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Press Release
Top 10 Accounting Firm Deploys FaceTime to Secure Instant Messaging and
Peer-to-Peer Communications
FaceTime Enterprise Edition™ provides Crowe Chizek with comprehensive instant
messaging solution to secure sensitive client communication
FOSTER CITY, CALIF - June 20, 2005 - FaceTime Communications announced
today that Crowe Chizek and Company LLC has successfully deployed FaceTime
Enterprise Edition™ to manage the security and legal vulnerabilities posed by
instant messaging (IM) and peer-to-peer (P2P) applications.
As one of the top 10 public accounting and consulting firms in the United
States, Crowe deals with a significant amount of sensitive client data. With
over 2,400 employees in 19 different offices, ensuring confidentiality of data
communicated over IM is a serious security concern for the company. Crowe
employees use instant messaging (IM) as a cost-effective and efficient way to
casually communicate with both colleagues and clients in real time. Since many
of Crowe's employees travel frequently, they also use IM as a means to
communicate with their families. Crowe's IT staff was challenged to enable
these applications while maintaining the high level of network system security
expected by their clients. "Using the public IM networks without any control
was like buying a deadbolt lock and alarm system for the front door of the
house, while leaving the sliding glass door in the back unlocked," said Rex
Voorheis, Senior Manager of Network Infrastructure for Crowe. "The ability to
do file transfers, download games and play streaming audio/video via instant
messaging introduced new risks that we found unacceptable. We also found that
file sharing with IM and P2P networks introduced the issue of copyright
infringement, along with the risk of virus infections and spyware."
Crowe is using FaceTime Enterprise Edition™ to provide comprehensive user
policy management, anti-virus scanning, spyware prevention, archiving for
compliance, controls to block unauthorized IM usage and P2P file transfers, and
for a complete, end-to-end security and compliance solution.
IM and P2P applications are part of a category of networked applications that
FaceTime calls 'greynets.' Greynets are network enabled applications that are
installed on an end user's system without permission from IT and are frequently
evasive at the network level, using techniques like port agility and encryption
to avoid being detected and blocked. Greynets pose a myriad of network and
information security risks including potential vectors for malware, client-side
code vulnerabilities, intellectual property loss, identity theft and more.
While some greynets, especially IM, have legitimate business uses, others are
not so business-friendly. Even legitimate greynet applications can pose grave
network and information security risks.
FaceTime Enterprise Edition™ exceeded the demands of the company's network
support team in dealing with the growing greynet threat. Not only could
FaceTime detect and block file transfers that transport harmful viruses and
worms, it also detects and provides visibility on unauthorized IM and P2P users
that previously went unnoticed by the organization. By doing so, FaceTime
protects the firm from the increased legal risks associated with virus
infections, copyright infringement and other such violations.
"Crowe Chizek is a customer-focused organization with access to a great deal of
sensitive client information," said Kailash Ambwani, President and CEO, of
FaceTime Communications. "As such, it was essential for Crowe to ensure the
integrity of communications between colleagues and clients. With Enterprise
Edition deployed, Crowe can safely reap the cost savings and improved client
relationship benefits of real-time collaborative communications, while
maintaining the security and confidentiality that their customers expect."
About FaceTime Communications
FaceTime Communications enables the safe and productive use of instant
messaging, Web usage and Unified Communications platforms. Ranked number one by
IDC for four consecutive years, FaceTime's award-winning solutions are used by
more than 900 customers – including nine of the 10 largest U.S. banks – for
security, management and compliance of real-time communications. FaceTime
supports or has strategic partnerships with all leading public and enterprise
IM network providers, including AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Skype, IBM,
Reuters and Jabber.
FaceTime is headquartered in Belmont, California. For more information visit
http://www.facetime.com or call 888-349-FACE.
The FaceForward blog, at http://blog.facetime.com,
offers thoughts and opinions about the changing nature of Internet communications.
PR Contact:
Emily Chamberlin
650-762-2945
echamberlin@ar-edelman.com
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