GFI Software™ Further Expands Vulnerability Assessment and Patch Management Capabilities

December 04, 2012 - 12:00

Award-winning GFI LanGuard® now supports Mac OS® X and features expanded portfolio of compliance reporting

GFI Software™ today announced that GFI LanGuard now supports vulnerability assessment and patch management for computers running the Mac OS X operating system*. The latest version of the company’s award-winning, comprehensive patch management,vulnerability assessment and network auditing software for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) now also features a deeper portfolio of compliance standards reporting tools. IT administrators can generate streamlined and dedicated reports for nine of the top regulatory compliance standards, including PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act).

Trends such as “BYOD” (Bring Your Own Device) have made vulnerability assessments a mission-critical component to maintaining a secure network. As administrators attempt to regulate the massive influx of outside hardware being brought into the workplace and connected to the corporate network, including mobile devices and laptops running different operating systems, such as Windows® and Mac OS X, making sure these devices do not introduce extra vulnerabilities into the network infrastructure has reached a critical level.

In 2012, GFI Labs found that hackers were moving from exploiting vulnerabilities in operating systems to exploiting third-party applications, such as Java® and Adobe®. GFI’s research shows that 75 percent of attacks now target vulnerabilities within these applications, making patch management absolutely critical for a layered security approach.

“We have seen a steadily rising demand for all of our products to support Mac systems. Business networks often have a mixture of devices and we have developed GFI LanGuard to address this and meet today’s demands. The combination of Mac and PC patching as well as device audit and vulnerability assessment make GFI LanGuard the administrator’s choice for maintaining the strength of a business network,” said Phil Bousfield, general manager, IT Infrastructure, at GFI.

GFI LanGuard combines vulnerability scanning, patch management, and network and software auditing into one solution that enables IT professionals to scan, detect, assess and correct potential security risks on their networks with minimal administrative effort. GFI LanGuard also enables administrators to manage 100 percent of their patching needs on more than 2,500 machines from a single console; inventory devices attached to their networks; receive change alerts, such as notification when a new application is installed; ensure antivirus applications are current and enabled; and strengthen compliance with industry regulations through automated patch management that defends against potential network vulnerabilities. GFI LanGuard performs more than 50,000 checks against operating systems, applications, and devices, integrating with more than 2,500 security applications.

To learn more about GFI LanGuard, call 888-243-4329, email sales@gfi.comor visit www.gfi.com to download a free trial.

* Mac OS X 10.5 and above

About GFI
GFI Software provides web and mail security, archiving and fax, networking and security software and hosted IT solutions for small to medium-sized businesses (SMB) via an extensive global partner community. GFI products are available either as on-premise solutions, in the cloud or as a hybrid of both delivery models. With award-winning technology, a competitive pricing strategy, and a strong focus on the unique requirements of SMBs, GFI satisfies the IT needs of these organizations on a global scale. The company has offices in the United States, UK, Austria, Australia, Malta, Hong Kong, Philippines and Romania, which together support hundreds of thousands of installations worldwide. GFI is a channel-focused company with thousands of partners throughout the world and is also a Microsoft Gold ISV Partner.