Blue Coat Launches Web Traffic Assessment to Provide Detailed Visibility of Employee Web Use
Quickly Identifies Security Risks Created by Employee Web Use
SUNNYVALE, Calif., February 23, 2004 -- Blue Coat™ Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCSI) today introduced the Web Traffic Assessment to provide companies comprehensive visibility of employee Web use in one week's time. The program identifies Web traffic and content causing potential security risks to the organization.
The program leverages Blue Coat's ProxySG™ appliances, which drop into the network with quick installation and configuration steps to start the assessment with minimal effort. The automated fail-over features enable a completely transparent assessment with no risk to network operations. The ProxySG combines high-performance custom operating software, comprehensive proxy services and an appliance form factor to make it the optimal tool for assessing Web traffic. After one week, companies are able to identify multiple forms of Web traffic that introduce risks to the business, including inappropriate web surfing, peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, media streaming, adware & spyware, plus instant messaging and Web-based email that opens back doors for viruses.
"The Blue Coat Web Traffic Assessment is a revolutionary step toward helping companies identify security risks and unwanted Web traffic on the network, such as adware, inappropriate Web surfing and P2P file sharing," said Mark Sollazo, president and CEO of SynerComm (www.synercomm.com), a provider of comprehensive network systems consulting, implementation and support services. "This program is opening the eyes of many security executives who think they have the infrastructure locked down, only to find they forgot one thing - the employees."
"Now more than ever, risks and threats to the organization are originating from inside the network, where users are effortlessly communicating outside the organization and opening back door channels," said Mark Bouchard, senior program director for META Group. "If left unmonitored, this communication could result in the creation of open channels for malicious code and virus threats, as well as a significant exposure of intellectual property."
The Web Traffic Assessment program produces detailed reports of current Web traffic trends and highlights productivity, legal and network availability risks associated with unmonitored and uncontrolled Internet use. A detailed summary is also provided with recommendations on how to control or eliminate any identified Web resource abuses.
"Most companies today have no idea what their employees are doing over the Internet and the risks they create for the business," said Steve Mullaney, vice president of marketing for Blue Coat. "A Web Traffic Assessment from Blue Coat provides companies with the tools to gain critical insight into employee Web use, from which they can then develop into an acceptable Web use policy and ultimately enforce that policy with a high-performance proxy appliance."
AvailabilityThe Blue Coat Web Traffic Assessment program is available today from Blue Coat Systems and its global network of channel partners.
About Blue Coat Systems
Blue Coat enables organizations to keep "good" employees from doing "bad" things on the Internet. Blue Coat wire-speed proxy appliances provide visibility and control of Web communications to address today's new business risks -- such as inappropriate Web surfing, viruses brought in via back door channels such as instant messaging and Web-based email, and network resource abuse due to peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing and video streaming. Trusted by many of the world's most influential organizations, Blue Coat has shipped more than 18,000 proxy appliances. Blue Coat is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and can be reached at (408) 220-2200 or www.bluecoat.com.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Blue Coat Systems' expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to Blue Coat Systems as of the date hereof, and Blue Coat Systems assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These and other risks relating to Blue Coat Systems' business are set forth in Blue Coat Systems' most recently filed Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2003, and other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
