New research shows 1 in 10 network attacks originate from the inside using zombie PC's. How do you protect yourself? Is there a low cost solution? How do you know which is right for you?

AIT's philosophy is simple: we use the same tools that are offered to you. It only seems right that if AIT is going to recommend specific products, it's because we believe in them because security is our business, too.

YOUR FIRST-LINE DEFENSE AGAINST UNWELCOME INTRUSIONS
The PIX Firewall gives both fully-managed and self-managed dedicated server customers industrial-grade policy enforcement, multi-vector attack protection, and secure connectivity in a single product. This hardware is suitable for businesses of all sizes.

A lot of companies have the "it won't happen to me" attitude, until it happens to them or to one of their vendors or partners. The use of malicious software is not confined to large corporations; any organization with people and data is a target.

With this hardware, multiple existing firewalls can be consolidated onto a single appliance which can then be configured for multiple virtual firewalls. The hardware also provides for:

• Wide-range of perimeter network security services to prevent unauthorized network access
  
• Powerful inspection firewall services which track the state of all network communications
  
• Flexible access-control capabilities for more than 100 predefined applications, services, and protocols, with the ability to define custom applications and services
  
• Simplified management with the ability to create re-usable network and service object groups that can be referenced by multiple security policies

A firewall is only as good as the rest of a particular company's security policies; particularly sensitive data should probably be isolated from the rest of the network anyway. Still, a firewall is your best defense at keeping outside forces from coming in uninvited.


HASSLE-FREE EMAIL
There's just one problem with e-mail: messages are sent over an open network, so they can be monitored or stolen. Protected mail screens for spam and viruses, and provides the level of communications security most businesses need. Protected mail keeps in-boxes clear of potential threats and annoying junk, which are the biggest concerns that most people have with online communications.

There are no downloads or plug-ins required with Protected Mail, and it works with any standard browser or e-mail client. For all of its convenience, e-mail is the most vulnerable of all Internet applications. This minimizes the risk, depending on the individual user's security requirements.


IS YOUR SECURE CERTIFICATE UP TO DATE?
Secure certificates are only good for one year, and renewal time may be the perfect opportunity to cut your costs. AIT offers a complete line of certificates, starting from just $39 per year. Prices will vary depending on whether you want validation for a domain only, for a company, or for multiple domains.

As you know, having a secure certificate is a seal of confidence for your customers, telling them that their personal and financial information will not be compromised. A certificate confirms that your business domain provides secure transactions and that your domain has been authenticated.


IMPROVE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Bandwidth and disk space are finite resources. AIT's Monitoring Service means better management of them, enhancing server performance. This service is particularly well-suited to resellers, where customer web sites can chew up a server's capabilities. The Monitoring Service is your third eye for watching over functions like FTP, HTTP, and mail.

The Monitoring Service comes in two levels: an interface through which customers can monitor server activity on their own, and a system through which AIT sends notifications when usage approaches specific thresh holds. Key on the functions that can rob a server of performance, with Monitoring Service from AIT.


A SECURITY BLANKET FOR YOU SERVER
AIT's Security Scan not only tells you where potential problems lie, the service also follows up with recommendations for corrective action and pro-active steps that you can take. Weak points are going to exist in virtually every system; AIT's Security Scan works to find them before someone with malicious intent does.

The security scan works on both dedicated and shared hosting plans, and is available in two levels of service:

• Version one provides weekly reports of the exploits found in your hosting plan; if you like, AIT will fix them for you.
  
• Version two goes a step further, providing you with the necessary upgrades, patches, and service packs needed to plug vulnerabilities.

Security is about prevention. Are passwords changed when employees leave? Are unused accounts deleted from the system? Are you sure CGI scripts are safe? Customers with early-detection capability are much less likely to become a victim. The server scan works like a hacker, rooting out holes in a system from poorly-concealed passwords to finding unnecessary shares or unused accounts to ports unwittingly left open.