ReSoft Enterprise Messaging/DLP Blog

ReSoft and partner Sherpa Software have put together a revised product-independent Checklist to assist organizations who are suddenly hit with an email discovery request.

Such requests are typically driven by a legal case, an HR infraction or lost or inappropriate email usage. These requests normally need immediate response and most organizations are not prepared for this.

Download the Checklist pdf

The checklist is designed to take you through the process of defining the key attributes important to your particular situation so you can ask the relevant questions of potential E-Discovery vendors.

We are available to answer any questions, set up demos and provide pricing. More is also available at http://www.re-soft.com/discover

We have updated our PST Management White Paper for 2012 to address the changes within the last year.

The ease-of-use delivered by today’s email systems means end-users are using the email system as their primary document management system. Users save items in folders relating to projects or subjects so they can find that email again in seconds. As a result, email is kept longer than perhaps it should as a reference document leading to significant load on the email infrastructure; wasted space, slower servers etc.

Download The Challenge of PST Files in 2012

In a Microsoft Exchange environment, PST files have evolved into one of the most popular personal storage areas as they are easy for the user to define and very easy to manage. However, over time PST files become a significant issue to the IT Support group. They can be saved anywhere on the network, they may contain valuable or confidential information that needs to be available to other users, and most likely they will not be regularly backed up, resulting in the risk of data loss or corruption.

This white paper, “The Challenge of PST Files”, is designed to help you understand the issues surrounding the use of PST files and offers some choices on how to alleviate these problems.

Download The Challenge of PST Files in 2012

Whether you are seeking to replace an existing archive, wanting to validate your original decision or are one of those new to the email archiving world in 2012, you can get a great deal of value from our revised white paper “Email Archiving: the definitive checklist -33 Crucial Questions You Must Get Answered Before Selecting a Solution“.

Searching for a solution on Google presents you with hundreds of choices - so how do you find the best fit for you? This independent paper defines what we believe are the key questions to be asked of a vendor before committing to a particular archiving solution.

Download Email Archiving: the definitive checklist

This paper is designed to provide invaluable planning information to you along with Best Practice Advice built upon significant experience gained by ReSoft International in assisting its clients in implementing Email Archiving solutions. As you research the market for appropriate solutions you will find there is a lot of hype, and it is difficult to distinguish between fact and scare tactics. The paper will aid in making those critical decisions.

We provide Planning, Implementation and Training services to help expedite implementation.

More is also available at http://www.re-soft.com/datasheets/29EmailArchivingQuestions2012.pdf  

ReSoft has invested heavily in technologies to assist our Customers in being able to better manage and optimize their Email and SharePoint environments.

Our focus for 2012 is found in the free 2012 Solutions Catalog, driven by Customer feedback as to their priorities for the year. These include:

• PST management & elimination
• SharePoint & Email Search, Discovery & Recovery
• DLP Classification of email to prevent the “Email Oops!”
• User-driven Distribution List Delegation & Provisioning

View the 2012 Solutions Catalog

Whichever side of the political spectrum you sit, this is a very interesting illustration of the power of email.

Thousands of Americans who were badly hit by the recession have been able to directly message the most powerful figures in the country’s top financial institutions via a new website set up as part of the Occupy movement.

So far, almost 7000 people have sent messages via OccupytheBoardroom.org directly into the inboxes of figures like Lloyd Blankfein, chief executive of Goldman Sachs, Vikram Pandit, CEO of Citigroup and Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase.To make sure the executives can’t just ignore the emails, activists from Occupy Wall Street plan to print them off and hand-deliver them in a march on Friday.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/28/occupy-boardroom-email-corporations

We are planning a webbrief (ie short 30 min web session) on “Mobilizing your end-users to turn data loss problems into data loss prevention” on Wed Nov 16th @ 1pm EST, Attendees will learn:

- How end-user behavior can prevent data breaches not cause them
- Current data-loss threats & solutions
- Best practices for educating users on proper data handling 

Register at http://www.re-soft.com/evalwebinar.htm

Ever wonder how data breaches actually ultimately affect an organization’s reputation? A new survey found that it takes an average of one year for a victim organization to restore its rep after a hack.

The Experian Data Breach Resolution-sponsored study of 850 executives found that data breaches have long-term effects on a brand’s value: Victim organizations lost anywhere from $184 million to more than $330 million in the value of their brands. At best, their brands’ value lost 12 percent of their value, according to the study, conducted by the Ponemon Institute, or up to one-fourth of the brand’s value in some cases. This was based on an average brand value of $1.5 billion — prior to the breach.

More at: http://www.darkreading.com/security/attacks-breaches/231901835/study-how-data-breaches-damage-brand-reputation.html

ReSoft solutions can be found at http://www.re-soft.com/product/monitor.htm

IT managers admit widespread security problems in their organizations, including their CEO and other execs getting sensitive data stolen. What would be cause for these IT managers to get fired? A recent survey by Websense asked:

Have any high profile events been drivers for change?

What action has your company taken as a result of breaches?

How well do you feel your company is protected against data breaches?

http://www.networkworld.com/slideshows/2011/102011-data-breach-survey.html

More on ReSoft solutions at http://www.re-soft.com/product/monitor.htm

Recent trends in e-Discovery point toward a very promising development — companies are recognizing the pitfalls of existing models for handling e-Discovery, and they are working smarter. As the cost of e-Discovery continues to sky-rocket, a definite movement is growing among large enterprises who want to make e-Discovery more efficient, defensible and cost effective. More at http://www.cmswire.com/cms/information-management/the-newest-trend-in-ediscovery-stop-the-madness-013228.php

Dealing with electronic information in the discovery process can be very challenging to an organization. With over 90% of business documents and communications being prepared electronically, there can be substantial amounts of data to review once a document discovery request or subpoena is issued. In addition to the difficulty of searching large volumes of information and the extensive costs involved, many times these requests must be completed under intense court-imposed deadlines making the task even more cumbersome. More at http://www.re-soft.com/discover

From BankSystems&Technology…… According to the findings of a recent survey commissioned by security firm Websense, IT managers are increasingly stressed-out about securing corporate data and say that data loss incidents put their jobs on the line. The survey which included 1,000 IT managers and 1,000 non-IT employees in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia revealed that serious data breaches have occurred compromising CEO and other executives’ data, confidential customer data, and data necessary for regulatory compliance.

Some of the key findings of the survey indicated heightened levels of stress for IT managers and lack of sufficient data protection mechanisms in place for organizations. For instance, nearly 86 percent respondents said that their job would be at risk if a security incident were to occur, including if a CEO or other executive’s confidential data is breached (36 percent); data needed for compliance is lost (34 percent); and if confidential information is posted on a social networking site (34 percent).

A full 24 percent reported that the CEO’s or other executives’ confidential data had been breached. 34 percent reported losing data needed for compliance while another 34 percent stated that confidential information had been posted on a social networking site at their organization.

Interestingly, 72 percent said that protecting company data is more stressful than getting a divorce, managing personal debt, or being in a minor car accident. 14 percent said that losing their job would be less stressful than staying in their current role.

There are indications that antivirus and firewall solutions may have been oversold as a panacea, creating a false sense of security. While AV and firewalls are still certainly necessary, they are not sufficient to stop modern malware and advanced data-stealing attacks. Only 48 percent of respondents used systems that prevented confidential data from being uploaded to the web. Yet 60 percent worried about advanced persistent threats and 19 percent said they have been a victim of this type of attack. Only two percent of respondents had a DLP solution that protects their data at rest, in use, and in motion. However, as a result of recent high-profile data breaches, 23 percent began or accelerated a data loss prevention project.