by Kody Hackbusch

Created on: April 23, 2010   Last Updated: May 06, 2010

In business today IT professionals and corporate executives alike recognize that data is now the most critical asset within any company’s infrastructure.  The continuous advancement of technology may add value and cut costs but it also carries with it newer, smarter and more dangerous threats to intellectual property.  A reputable, up to date and fully functional enterprise security software solution is now more important than ever.  Fortunately CA (Computer Associates), Sophos, Trend Micro and McAfee all have current release products that fit the bill.  Justified concern for the security of your company’s data has upgraded threat management software from a “should have” insurance policy into a mandatory cost of doing business.  That being said, choosing the right product is not always about the price tag or its features.  With an ever-changing threat landscape IT decision makers must now put more weight on product support and customer service.  To ensure that you make the most informed decision here is a breakdown of the top threat management solutions and their service support plan offerings:

CA’s Threat Manager for Enterprise is a new breed of network and data security software.  Run from a dedicated Web-based console this solution has the potential to lower your overall costs by eliminating much of the cross platform training associated with other enterprise level products.  Threat Manager support is offered at two levels: the Enterprise Maintenance Program or the Value Maintenance Program.  The value option includes technical support and customer service by phone during business hours, 5 days a week and 12 hours per day.  During these hours you will not incur any additional charges however you will have to pay per-incident for calls after these hours.  The benefit of upgrading to the Enterprise Maintenance Program is 24/7 phone support for severe issues.  Also the after-hours charges are eliminated under this plan.  Regardless of your support level CA gives you access to the 24/7 self service online support portal where you can download patches and updates or peruse the expert knowledgebase.

Sophos Endpoint Security and Data Protection includes anti-virus, NAC, encryption and a client firewall that can all be managed centrally reducing the hassle of multiple products being strewn across your network infrastructure.  Sophos product support is divided

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