Introducing Lotus Protector
March 11 2008
Notes & Domino administrators manage some of the world's largest and most sophisticated enterprise e-mail deployments, with reliability that is (we believe) the gold standard for the category. When it comes to deploying, administering, and supporting an enterprise-wide messaging and scheduling system, with multiple client types and over complex topologies.... well, you're just not going to beat Lotus Notes and Domino, and the people who make it run.
But over time there has developed a second, separate layer of infrastructure that need to be managed in support of Domino -- in fact, for any e-mail system, not just Domino. For example, connections to the Internet introduce threats that need to be addressed, so the SMTP interface needs to present a locked-down posture, and filter unwanted content such as spam and viruses. At the same time, continuing growth in sheer e-mail data volume, plus increasing regulation of corporate information, particularly compliance and legal discovery, combine to create pressures to better manage the ever-bigger chunk of an enterprise's data that goes through people's mailboxes.
Most of todays infrastructure on that second layer doesn't have much to do with specific Domino skills, and often may not even the responsibility of the Domino team. Typically these products/solutions simply sit on the network or out at the edge, treating whatever is inside as the next relay in a generic SMTP stream. Often that's a sensible strategy for increasing throughput, especially when inspecting for things like spam and viruses, which can comprise over 90% of SMTP e-mail volume.
Of course some vendors integrate with specific Notes/Domino (or Outlook/Exchange or GroupWise) APIs to create extra value, and we're always looking for ways to help our ISV partners improve their products for our mutual customers. But some things are just hard problems for everyone. For instance, encryption (popular with Domino customers) always throws a wrench into things when you need to inspect a piece of content. And the client-server nature of Notes/Domino can often result in data in multiple places. Since security systems can operate at different points in a network, it's problematic to make everyone's stuff work reliably across different functions and locations. It is a pain point that our customers have shared with us.
Lotus Protector is the brand for a new family of security products being introduced over the next 12-24 months. They create solutions for common e-mail security and compliance needs, but do it in a way that's consistent with the way Domino administrators operate. For example, Lotus Protector products place a premium on being able to interoperate with Domino's user and security frameworks, and integrating features tightly with Notes clients, presenting the most natural user experience.
The first Lotus Protector release is an antispam/antivirus appliance based on technology from Internet Security Systems (ISS), a company acquired by IBM in 2006. This top-notch edge server solution is the result of some serious IBM/ISS research, and offers important capabilities like IP reputation filtering, which can drop the worst of the SMTP detritus before you even take receipt. We're entering beta soon on Lotus Protector for Mail Security 2.1 (it's not 1.0 because of the proven ISS Proventia code base), and expect to have final product in market in 1H 2008. A second major release is planned around year-end, introducing some pretty interesting Notes/Domino integration.
Going forward there will be Lotus Protector announcements in other security areas. All offerings will solve specific e-mail related security and/or compliance challenges. Each will be optimized for the interests of a Lotus Notes/Domino customer. Stay tuned. Feel free to comment here on your needs and desires regarding email security for the Protector roadmap.
But over time there has developed a second, separate layer of infrastructure that need to be managed in support of Domino -- in fact, for any e-mail system, not just Domino. For example, connections to the Internet introduce threats that need to be addressed, so the SMTP interface needs to present a locked-down posture, and filter unwanted content such as spam and viruses. At the same time, continuing growth in sheer e-mail data volume, plus increasing regulation of corporate information, particularly compliance and legal discovery, combine to create pressures to better manage the ever-bigger chunk of an enterprise's data that goes through people's mailboxes.
Most of todays infrastructure on that second layer doesn't have much to do with specific Domino skills, and often may not even the responsibility of the Domino team. Typically these products/solutions simply sit on the network or out at the edge, treating whatever is inside as the next relay in a generic SMTP stream. Often that's a sensible strategy for increasing throughput, especially when inspecting for things like spam and viruses, which can comprise over 90% of SMTP e-mail volume.
Of course some vendors integrate with specific Notes/Domino (or Outlook/Exchange or GroupWise) APIs to create extra value, and we're always looking for ways to help our ISV partners improve their products for our mutual customers. But some things are just hard problems for everyone. For instance, encryption (popular with Domino customers) always throws a wrench into things when you need to inspect a piece of content. And the client-server nature of Notes/Domino can often result in data in multiple places. Since security systems can operate at different points in a network, it's problematic to make everyone's stuff work reliably across different functions and locations. It is a pain point that our customers have shared with us.
Lotus Protector is the brand for a new family of security products being introduced over the next 12-24 months. They create solutions for common e-mail security and compliance needs, but do it in a way that's consistent with the way Domino administrators operate. For example, Lotus Protector products place a premium on being able to interoperate with Domino's user and security frameworks, and integrating features tightly with Notes clients, presenting the most natural user experience.
The first Lotus Protector release is an antispam/antivirus appliance based on technology from Internet Security Systems (ISS), a company acquired by IBM in 2006. This top-notch edge server solution is the result of some serious IBM/ISS research, and offers important capabilities like IP reputation filtering, which can drop the worst of the SMTP detritus before you even take receipt. We're entering beta soon on Lotus Protector for Mail Security 2.1 (it's not 1.0 because of the proven ISS Proventia code base), and expect to have final product in market in 1H 2008. A second major release is planned around year-end, introducing some pretty interesting Notes/Domino integration.
Going forward there will be Lotus Protector announcements in other security areas. All offerings will solve specific e-mail related security and/or compliance challenges. Each will be optimized for the interests of a Lotus Notes/Domino customer. Stay tuned. Feel free to comment here on your needs and desires regarding email security for the Protector roadmap.
