Akonix Blocks BitTorrent File Sharing within the Enterprise
Akonix Enforcer adds to industry-leading security capabilities, blocking new type of peer-to-peer applications
San Diego, CA - August 17, 2004 - Akonix Systems, Inc. now enables organizations to block illegal file sharing by employees connecting to BitTorrent, one of today's most popular Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file and movie swapping networks. BitTorrent allows users to swap large files, often hundreds of megabytes in size, over the Internet.
Akonix Enforcer protects corporate networks from the business and security risks associated with P2P file sharing. Swapping P2P files drains bandwidth and exposes organizations to risks posed by virus infections and hacker attacks using security loopholes. Employees can also inadvertently share files containing sensitive information, and the P2P application installer may automatically share files or folders -- including password files -- without the user's knowledge.
A July 2003 research report by AssetMetrix on P2P activity found that Web-based file sharing by employees occurs in over 77% of organizations. In an analysis of 175,765 PCs in 560 companies, 6,764 were found to have P2P programs installed.
"In today's corporate environment, there are very few legitimate business uses for consumer P2P file sharing," said Michael Osterman, president of Osterman Research. "Unauthorized activity within an enterprise network creates situations in which companies run the risk of security leaks or illegal activity. Products like Akonix Enforcer allow IT departments to block and monitor all P2P activity, removing another security concern from IT managers and freeing up network bandwidth for legitimate business communications."
"BitTorrent is a growing and popular P2P file-sharing network, particularly for movie files. In addition to the risk of music copyright violation, disclosure of corporate data and potential virus infection, BitTorrent users expose their company to potential legal action from organizations like the Motion Picture Association of America," said Francis Costello, chief marketing officer at Akonix Systems. "We are continuously working with more than 250 customers, including three of the largest global media companies, to address the latest security threats from file sharing. Blocking users of the BitTorrent network provides our customers with the most complete solution for managing P2P available."
Akonix Enforcer is the industry's first perimeter security solution specifically designed to prevent unsanctioned access to P2P file-sharing networks, while providing enforcement for IM management by blocking unmanaged, unauthorized IM use. It passively monitors network traffic at the protocol level without impacting network performance or reliability. Enforcer is the only security solution of its kind to offer dynamic protocol updates, which eliminates the system downtime and administrative resources typically required to keep current with the latest P2P and IM services.
For more information on how Akonix ensures networks are protected against the risks associated with illegal file sharing, or to try a free 15-day trial of Akonix Enforcer, please visit http://www.akonix.com, or contact Akonix's sales group at [email protected] / 619-615-9415.