Akonix expands instant messaging compliance offering
Akonix Systems Inc., a provider of Instant Messaging (IM) security and compliance products, has launched Akonix L7 Enterprise v5.3 to help companies meet industry and government compliance regulations.
Akonix found that many companies are not aware that they are required to control who certain employees may communicate with, both internally and externally. Most companies must also log and archive all IM traffic and review messages sent and received over both public and enterprise IM networks. Specific compliance standards such as SEC 17a-4, NASD 2711 and 3010, Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA require companies to protect sensitive information when using IM tools, including financial and personal data.
Most companies, however, understand the enormous cost and effort necessary to produce electronic records, including IM conversations, in the event of an audit or legal action, and are voluntarily adding IM archiving to their electronic messaging infrastructure.
The latest release of Akonix L7 Enterprise includes ethical boundary support and persistent chat rooms, allowing IT staff to set rules, such as 'User A is not allowed to chat with user B' in a specified IM chat environment. To further assist in meeting regulations, L7 Enterprise v5.3 introduces enhanced inline disclaimer support for Jabber XCP, a popular enterprise IM system for financial services, government and other industries.
L7 Compliance Manager, part of Akonix L7 Enterprise also includes a Smart Tagging feature that allows systems administrators to annotate conversations. The new release also provides additional support for archiving and reporting file transfers conducted over most IM networks.
"A key challenge for today's organizations is understanding the many laws and regulations governing electronic messaging and finding products that help meet those requirements," said Don Montgomery, VP of marketing at Akonix. "Version 5.3 of Akonix L7 Enterprise adds improved compliance and security features to minimize the risks and liabilities faced by those companies' use of Instant Messaging."
"For some time now, financial and government regulating bodies have viewed IM as a form of electronic communication that is subject to the same rules and regulations as email," said Matthew Anderson, analyst at the Radicati Group. "Using Akonix products, companies can feel comfortable that they are meeting compliance guidelines, and at the same time, securing their networks from unwanted IM security risks."
L7 Enterprise V5.3 and L7 Enforcer V5.3 are available immediately on Akonix's A1000 and A6000 IM security appliances.
Reproduced from an article published by IT News Online
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