CGI Installs World's First Native Anti-Virus Solution for the iSeries
CGI Group Inc., an international corporation for which data integrity is of highest priority, has fortified its security by installing the world's first and only server-based virus detection product designed for the IBM iSeries computers. The application, StandGuard Anti-Virus developed by Bytware Inc., integrates with a suite of other Bytware applications that CGI already had been using in its Dallas-area data center, as well as in its Canadian data centers.
CGI, headquartered in Canada, is the fifth largest independent information technology services firm in North America. The firm provides a broad scope of IT and business process management services, including IT strategic planning, finance administration and facilities management—encompassing data and call centers, network administration, and application development, integration and support. CGI works with government agencies and utilities as well as with financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing, retail, distribution and healthcare industries.
CGI relies heavily on security products to maintain the integrity of its client data. All employees in CGI's Dallas facility have government security clearances.
Bob Allison, senior iSeries AS/400 systems administrator at CGI Inc., said the installation of StandGuard Anti-Virus is a reflection of the company's commitment to "due diligence" in preventing intrusion and contamination problems.
"The addition of StandGuard Anti-Virus was purely a business decision to help us maintain our edge in the market. We want our clients to be able to trust their data with us and use our services without fear of intrusion," explained Allison.
While virus-induced damage to the AS/400 has never been documented, the iSeries Integrated File System (IFS) theoretically can store viruses and easily spread them to client PCs by virtue of the compatibility between the iSeries and Windows servers. The IFS is routinely used in TCP/IP functions and when running Websphere, Domino, Lotus Notes, and Client Access applications.
Advantage of a native application
Viruses inadvertently can be introduced into the IFS not only through e-mail attachments, but also by an employee downloading a file from the Internet, by someone accessing the network within company facilities using a laptop computer, or through an infected CD, DVD or other removable media. PC-based scanning utilities, unfortunately, don't protect the IFS.
CGI has eliminated the possibility of virus propagation across the IFS with the addition of StandGuard Anti-Virus, which runs natively on the iSeries. StandGuard Anti-Virus incorporates McAfee's advanced scanning engine, which detects and cleans macro, script and encrypted viruses as well as worms, "Trojan horses” and other malicious code within compressed files, executable files and OLE compound documents. Allison uses an automobile part analogy in describing the advantage of a native iSeries application.
"If you rig up a Chevrolet carburetor on a Chrysler engine, it's not going to operate as efficiently as it does with a carburetor designed for the Chrysler," Allison reasoned.
StandGuard Anti-Virus incorporates the world's first electronic mail scanner for the AS/400 Mail Server Framework (MSF), intercepting e-mail messages before they can reach PC clients. It scans iSeries SMTP e-mail at the server; scans inside .ZIP, .JAR and other archive files; detects and blocks header exploitation tactics and malformed MIME encoding; and either deletes infected or suspicious e-mail or redirects it to an administrator. StandGuard Anti-Virus also burrows deep inside attachments to uncover viruses disguised in multiple levels of encoding and compression. It detects not only known viruses but also identifies code that could be malicious—crucial in preventing attacks by unknown viruses.
CGI purchased StandGuard Anti-Virus based on their experience with Bytware's MessengerPlus and PeekPlus, which already had been in use at CGI for several years.
"Every Bytware product is top-notch, and Bytware people bend over backwards to help customers. We know we can call at 3 o'clock in the morning and we'll reach someone who can help us," Allison said confidently. "One Saturday evening at 8 o'clock we called Bytware's hotline with a question, and the tech support person who answered the page called us from a party she was attending. That's the kind of people Bytware has. They'll work with you. That's why we've bought the whole Bytware suite."
Because StandGuard Anti-Virus integrates with the other Bytware applications, CGI can monitor all operations and receive incident messages whether or not they are at the data center.
"I have configured MessengerPlus to e-mail me, to send messages to my pager, to my Blackberry, to my phone, and to my Timex Internet Messenger paging watch to make sure I receive an event notice no matter where I am. So I am well connected."
Allison said that he fortunately made no alarming discoveries after installing StandGuard Anti-Virus—it detected no anomalies or suspicious code. But he was greeted by a pleasant surprise.
"I was very excited about the ease of use. That's the result of the way StandGuard Anti-Virus is written," determined Allison, a computer scientists who has multiple advanced technical certifications. "It's straightforward. It was written by [Bytware co-founder and chief executive officer] Mike Grant, who really knows the AS/400 system. I've met Mike, and I've talked to him dozens of times, and I can tell you, he's a programmer's programmer."
StandGuard Anti-Virus can be administered either by the green screen command interface or by using the graphical iSeries Navigator plug-ins. By integrating with the iSeries Job Scheduler, StandGuard Anti-Virus can be configured to automatically download virus definition updates from McAfee, as well as enhancements from Bytware.
Learn more about CGI Group, Inc.
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Resource Details
Type: Case Study
Product: StandGuard Anti-Virus
Customer: CGI Group, Inc.
Summary
Security-conscious computer administrator installs world's first native anti-virus solution for the iSeries.
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