Messageware has had a busy spring, attending no less than 4 security and technology tradeshows in North America and the UK, to showcase the upcoming release of our Microsoft Exchange and OWA 2013 security software. All of the events we attended were a huge success, and having had the opportunity to speak with both customers and prospects alike about their security concerns for Outlook Web App as they migrate to Exchange 2013 made our travels worthwhile.
The feedback that we received about Exchange 2013 and mobile email access was insightful, but not unexpected. The top three concerns that the organizations we spoke with are facing today with their mobile mail deployments were data breaches, OWA authentication security, and BYOD mail.
Data Breaches
The number one concern amongst those we talked to was related to data breaches – either through brute force attacks, unauthorized access to users’ OWA accounts, unsecured email attachments, printing emails, and copying data out of email – the sources are endless. We found that a number of organizations, unable to find an adequate solution to address their concerns, simply turned off OWA in the past as a preventative measure; not the best option for the advanced OWA 2013 interfaces and for users who are connected to their smart phones with expectations of wherever-they-go instant access to information.
OWA Logon Security
Protecting the OWA logon was one of the key security issues that attendees asked us about. They were concerned about protecting the OWA logon from data breaches, brute force attacks, and phishing attacks. We had a number of interesting conversations about two-factor authentication, one-time passwords, and other authentication security strategies. Many attendees were surprised when we showed them how these solutions alone will not prevent data breaches and data leakage. Session and navigation protection to prevent high-jacking of users’ OWA accounts, and protecting data and documents from being cached in folders or copied to clipboards (and left behind) on untrusted computers, were just some of the other real-world scenarios that are not addressed by solely focusing on multifactor logon protection. It is similar to locking the front door but leaving the back door and windows wide open for unauthorized individuals to get in and sensitive data to leak out.
BYOD Security & Exchange
To round out the top three concerns cited at the tradeshows this year, attendees were searching for mobile security solutions for their migration to Exchange 2013. One of the nice things about Outlook Web App for Exchange 2013 is the improved user interface and continuity between different devices. This, in conjunction with the release of the OWA App for iOS and the pending OWA App for Android, is leading users to gravitate more towards using OWA rather than ActiveSync on their mobile devices. OWA 2013 looks better, is more functional, and is now easier to use on both phones and tablets than ever before.
However, in terms of security, BYOD email and a mobile workforce have a lot of security and Microsoft Exchange personnel losing sleep at night. The problem is that email and email attachments contain a large amount of sensitive information, and when this information is downloaded to personal devices, there is imminent risk that it could fall into the wrong hands.
Messageware OWA security for Exchange 2013 provides solutions for all of these problems. Authentication security, DLP security, attachment security, navigation security, and session security – as an industry leader for the past 20 years, we have OWA covered from every angle. Our security solutions are found in a wide range of Exchange environments and aid our customers in complying with corporate security policies to compliancy requirements.
If you find yourself searching for similar solutions to these Security Issues, download a free trial of our OWA security software or ask us for a demo today!
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