"F-Secure MSG is one of the best in the world"
| Facts-at-a-glance | |
|---|---|
| Customer: FIM |
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| The solution: F-Secure Messaging Security Gateway(MSG) —Virtual Appliance – spam filtering – virus protection – email encryption (to be deployed) | |
| The users: 200 users | |
Benefits of the solution: | |
"F-Secure MSG is one of the best in the world"
FIM is a Finnish provider of investment services owned fully by the company's own management and personnel. Headquartered in Helsinki, FIM has offices in Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti, Oulu, Tampere, Turku, and in Stockholm, Sweden. The company offers tailored investment, savings, and asset management services to private individuals and institutional investors alike.
– We also have some banking operations, but we are not a traditional salary bank. Our banking operations are there mainly to support our investment operations, says Petri Mäkäläinen, IT Manager at FIM.
While its primary market is in Finland, FIM operates globally through international funds.
– One way or the other, we have presence on every habited continent. Our portfolio managers often visit companies in the target countries, and we have local partners in various countries, describes Mäkäläinen.
Firm trust in F-Secure
During its history FIM has tested various kinds of security products and solutions. The company has also a long cooperation history with F-Secure.
– We have deep trust in F-Secure. Of all the products that detect viruses and malware, their products are the best in the world. Compared to other competitors, F-Secure's product easily catches viruses that other products let through, tells Mäkäläinen about his experiences.
– F-Secure's high expertise, tech-savvy and domestic origins are also reasons why we chose them and their Messaging Security Gateway product. In addition, we place great emphasis on receiving support in our own native language, continues Mäkäläinen.
– For us, it was important to get various solutions from one place and even from one product, Messaging Security Gateway. We are looking for this kind of ease of use in many different things across our operations. I can go so far as to say that MSG is so worry-free that we have been able to almost forget it after the deployment. Everything just works, and there is hardly any need for maintenance tasks. Both me personally and FIM as a company are extremely satisfied with this product, commends Mäkäläinen.
End of spam
FIM utilizes the virus and spam filtering provided by F-Secure's Messaging Security Gateway. Monitoring the reports provided by MSG is not vital for FIM's business operations, but Petri Mäkäläinen monitors them out of professional interest.
– Regarding the viruses detected, there's often not so much going on, but spikes appear in the statistics every now and then. That's when somebody out there has invented and distributed a new virus. At these times I'm quite cautious myself, says Petri Mäkäläinen.
Messaging Security Gateway has brought significant changes to the ways email is used in FIM.
– Before MSG we received unbearable amounts of spam. Now that we use F-Secure's spam filtering we can say that spam is nonexistent. F-Secure's product was just what we needed and wanted. Having no spam is a great time saver for daily work, Mäkäläinen points out.
Encryption being deployed soon
IT Manager Petri Mäkäläinen has witnessed almost the entire era of email during his 13 years in FIM. Nowadays email is a highly critical tool for FIM's business.
– Here in FIM, we use email for handling non-confidential communications and keeping in touch with our partners and customers. What has been difficult about email is that it is too transparent by itself. So far, email has not been secure enough for confidential communications, says Mäkäläinen.
As the solution for sending confidential emails, FIM has chosen the email encryption component of the Messaging Security Gateway product. It has already been configured in FIM and now it's ready for use.
– We are waiting for the business management's decision to deploy encryption on emails. We've already tested the technology, tells Mäkäläinen, clearly happy.
According to the Privacy Act personal information provided via email must be sent encrypted.
– F-Secure's product meets the legal requirements, says IT Manager at FIM.
The company also uses TLS encryption, and this is even required by some of the partners.
Smooth deployment
The deployment of Messaging Security Gateway came off without hassle in FIM . The company started the deployment by testing the process in a managed way on a side domain.
– We wanted to minimize any production downtime. Everything went as we planned, and we were able to deploy MSG immediately also on our main email domain. Well planned is fully done, tells Mäkäläinen of the deployment.
FIM uses the virtualized version of F-Secure MSG.
– Earlier we used a similar hardware solution. As we are quite far on virtualization here in FIM, we chose also the F-Secure solution accordingly. MSG enables us to maximize the benefits from virtualization.
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