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Thursday, March 28, 2024

CTERA Updates Enterprise File Sharing and Data Protection Tools

CTERA Updates Enterprise File Sharing and Data Protection Tools Homeland Security TodayThe release of a list of 9,000 Department of Homeland Security officers and recent hacks on the Democratic National Committee have caused growing concerns within the industry regarding the security of sensitive information.

Against this backdrop, CTERA Networks, a New York City based cloud storage and data protection hardware and software company, announced a series of updates to their Enterprise File Services Platform, including the enhancement of file sharing, backup, and edge storage capabilities.

The company, which specializes in cloud storage gateway—a network appliance that allows incompatible technologies to communicate transparently—intends to add at least 50 updates and features to their pre-existing program, following a recent contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency.

“What we sell today is a pure private file management, storage and data protection system that is designed essentially as a software service solution but is not sold as a service,” CTERA’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Jeff Denworth told Homeland Security Today. “We simply provide the tools to our customers to deploy within their own network.”

The main focus of these updates will be on file protection and security access, allowing all components of the program to be integrated under one system.

“We are really focused on addressing the complete continuum of how users are managing their files or backups from their office to their endpoint to the cloud with one system,” Denworth said.

Updates will include enhanced data loss prevention capability, self-service migration between PCs and Macs, and native mutual authentication with support for smart cards/client certificates, to name a few.

A mobile application will be featured as well, which will operate the same way as the desktop version. The browser-based app will have the added ability to store specific files local to mobile devices. It will also include secure shredding features, the process of multiple overrides in addition to a system wipe.

CTERA’s Enterprise File Services Platform is the only product on the market that has support for CAC, common access card, based user authentication.

“In the case of our defense requirements, what you have is a collection of customers who don’t really trust their employees or don’t trust them at face value,” stated Denworth. “They are looking for additional methods to assure that they are who they say they are before they actually have any access to files.”

The program requires users to present two forms of identification, swiping a tech card and entering a pin, in order to access secured information. “Those two factors of validation mean that there is a high degree of likely hood that you are who you say you are,” said Denworth.

The Department of Defense (DOD) recently announced plans to phase out the use of CAC cards in their agencies within two years. The DOD claimed that CAC technology is dead and they want to move onto more advanced forms of user authentication technology.

“Our products will be able to support future styles of verification and are not limited to CAC,” Denworth stated. “Client side digital certificates can be held in a CAC card or anything that biometrically allows you to authenticate yourself.”

In addition to preexisting identification applications, the updates will allow the program users to secure individual files and limit sharing of these files to members that are outside of the security apparatus.

The program can make a shared file part of a browser that cannot be downloaded. It also includes a watermark feature. When a document comes up in a browser it will have the sharer’s name stamped on it.

In response to hacking threats, CTERA thinks of the problem in terms of minimizing the blast radius. Preventing a hack within the system is difficult and can be unavoidable. A user who has credentials to administer the system can socially engineer their way into hacking it.

“If someone wants to go after 500 million users and all of those users have their own internal system that is 500 million hacks that you have to do oppose to just one hack,” said Denworth. “We minimize potential damage that these hacks can have.”

CTERA hopes that these updates will expand their clients’ network capabilities and provide additional local file services and data protection.

“CTERA comes to the table with an extremely diversified product set that allows us to demonstrate a broad level of value to our customers,” Denworth said.

CTERA Updates Enterprise File Sharing and Data Protection Tools Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Today
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.
Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Todayhttp://www.hstoday.us
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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