Inspiring confidence and accelerating business goals is key focus at GITEX 2007

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 4 September 2007 -- The Middle East operation of RSA, The Security Division of EMC (NYSE: EMC), will advise visitors to GITEX 2007 on how taking an information-centric approach to addressing their security needs can help them to respond to customer needs, generate financial results, pursue new markets, collaborate with partners and comply with laws and regulations.

RSA believes that traditional, perimeter-based security products no longer provide businesses with the freedom they need to succeed in today's highly competitive and ever-changing environment. As a result, the division is advising businesses to re-evaluate their approach to security, and concentrate on maximizing the advantages of today's connected marketplace instead of fearing its consequences.

The threat landscape is continually evolving, and regional data from RSA's Anti-Fraud Command Center (AFCC) indicates that Middle East-based companies need to do more to protect themselves, with phishing cases being reported as recently as July for two banks based in Saudi Arabia, one in Dubai, and the regional operations of a major international financial services provider. 

In the run-up to GITEX, RSA's team in the Middle East have found that many businesses are still in a 'reactive mode' when deploying information security measures and often struggle with the challenge of creating and implementing planned strategies for securing their most valuable asset - information.  In response, RSA will show GITEX attendees how an information-centric approach to security extends beyond the protection of networks and resources to persistently protect the information itself. This is accomplished by securing:

1. Critical information wherever it resides

2. The identities of the employees, partners and customers who access the information, and;

3. The management of all the data required for security policy and regulatory compliance

"Businesses in the Middle East are unquestionably facing an 'information security dilemma' - they may have specific tools to address individual aspects of security but fail to take a proactive and comprehensive approach to securing their information," said Kieran Hernon, Sales Manager, Middle East, RSA, The Security Division of EMC. "We're advising our existing and new customers at GITEX that security is part of the information management process, and it cannot be addressed effectively through projects and products designed to firefight individual threats."

"Too many companies view security as a business inhibitor - something which prevents them from addressing challenges without fear and moving their company, or even their industry, forward. RSA believes that adopting an information-centric approach, whereby information is protected irrespective of where it resides, travels or is stored, can help businesses to lift limitations, rather than inhibiting them." he added.

RSA Gives GITEX Attendees an Overview of Information-Centric Security During the GITEX exhibition, Hernon and other RSA executives will be meeting with regional banks, government ministries, telecoms operators, and other customers to update them on how adopting such an approach can help to move their businesses forward by capitalizing on its most valuable asset. They will also be outlining the solutions available to businesses in the Middle East to help make information-centric security a reality:

1. Secure enterprise data

Data is a company's greatest asset. The loss, manipulation or theft of critical data is a huge risk for organizations. Combine that risk with the demands of regulatory compliance, and the urgency for implementing security controls that focus on the data itself - not which applications, databases, or files data lives in or travels through, is clear.

2. Compliance and security information management

 The challenge for every organization with operation-critical IT infrastructure and accountability to compliance standards is gaining thorough and timely intelligence about their security and compliance status.

3. Secure consumer identities and assets

 Proving the protection of online consumer identities is a cornerstone for e-business because it establishes trust in the online marketplace.

4. Secure remote access

As the global workforce becomes more mobile and dispersed, there is a growing need to enable employees, partners and customers to remotely access critical information and resources residing on the corporate network. Remote access to critical networks and information empowers users to stay productive, wherever they are.

5. Secure web access

Secure Web Access helps ensure that every user - whether an employee, partner, supplier or customer - has secure, convenient access to the resources they need (and only the resources they need) to perform their work. These solutions allow companies to cost-effectively assign and enforce user access privileges within intranets, extranets, portals and exchange infrastructures.

6. Secure enterprise access

The secure enterprise access solution protects the integrity of sensitive information by providing secure authorized access to critical company resources and assets.

"RSA's most important objective in the Middle East is enabling enterprises to fully exploit the value of their information for business advantage, and to achieve that goal, our customers need a proactive, company-wide strategy to address information security," concluded Hernon.

RSA will be in Zabeel Hall, Networking & Security, at booth Z-T20 during GITEX, 8-12 September 2007.

-Ends-

About RSA
RSA, The Security Division of EMC, is the premier provider of security solutions for business acceleration, helping the world's leading organizations succeed by solving their most complex and sensitive security challenges. RSA's information-centric approach to security guards the integrity and confidentiality of information throughout its lifecycle - no matter where it moves, who accesses it or how it is used.

RSA offers industry-leading solutions in identity assurance & access control, encryption & key management, compliance & security information management and fraud protection. These solutions bring trust to millions of user identities, the transactions that they perform, and the data that is generated. For more information, please visit www.RSA.com and www.EMC.com.

RSA is a registered trademark and/or trademark of RSA Security Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation. All other products and/or services mentioned are trademarks of their respective companies.

© Press Release 2007