In a recent Channel Insider piece, editor, Larry Walsh gets to the crux of this significant addition of Microsoft FCI with Websense Data Security Suite. Larry hits the nail on the head with what this technology means for those presently, and provides forward-looking thoughts on how Websense bold vision for the future will aid organizations in the days to come.

From the article: Integrating more deeply with Windows Server allows Websense to leverage the embedded file classification system for easier identification of sensitive data and simpler deployment and management of DLP capabilities. Websense also will leverage Microsoft’s rights management features for more granular enforcement of data protection policies.

Beyond access to Microsoft’s vast partner network and monumental install base, Websense is pinning its hopes to the Microsoft cloud vision. As Microsoft pushes more applications and capabilities into the cloud, Websense sees an opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with Microsoft as a cloud-based security option.

Ray Kruck, Websense’s senior director of business development, said in a conversation with me that “we need to make our solutions accessible to those in the cloud and think about how to deliver our products for customers in the cloud.”

It’s a bold vision, considering no security vendor is currently delivering DLP in the cloud.

You can read about the Websense/Microsoft team-up to protect data here and try out Websense revolutionary DLP for Download here, which can get your organizaton up and running and your data protected in  minutes rather than hours.

The full text of Larry's article appears here.

Unprecedented rapid deployment available today at Websense.com;  removes DLP adoption barriers; increases time to effectiveness and shrinks DLP deployment time to a matter of minutes

SAN DIEGO, July 8, 2010 - Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN), a global leader in unified Web, data and email security solutions, today announced the availability of “DLP for Download,” the Websense® industry leading Data Security Suite that can be downloaded , installed and deployed in a matter of minutes from Websense.com.

Even though data breaches cost companies millions of dollars, DLP solutions have not been broadly adopted because they have been extremely complex to install.  These traditional first-generation solutions take months and hundreds of hours to deploy. Websense changes all of that with DLP for Download, which provides industry-leading, enterprise-class protection that can be downloaded and installed in just 30 minutes. With dramatically faster time-to-implementation and drastically lower total cost of ownership, this critical technology is finally ready for mass adoption in enterprises and midsize businesses.

The problem is not abating. Data breaches (such as the recent Aurora attacks on Google and other companies) routinely appear in today’s headlines. Such attacks target confidential and proprietary company data, and experts say that in many cases the costs of such breaches runs in the millions of dollars for investigation, fines and litigation. In a recent study, the Ponemon Institute placed the cost of certain data breaches as high as $204 per record and that such breaches cost organizations an average of $3.43 million (i).

For the first time ever, Websense DLP for Download makes data loss prevention available without a massive investment in time, resources and cost. And without the overhead of high integration and deployment costs. And without the burden of ongoing maintenance. With DLP for Download, enterprise-class protection is affordable and practical for companies that previously have not had the resources for an implementation or who faced insurmountable costs and complexity from legacy, first-generation solutions. Customers can download and evaluate the Websense DLP solution free for 30 days. It installs in approximately 30 minutes and can be easily purchased and used for a production deployment with no more than a change in the subscription key. Built-in deployment wizards guide administrators through setup and configuration, all from a single installer, while a policy-design wizard delivers point-and-click policy controls for compliance and protection of sensitive data. No other DLP solution provider provides such effectiveness and simplicity.