AT&T unveils security alert service

AT&T last week launched one of the first proactive services designed to alert users that their network might be under attack.

The carrier's Internet Protect service relies on a Security Operating Center team manned by hundreds of security analysts to notify customers immediately in the event of an attack, AT&T says. Users have been looking for tools that are more proactive about letting them deal with a worm or denial-of-service (DoS) attack.

"They are ahead of the curve at the security game," says Maribel Lopez, a vice president at Forrester Research. "It's becoming increasingly important to enterprises going forward that they have a proactive service."

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AT&T last week launched one of the first proactive services designed to alert users that their network might be under attack.

The carrier's Internet Protect service relies on a Security Operating Center team manned by hundreds of security analysts to notify customers immediately in the event of an attack, AT&T says. Users have been looking for tools that are more proactive about letting them deal with a worm or denial-of-service (DoS) attack.

"They are ahead of the curve at the security game," says Maribel Lopez, a vice president at Forrester Research. "It's becoming increasingly important to enterprises going forward that they have a proactive service."

AT&T guarantees that if it fails to proactively alert Internet Protect customers, it will refund the monthly fee for the service, says Eric Shepcaro, vice president of emerging services. The refund will be at least $2,500, the starting monthly price for the offering.

The service is tied in with the carrier's BusinessDirect Web Portal, where IP customers can monitor network performance, issue and track trouble tickets, order circuit tests and pay bills. Customers also receive detailed information through the Web portal about traffic spikes, ports and protocols that are affected, and security threats throughout the Internet.

Once AT&T's staff determines there is a real attack and not a false positive, the company immediately contacts the customer through pager, mobile or landline phone. The customer then can access his BusinessDirect Web Portal, where information is graphically displayed to show the traffic spike and recommended fixes.

AT&T plans to integrate its Internet Protect service with its Network Based Firewall service launched last year, says Stan Quintana, vice president of managed security services at AT&T.

In addition to recommending network changes that could stop an attack, AT&T can work with the customer to make those changes at the Network Firewall level, Quintana says. AT&T is testing this capability and expects to roll it out by early next year.

The carrier also announced its Personal Firewall service last week. This lets IT managers make policy changes on firewalls deployed on remote user's computers or laptops to ensure all employees maintain company security policies.

Personal Firewall costs about $3.50 to $5 per user, per month. Internet Protect starts at $2,500 per month. Both fees are on top of a customer's monthly IP service expenses.

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