that enables application security policies to identify, allow, block or limit usage of thousands of applications, including Web 2.0 and social networking, regardless of port, protocol or evasive techniques used to traverse the network.