Symantec Unveils New Advanced Threat Protection

Symantec announced an entirely new approach to advanced threat protection (ATP), unveiling a roadmap of integrated solutions that demonstrates the security innovation power that only it can deliver to help customers solve their most complex problems. This approach is fueled by two new offerings, Symantec Managed Security Services -Advanced Threat Protection and Symantec Advanced Threat Protection Solution, which correlate alerts and intelligence across a range of security technologies to deliver more comprehensive attack prevention. Symantec's holistic methodology captures the benefits achieved when security technologies work together, transforming the complex fight against advanced threats into a manageable function that delivers stronger protection and more value to businesses.

Symantec's innovative security technologies and global intelligence already provide strong advanced threat protection, and the company will build on this core heritage to develop defenses that protect as sophisticated attacks evolve. The company's new ATP efforts will be informed by what Symantec has learned about advanced threats though its existing endpoint solutions that protect a base of 200 million endpoints, and from its current email and web security solutions that review over 8.4 billion email messages and 1.7 billion web requests a day.

"There is a significant need in the market for greater advanced threat protection, and many vendors do not have the holistic coverage or full-functionality needed to adequately detect and respond to targeted attacks," said Jon Oltsik, senior principal analyst, Enterprise Security Group (ESG). "Symantec is well positioned to deliver an end-to-end advanced threat solution by building on the technologies it offers today, integrating across its portfolio, and delivering it as a service enhanced by an evolving partner ecosystem. By leveraging its global intelligence and building-in completely new incident response capabilities, Symantec can really address a multitude of enterprise cybersecurity requirements."

Managed Service Solves Practical Detection and Response Challenges

Available in June of 2014, the next piece in Symantec's ATP approach is Symantec Managed Security Services -Advanced Threat Protection (MSS-ATP), a managed service that significantly reduces the time it takes to detect, prioritize and respond to security incidents by producing integration between its endpoint security and third-party network security vendors' products. This data enables customers to rapidly and effectively contain, investigate and remediate unknown and zero day attacks that evade traditional security solutions. By prioritizing real threats, IT organizations can reduce false positives and operating costs and ensure that they are protecting against the most significant vulnerabilities.

Powerful Incident Response and Managed Adversary Services

Within the next six months, Symantec will introduce two key services. The first is an entirely new Incident Response service, providing customers with immediate access to critical capabilities, knowledge and skill sets during incident response scenarios. The second is a new Intelligence service, providing unmatched threat visibility and analytics that create insights into risks to key cyber assets through portal, data feed and service-based intelligence offering, as well as Managed Adversary information that delivers advanced reports on threat actors for unprecedented visibility into the types of attacks that may target an organization.

New Advanced Threat Protection Solution Integrates Across All Control Points

Tying it all together, Symantec will bring to market a new Advanced Threat Protection Solution, which is scheduled to be in beta testing within six months and generally available within the next 12 months. This innovative, end-to-end solution will deliver integrated advanced threat protection across the endpoint, email and gateway to provide customers with critical detection and response capabilities at each respective control point.

Two new, innovative, and organically developed technologies will bolster the solution's detection and response capabilities. Symantec's Dynamic Malware Analysis Service is a cloud-based sandbox environment where behavioral analysis of active content can be used to quickly maximize threat identification; and Synapse, which enables smooth communication between the endpoint, email and gateway to facilitate improved response.