F-Secure Policy Manager

F-Secure Policy Manager provides a scalable way to manage the security of multiple applications on multiple operating systems, from one central location. It can be used to keep security software up-to-date, manage configurations, oversee enterprise compliance, and scale to handle even the largest, most mobile workforce.

F-Secure Policy Manager is designed to enable the system administrator to monitor and manage critical security programs by using a single console.

The F-Secure Policy Manager is comprised of three components: the F-Secure Policy Manager Console, F-Secure Policy Manager Server and F-Secure Policy Manager Web Reporting. They provide the upper layers on the management architecture and are seamlessly integrated with the F-Secure Management Agents that handle all management functions on local hosts.

F-Secure Policy Manager Console provides a centralized management console for the security of the managed hosts in the network. It enables the administrator to organize the network into logical units for sharing policies.

The policies are defined in F-Secure Policy Manager Console and then distributed to the workstations through the F-Secure Policy Manager Server. F-Secure Policy Manager Console offers integrated GUI for first time deployments, updates, policy based management, status monitoring, alerting and reporting.

F-Secure Policy Manager Server is the repository for policies and software packages distributed by the administrator and for status information and alerts sent by the managed hosts. It provides scalability by working as an extension to the Apache web server.

Communication between F-Secure Policy Manager Server and the managed hosts is accomplished through the standard HTTP protocol, which ensures trouble-free performance on the LAN and WAN.

F-Secure Policy Manager Web Reporting is an enterprise-wide graphical reporting system included in F-Secure Policy Manager Server. The detailed graphical reports in F-Secure Policy Manager Web Reporting allow the administrator to identify computers that are unprotected or vulnerable to virus outbreaks before they actually occur.

F-Secure Policy Manager Web Reporting also gives the administrator visibility when the administrator wants to view the security settings and find the weak points of the network.

With F-Secure Web Reporting the administrator can quickly create interactive longterm graphical reports based on historical trend data using an intuitive web based interface. The administrator can produce a wide range of useful reports and queries from F-Secure Anti-Virus Client Security events, alerts and status information sent by the agent to the F-Secure Policy Manager Server.

The administrator can export reports in HTML file format. F-Secure Web Reporting provides over thirty pre-defined reports, which makes locating unprotected PCs, tracking virus outbreaks, validating security settings or presenting current security status in visual format very easy and quick.

Reports can be created, printed or exported as pie charts, line graphs, tables and three-dimensional bar charts. The administrator can easily create graphical and visual reports from executive summaries to very detailed information on F-Secure Anti-Virus Client Security events. F-Secure Web Reporting is integrated with a powerful SQL database, which guarantees its suitability for every size of a company.

F-Secure Automatic Update Agent fetches virus definition updates and informational content without interrupting your work. F-Secure Automatic Update Agent downloads files automatically in the background using bandwidth not being used by other Internet applications, so you can always be sure you have the latest updates without having to search the Web.

When the F-Secure Automatic Update Agent is connected to the Internet, it will automatically receive new virus definition updates within about two hours after they have been published by F-Secure.

F-Secure Policy Manager Proxy replaces AV-Proxy server as database update server. It offers a solution to bandwidth problems in distributed installations of F-Secure Anti-Virus for Windows by significantly reducing load on networks with slow connections by retrieving database updates from a local update repository rather than from the F-Secure Policy Manager Server.

F-Secure Policy Manager Proxy resides on a computer in the remote network. There should be one Policy Manager Proxy in every network that is behind slow network lines, retrieving database updates directly from F-Secure's Internet server and distributing them locally to the workstations.

Workstations in remote offices communicate with the Policy Manager Server in the main office, but this communication is restricted to remote management and alerting. The heavy database updates are redirected to the Policy Manager Proxy in the same local network.

F-Secure Management Agent enforces the security policies set by the administrator on the managed hosts and provides the end user a user interface and other services. It handles all management functions on the local workstations and provides a common interface for all F-Secure applications. It operates within the policy-based management infrastructure.