Dell Data Protection - Zero-Day Malware Prevention for Thin Clients and Virtual Desktops

Dell Cloud Client-Computing, the No. 1 provider of secure thin-client solutions and the expert in VDI, today announced the addition of two new security solutions to provide organisations with advanced threat prevention that spans from the endpoints to the data center for Windows-based thin clients and virtual desktops. Leveraging IP from its award-winning Dell Data Protection portfolio of security solutions, Dell is applying its endpoint security expertise beyond the PC to the thin client and virtual machines, to give customers an industry-leading approach to comprehensively securing their data.  Main features -

• Dell Data Protection | Threat Defense provides advanced threat protection for Windows-based thin clients
• Dell Data Protection | Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise offers advanced threat protection, authentication and file-level encryption to Windows-based virtual desktops
• New security solutions work in heterogeneous environments, protecting Windows-based thin clients from Dell or any compatible manufacturer
• New security solution uses artificial intelligence and machine learning against threat vectors including malware, advanced persistent threats and zero-day attacks 

“While other vendors depend on a ‘detect and remediate’ approach that alerts IT staff to an attack after the damage has been done,” said Jeff McNaught, executive director and chief strategy officer, Dell Cloud Client-Computing. “Dell employs a ‘prevent and protect’ approach that prevents these attacks from succeeding, and has been shown to be 99 percent effective against even zero-day and polymorphic malware attacks, well above the catch rate of traditional anti-virus products based on malware signature recognition.”

Dell Data Protection | Threat Defense for Windows-based thin clients and Dell Data Protection | Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise provide a superior layer of advanced threat protection to an already secure computing environment, ensuring that all facets of an organization’s Windows-based VDI environment are protected. Many organizations mistakenly believe that thin clients based on popular OSs are a ‘set and forget’ solution, and that they do not require maintenance and regular software updates. While data does not reside on the edge with a VDI solution, that does not preclude malware from potentially infiltrating a network through a locally-accessed web browser, USB stick or other locally connected peripheral device. With 95 percent of threats originating on an endpoint, typically due to employee error, spear phishing, malware embedded in attachments or web sites, all endpoints need to have advanced threat protection, regardless of whether the data resides on the endpoint or in the data center.

Dell Data Protection | Threat Defense and Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise both feature advanced threat protection technology based on machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze the files prior to their execution, and determine what is safe and what isn’t before they can even run. That means that they don’t rely on signature updates, and provide a much greater efficacy than traditional anti-virus solutions against the latest malware including ransomware and zero-day threats. Unlike other traditional anti-virus solutions, Threat Defense uses very little CPU and RAM resources, thus having no impact on end user productivity, which makes it ideal for use with thin clients.

Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise also includes authentication and data encryption to protect the data at rest or when it travels between people and devices. This additional level of protection is more effective than simple disk encryption, and prevents attackers from getting usable data in the event of a breach. This solution is available across all Windows virtual desktops running Citrix, Microsoft or VMware software, and provides organizations with a single, comprehensive solution to simplify management and compliance for overburdened IT departments. It allows IT departments to remotely manage all security components using a single, non-disruptive console, and easily generate compliance reports to satisfy industry standards including PCI DSS, HIPAA and HITECH. With this solution, Dell is the only tier one hardware vendor offering integrated authentication, encryption and advanced threat protection from a single source.

As many organizations have heterogeneous IT environments, Threat Defense and Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise can be deployed across Dell and non-Dell systems alike. Threat Defense will be available bundled with Wyse Windows-based thin clients, and will also be available for organizations deploying Windows thin clients from any compatible manufacturer, as well as Dell and non-Dell PCs. These solutions enhance the already robust Dell Wyse portfolio of secure thin client solutions that include virus-resistant Wyse ThinOS and zero clients, and reinforce the company’s commitment to provide the most secure compute environments available to enable safe and flexible productivity for users.  

Supporting Quotes:

Steve Lalla, VP, Commercial Client Software and Solutions, Dell

“Ensuring data security is at the forefront of all of our customers’ minds, and with 95 percent of data breaches originating on the endpointⁱⁱⁱ, advanced threat protection solutions are increasingly important for any device. The integration of our Dell Data Protection solutions into Windows-based thin clients and virtual desktops provides customers with an additional layer of security to protect their entire IT environment from the endpoint to the data center against the latest attack vectors.”

Rodney Clark, General Manager, IoT Device Experience, Microsoft Corp.

“With the number of data breaches on the rise, securing the endpoint against the latest advanced threats and malware has never been more important. Windows is the leading operating system for thin clients today, and with Dell, we are committed to providing customers a secure VDI infrastructure.”

Sumit Dhawan, senior vice president and general manager, Desktop Products, End-User Computing, VMware

“Delivering a secure digital workspace is an important requirement for organizations of all sizes, as they look to provide end-users with greater flexibility while providing a secure experience. The integration of Dell Data Protection solutions into Windows-based thin clients running on VMware Horizon® is a great step forward in empowering customers to be secure on the endpoint, as well as in the data center.”

Steve Blacklock, vice president Global Strategic Alliance, Citrix

“Effective security in the modern workplace means organizations must not only protect apps and data, but also make sure that protection enables people to work effectively from anywhere. That commitment to protect data remains a cornerstone for Citrix and our focus on the secure delivery of apps and data. Dell’s integration of advanced threat protection in Windows-based thin clients shows a dedication to protect data and apps at the endpoint so that our joint customers can enjoy a fully secure VDI infrastructure.”

Availability

Dell Data Protection | Threat Defense and Dell Data Protection | Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise will be available for Windows-based thin clients and Windows virtual desktops in July 2016.