Gateway Announces GatewayShield Security Initiative

March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gateway today announced GatewayShield, a comprehensive security initiative that brings data, Internet and hardware protection to its professional, small business and consumer customers. Gateway's modular approach lets customers buy a brand-new GatewayShield-protected system or select individual security options most suited to their needs for their existing PC.

"Security is quickly becoming the number one concern for our business and consumer customers," said William Diehl, vice president of product marketing for Gateway. "As a leading PC manufacturer, we have a responsibility to help them tackle this overwhelming challenge and protect their PC, information and digital assets. With GatewayShield, customers can be assured our current and future systems will always be armed with best-in-class hardware and software offerings, helping them manage their PC, network and communications security."

Securing Your Most Important Asset -- Your Data and Identity
Most PC users would agree, losing the data on their PC can be more devastating than coming up with the money to replace a stolen system. Not only was an estimated $5.4 billion in proprietary information stolen in 2004(1), but based on consumer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), more than 685,000 fraud and identity theft complaints were filed in 2005. Internet-related complaints accounted for 46 percent of all reported fraud complaints; 55 percent of these complaints were based on Internet solicitations with the majority, 35 percent, coming from email communications(2). To help customers fight this monumental threat, Gateway offers multiple security solutions across their desktop, notebook and server lines.

Starting with one of the industry's most robust security solution to date, Gateway professional notebooks and desktops include a powerful security chip, Trusted Platform Module (TPM), an industry-standard for meeting Trusted Computing Platform requirements. Integrated onto the motherboard, this chip can't be removed and provides enhanced protection against data theft by encrypting files, authenticating network access and passwords, and safeguarding email communications and file transfers. In addition to the hardware encryption, Gateway also includes Wave Software's EMBASSY Trust Suite Gateway Edition. This combination creates a much more secure environment than traditional passwords and software-based solutions that are vulnerable to hacking and cyber attacks. Ideal for IT-managed environments, Gateway PCs with TPM better protect critical applications and capabilities such as email, web access and local protection of data.

In addition to data encryption, Gateway offers a way for professional customers to actually remove sensitive data from a stolen system before it's compromised. With Gateway's Mobile Theft Protection Solution, Computrace Complete(3) customers can discretely and immediately delete data remotely from a missing notebook PC, ensuring confidential business or personal information is not compromised.

For professional customers running mission critical data centers, Gateway offers an enhanced level of security through comprehensive and cost-effective data replication and recovery software. Gateway servers and storage systems equipped with Topio Data Protection Suite (TDPS) can continuously copy and protect their data over any distance and across heterogeneous infrastructures. Working seamlessly with existing or evolving network and IT infrastructures, TDPS maintains a 100 percent, consistent replica of a businesses' source data; this recovery read image enables application failover in minutes -- while providing data currency up to the millisecond.

Gateway also offers data protection solutions for small businesses and consumers with Gateway's Complete Security Suite II. This bundle includes:

* Personal Data Vault -- encrypts and password protects data, providing a single secure place to store sensitive information.
* Recover Pro -- ensures applications and data can be recovered in case of virus attack, accidental file overwrite or Windows failure.
* Window Washer -- removes unnecessary files to retain your privacy and free up valuable disk space.
* Spy Sweeper -- fights malicious adware and spyware programs.

Guarding Against Online Threats
A constant battle for every PC user, the onslaught of Internet-based threats continues to rise. In 2005 there was a 240 percent increase in the number of new malicious programs introduced, including more than 46,000 new viruses, worms, Trojans and bots, compared to 13,000 threats in 2004(4). To guard against this continually evolving threat, Gateway makes it easy for small businesses and consumers to protect their information through a leading security software bundle -- McAfee Internet Security Suite(5). Featuring VirusScan, Personal Firewall Plus, SpamKiller and Privacy Service, this bundle automatically scans files, email attachments, and Internet downloads for harmful programs. Automated daily updates provide protection from the latest threats. Gateway offers a 90-day complimentary subscription when pre-installed on new systems. If purchased separately for installation on existing systems, customers can choose from 15, 24 and 36 month subscription offerings.

Gateway's proactive upgrade tool, BigFix(6), ensures small business and consumer systems are always armed with the latest security updates. With the customer's permission, BigFix identifies and sends messages offering upgrades to enhance the security of the system.

Gateway professional customers will appreciate Symantec Client Security (SCS), which proactively and comprehensively protects their systems from security risks and network intrusions such as blended threats, spyware, unauthorized network access and mass mailer attacks. Gateway offers a 90-day complimentary subscription to SCS when customers choose to have it pre-installed on new systems. All these solutions help customers meet the security guidelines outlined by the Department of Homeland Security and the Cyber Security Industry Alliance: install a firewall and keep it properly configured; install anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and keep it up to date; and regularly install updates for your computer's operating system(7).

Protecting Your Hardware
Because a notebook PC is stolen every 53 seconds(8) and the FBI reports that 97 percent of all stolen computers are never recovered(9), Gateway gives its customers the added protection of an optional theft recovery service, which uses tracking software to retrieve stolen systems. Gateway's Mobile Theft Protection Solution minimizes the fear and costs associated with a theft, or even worse, the resulting ramifications from the system's data being compromised or lost all together.

After a notebook PC has been reported as stolen, a recovery team works with local law enforcement agencies to retrieve the system. First, the team monitors the system for Internet access and then quickly and easily identifies who is using the system and their location by monitoring the IP address, the Internet Service Provider and the credit card, address, phone number and name on the ISP account. Armed with this information, local law enforcement agencies recover the system. Absolute Software reports a more than 90 percent retrieval success rate. Most recently, a Gateway notebook was tracked down in Nigeria, Africa after being stolen in Colorado.

All professional notebook PCs can be equipped with ComputraceComplete, a theft recovery service which is integrated into the notebook's BIOS. Activating the service is optional and subscription based. Consumer and SMB notebook models can be equipped with a similar service, Computrace LoJack for Laptops, a software based solution.

And while PC theft can't be eliminated entirely, Gateway rounds out its security offerings with an obvious but significant deterrent -- standard on all its notebooks, desktops and flat panel displays are reinforced lock slots, giving customers a quick and easy solution to a growing problem. With the addition of an inexpensive and simple-to-operate cable lock, customers can thwart crimes of opportunity with an "old fashioned" approach -- simply securing their system to a desk.

Pricing and Availability
For more information on GatewayShield offerings, including pricing and availability, customers can visit www.gateway.com/gatewayshield or call 1-800-GATEWAY. Solution providers and value added resellers interested in partnering with Gateway through the ProNet Partner Program can find more information at www.gateway.com/pronet.

(1) Source: Safeware Insurance, 2004
(2) Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data, January - December 2005, Federal Trade Commission, January 2006 http://www.consumer.gov/sentinel/pubs/Top10Fraud2005.pdf
(3) Services offered by Absolute Software Company, not Gateway. Terms and conditions may apply. Go to http://www.absolute.com/pdf/EULA.pdf for complete details.
(4) PandaLabs Annual Report 2005 http://www.pandasoftware.com/pandalabsreport
(5) 90 days of complimentary updates included. Internet connection required.
(6) Internet connection required.
(7) Department of Homeland Security and NCSA's 2006 Emerging Internet Threat List: Helping Consumers Prepare to Avoid Potential Threats. https://www.csialliance.org/home/DHS-NCSAUSThreats-02-14-06-FINAL.pdf
(8) Source: Safeware Insurance, 2004.
(9) Source: FBI http://www.absolute.com/Public/main/laptop-theft-statistics.asp

SOURCE Gateway, Inc.