Security experts gather for CSI Conference

Finally, computer firewall company Zone Labs Inc. will unveil a new version of its Integrity security management product. Zone Labs Integrity 4.5 includes features that enable the product to enforce security policies from devices that use the 802.1x and EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) standards. That will enable Integrity to work with more than 200 network devices such as switches and wireless access points that support the standards, according to Fred Felman, vice president of marketing at Zone Labs. For prior versions, Zone Labs worked individually with large vendors such as Cisco Systems Inc. and Nortel Networks Corp. to integrate Integrity with their networking products, he said.

Zone Labs is also announcing new features in Integrity that will help customers control the use of popular instant messaging (IM) applications on their network, Felman said. The new IM security allows network administrators to centrally manage use of popular IM clients such as America Online's AOL Instant Messenger, Microsoft Corp.'s MSN Messenger and Yahoo Inc.'s Yahoo Messenger clients. Administrators use a central interface to set policies that enforce the use of encryption between IM correspondents and block buffer overflow attacks against the IM clients on the desktop, Felman said.

While security technology companies have long used CSI as a platform for publicizing their products, show organizers are also noting interest from companies that are not strictly in the security space, Keating said. The presence of network equipment leaders like Cisco and Nokia Corp. at this year's show are evidence of the heightened importance security concerns have for technology purchasers, he said. "Even though these companies are not thought of as vendors of security products, it's important to them that their customers understand their products are secure," he said.