IMsecure

IMsecure - security software for public Instant Messaging for Zone Labs, a Check Point company

The solution offers security protection for individuals and businesses when using Instant Messaging services. The encryption-per-protocol approach allows avoiding program and even version dependency. IMsecure works with AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and other instant messengers that support the same protocols. Providing reliable end-to-end encryption and consistent filtering of IM communications, the software not only prevents interception, impersonation, and message modification, but also reduces the exposure to viruses and protects confidential data.

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Intetics Co. helps instant messenger users stay secure

Client

Zone Labs, a Check Point company, is a leading creator of award-winning security solutions and one of the most trusted brands in the Internet community. The company’s endpoint security product line is deployed in global enterprises, small businesses, and consumers’ homes, protecting them from Internet-born threats.

Challenge

Employees of about 85% of U.S. companies are reported to connect to public instant messaging (IM) services from the office. On the downside, insufficient security offered by IM providers poses a threat of virus infection, intellectual property interception, impersonation, and message tampering. Zone Labs came up with a new idea for a security solution for major IM services like MSN, AOL, and Yahoo. To develop the application, the company needed to put together a new team that would have the appropriate knowledge and skills, so Zone Labs turned to Intetics to assemble a dedicated development team at Intetics Offshore Development Center.

Solution

The dedicated development team started as a small group of information security experts selected by Zone Labs with Intetics’ assistance. The team conducted a thorough research of conventional IM security tools. Most tools proved to be program- and even version-dependent, which justified the encryption-per-protocol approach worked out by Zone Labs. The new software was supposed to function on the protocol level and, as a result, it was not going to be bound to specific IM programs or their versions. During a year, the development went through incremental research, prototyping, and implementations to resolve numerous engineering problems and challenges, all resulting in a successful launch of IMsecure, a unique security product providing comprehensive protection for IM communications. IMsecure guarantees total privacy of communication, preventing interception of confidential information, reducing the exposure to viruses, and protecting IM users from spam.

Results

In conditions of developing a new innovative product, the offshore dedicated team proved to be the most effective organizational structure, strategically important for the success of the venture. Gene Linetsky, Vice President of Zone Labs, states: “We at Zone Labs have worked with the offshore dedicated team provided by Intetics for over three years, with great success. They know what they are doing, are highly professional, listen to their customers, stand behind their work, and are not too expensive. The quality of work is consistently high and development processes are well established.” Direct control and management of the offshore dedicated team allowed Zone Labs to make the project implementation time- and cost-efficient. Since the start of the project, the team expanded from 5 to 20 specialists and, along with the in-house staff, became an integral part of Zone Labs. The knowledge and skills accumulated by the team were further employed by Zone Labs to perform diverse tasks and develop more new products.