.
You might remember (or even still use) the original ZIP for DOS -- initially developed to save precious network bandwidth by compressing files. And you're probably aware that over time, PKWare improved this ubiquitous technology to keep up with enterprise needs, such as archiving multi-gigabyte-sized files and providing easy deployment tools for IT staff.
But you may not know about a different branch of the product, SecureZIP, which I've watched evolve since Version 4. I just finished testing the new SecureZIP v11, and I found that its strong encryption and central management features (available in the Enterprise Edition) are especially appropriate for helping organizations protect data against theft or unauthorized access.
The Enterprise Version's built on top of the free SecureZIP, which itself has a number of improvements, plus three major new features. To start, SecureZIP has the staples of PKZIP: a very simple user interface and various data compression settings. Just drag files to the main window and they're compacted. Using a wizard or options listed on the Secure Toolbar, I then applied encryption, which can be a passphrase, X.509 digital certificate, or a combination of both.
SecureZIP had no trouble recognizing my certificates and those of my business colleagues. I could digitally sign files (or the entire archive) so recipients could validate that the data wasn't modified.
The new features extend Outlook, making it persistently secure. For example, I secured the e-mail message body in addition to file attachments. The process is very transparent: SecureZIP displays a clear dialog prior to sending the message, asking if you would like to zip and secure your message. Moreover, when someone forwards the message he or she can automatically change the encryption, so that file attachments don't have to be manually opened and re-encrypted.
I also appreciated the third new option, which encrypts Outlook calendar attachments. This addresses a possible security gap if your staff sends sensitive documents inside of meeting invitations.
The Enterprise Edition allows IT administrators to centrally manage security policies through integration with Microsoft's Management Console. For instance, I easily set a Policy that ensured e-mail attachments were compressed and encrypted. Similarly, you could enforce a policy where every e-mail attachment is secured with a complex passphrase. These policies are then distributed to desktops using standard tools, such as Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS).
Further, the enterprise version integrates with Active Directory so certificates are automatically retrieved. And to reduce work for helpdesk staff, there's a master key to recover data and also to audit what data is sent over e-mail.
SecureZIP is clearly a Microsoft-centric product. But for the many organizations invested in Windows and Outlook, I think it's a worthwhile security alternative to more complex agent and network scanners for protecting e-mail and data files.
PKWare SecureZIP v11
Cost: Free for individual use; Enterprise Edition lists at $49.95 per user.
Verdict: SecureZip v11 adds multiple layers of strong security when compressing files and also sending e-mail using Outlook. The underlying SecureZIP software is just as easy to use as WinZIP, while including options to protect complete e-mail messages. The Enterprise Edition lets IT staff centrally manage and deploy security policies.
Posted by Mike Heck on April 26, 2007 11:51 AM
