FaceTime Communications has launched a new Web-based guide at www.GreynetsGuide.com to serve as a comprehensive reference center to help enterprise network administrators better understand evasive and consumer-oriented applications.
Greynets are Internet-enabled, communication applications that are typically installed by end users without the sanction of corporate network managers. They can include public IM clients, P2P file-sharing, anonymizers, IPTV and consumer VoIP that are increasingly being adopted by employees.
The guide details the source, behavior and effective removal tools for more than 600 greynet applications of concern to IT managers. FaceTime is also offering RTDiscover, a free tool that lets IT managers gain visibility into the greynet traffic that is traversing their networks.
According to a 2007 survey, “Greynets in the Enterprise: Third Annual Survey of Trends, Attitudes and Impact,” conducted by NewDiligence Research and commissioned by FaceTime, the number of greynet applications installed at a typical work location has increased significantly in the past year. According to the survey, the number of work locations with eight or more greynet applications in use has almost tripled in the last three years.
The cost of greynet usage can be very high. A recent survey revealed IT managers reported spending an average of nearly $289,000 annually to repair or re-image company PCs after malware attacks that occurred over greynets. On average, IT managers experience nearly 39 incidents per month that require some kind of repair or remediation to end-user PCs, and each repair requires, on average, about nine hours of work.
For more information, visit: www.GreynetsGuide.com and www.facetime.com.
