Introduction; The Security Dilemma - HP Compaq NW8000 Manual

Introduction

As computers are getting increasingly mobile and better connected, threats to data security are
increasing in magnitude as well as complexity. Correspondingly business customers, for whom data
security can have a direct impact on the health of their business, are becoming increasingly
concerned about this problem.
HP saw the need for a better security solution very early, and started devoting resources to solving this
problem. Knowing that security needed to be addressed holistically, HP required the solution to bring
many technology areas together in a way that helps ensure not only protection for client devices, but
also helps ensure that client devices themselves do not become points of vulnerability that could be
used to threaten the entire IT infrastructure.
As a result of this proactive effort, HP has developed a solution, the HP ProtectTools Security
Manager, that not only meets the above requirements, but is also extensible and therefore can easily
grow to handle new threats and offer new technologies as they become available.

The security dilemma

Businesses trying to implement client device security face a dizzying number of choices that may not
always work well together. In addition, security solutions can be difficult to deploy and use. If a
technology is difficult to use, most users will avoid using it, and this further complicates the task of
making client devices secure.
Client device security options feature a number of capabilities based on a variety of technologies:
• Notebook and desktop computers can be configured with Smart Card readers
• The Trusted Platform Module , or TPM embedded security chip designed to the Trusted Computing
Group (TCG) standard, is available on a range of HP products
• Biometrics and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) are expected to become more important as
those technologies mature and become more suitable for enterprise deployment
In addition, many client devices include security features that exist within the device BIOS. These
include features such as:
• Pre-boot authentication – ability to authenticate a user before allowing the system to boot
• Device configuration lock down
• Remote management capabilities
While these security features increasingly rely on established industry standards, and therefore better
integrate with other elements of IT security, there are still challenges that are keeping these features
from being widely deployed and used. These challenges include:
• Usability: technologies and features that are difficult to use
• Manageability: technologies and features that are difficult to manage, particularly on a large scale
• Awareness: IT managers and users are not aware of a feature, or do not understand its purpose
• Interoperability: features or services that span multiple technologies
• Extensibility: solutions that adapt as security needs grow and newer technologies and features
become available
The HP ProtectTools Security Manager is a security platform that addresses these challenges by using
add-on software modules, which provide important client security features. New features can easily
be added by installing new modules. This architecture gives users an easy to use all in one security
solution.
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