Anti-Virus Protection

Viruses today pose a major threat to enterprise security. While most enterprises have deployed some type of desktop antivirus protection, viruses continue to remain the number one threat to security. Remote users with outdated antivirus software on their desktops pose an additional security risk. These same users may then connect to corporate resources through a VPN tunnel, thus extending the risk of infection to other remote users, other locations and to the central site. Desktop antivirus products alone cannot provide complete protection against viruses.

The growing sophistication of virus attacks has prompted the need for a multi-layered security strategy, which would protect the organization at every level. A multi-tier approach should include antivirus and content security at the desktop, mail server, file server, and gateway.

Gateway antivirus scans network traffic for viruses – including content such as mail, web and file transfers – as it crosses the network perimeter and can rapidly detect and stop viruses before they spread and infect desktops. Gateway antivirus products are also very cost-effective, as one single license can protect all end systems in the network segment.

To facilitate the deployment of virus protection in a network, gateway antivirus can be integrated with firewalls. Embedding gateway antivirus inside the firewall can simplify deployment and management, as enterprises only have to control and monitor a single device. The NetScreen-5GT is a security appliance for remote sites that combines integrated firewall, Virtual Private Network (VPN) and antivirus functionality. The NetScreen-5GT includes embedded antivirus using Trend Micro’s leading antivirus technology. It is designed to protect against security threats introduced in remote offices, telecommuters and extended enterprise locations and helps to mitigate the potentially devastating risks of viruses.

The NetScreen-5GT can be configured to perform virus scanning on a per policy basis. When virus scanning is enabled, the traffic matching the security policy will be scanned for viruses. If viruses are found, they are dropped to prevent them from affecting other desktops. The NetScreen-5GT supports virus scanning on mail and web traffic, including SMTP, POP3 and HTTP traffic.

With an integrated security solution that includes firewall, VPN and gateway antivirus, enterprises can effectively implement layered security without compromising performance, while reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO). In addition, with Juniper Networks centralised management approach, all Juniper Networks devices, including the NetScreen-5GT with embedded antivirus, can be managed via a central console. With virus protection enabled in all relevant network segments, IT managers can easily identify, prevent and contain virus outbreaks.