Manheim Taps StandGuard Anti-Virus for Protection
 ATLANTA,
GA -- In a perfect world, there would be no viruses. In reality,
news of viruses increases week after week; and the outlook
calls for more targeted and malicious attacks. In the
face of such risks, the world’s top companies are taking steps
to ensure that their systems remain clean and their customers
protected.
Manheim,
the world's leading provider of automotive services to commercial
sellers and automobile dealers, has turned to StandGuard
Anti-Virus, the world’s first and only native anti-virus solution
for the iSeries, to protect their systems.
In addition to
offering multiple selling opportunities and a full array
of services—including
reconditioning, certification, title management, and dealer
floor planning—Manheim
is also the leading technology provider for the used vehicle
remarketing industry, supplying tools that help commercial
sellers and dealers to not only manage their businesses but
also to realize the full value of their vehicles. In short,
Manheim impacts every stage of a used vehicle's life cycle.
Manheim is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises.
A
global organization with 32,000 employees at its 124 worldwide
locations, and 2002 sales of 5.1 million used vehicles worth
more than $54 billion, Manheim requires reliable, battle-tested
technology to manage their multiple systems.
The issue of viruses residing on the
iSeries is not new to Manheim. They have been attentive to
the threat for some time. Unfortunately, the options available
prior to the release of StandGuard Anti-Virus required the
use of PC-based scanners that were not designed for the iSeries,
providing less than adequate coverage.
StandGuard Anti-Virus is powered by McAfee’s
top-ranked scanning engine, the same engine used in PC versions
of McAfee VirusScan. Since Manheim was already using McAfee’s PC
solution, they were in a good position to judge the speed
benefits of StandGuard Anti-Virus’s
OS/400-native engine. “We have been running the PC-based McAfee
product, and found that the run-times for the native iSeries
product were significantly shorter,” explains Brooks. In fact,
in real-world use StandGuard Anti-Virus has achieved scanning
speeds as high as 18 files per second. The speed on a given
scan is influenced by a number of factors including processor
type, number and size of files, and resources allocated.
Striking the Target
No method, including firewalls and e-mail
protection, can keep out all viruses, so the approach must
be to remain vigilant in scanning. While many believe that
the iSeries is immune and cannot harbor viruses, Brooks holds
a different view. “Since
the IFS on the iSeries can behave like any network share,
we have found that it can pose a number of problems as a
host for viruses.”
When
asked if scans had uncovered any surprises, Brooks cut to
the chase. “We
definitely found virus files when we used SGAV. We were not
surprised, as we knew they were there; we just needed an
efficient way to eradicate them. On most of our systems we
have found several hundred virus files; but, in some cases,
we have found thousands.”
To date,
there have been no reports of a virus affecting OS/400 itself
or damaging the iSeries, so does the mere presence of viruses
on the IFS really pose a threat? “We have had people click on files
in the folders on the iSeries IFS and infect their PCs and
others,” says
Brooks. “We are also starting to see some effect on iSeries disk
usage and performance.”
With StandGuard Anti-Virus’s speed
and advanced detection techniques, including heuristic scanning
to detect not only known viruses but many that are still
unknown, Manheim has finally put an end to this proliferation
and performance erosion.
Doing
Business with Confidence
Indicating virus prevention and elimination
to be one of Manheim’s
top priorities, Brooks is happy to at last have a native
tool in his arsenal. “I have been very impressed with the way SGAV
works, and feel confident that the iSeries systems where
it is running are not passing viruses across our network.” He also
adds that “since
the implementation of SGAV, we do not have to constantly
look at open shares to make sure they are clear of virus
files.” That
in and of itself is a big time saver.
Manheim scans their major system
file shares daily, and finds that the implementation of a
native solution has increased the security and reliability of their systems,
allowing them to maintain their high standards of automotive services
around the world with even greater confidence by keeping viruses in check
with StandGuard Anti-Virus.
Get more
information about StandGuard Anti-Virus
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After Ted, Other Airlines Consider Offshoots
DENVER, CO -- With the initial
positive reaction to United Airlines' new low-cost carrier, "Ted," other
airlines are considering similar moves.
But
just who is "Ted"? The name comes from the last three
letters of "United," a clever way of tying in the new brand
with the parent company while at the same time making passengers
feel as if they are flying with the guy next door.
"Ted offers customers
a simple and affordable pricing structure with just six everyday
fares. In addition, Ted offers promotional fares on selected
routes," explains
a United Airlines press release.
"Ted combines low fares with high-quality
service to produce a truly unique flying experience.
Customers can earn Mileage Plus frequent flier miles on all
Ted flights and redeem miles for award travel to more than 680 destinations
worldwide; seating is pre-assigned; and Ted customers can expect seamless
travel around the world on all United offerings, including United mainline,
United Express and Star Alliance partners.
"Ted flights feature free,
exclusively designed in-flight entertainment programs and
all Ted planes contain a dedicated Economy Plus section with four extra
inches of legroom to reward loyal customers."
Like what you hear but don't live near
a Ted route? Don't worry, there may soon be more neighborly
airlines filling the skies.
Some possibilities include:
Wes
This airline, an offshoot of Northwest, also possesses
that casual man's name that makes you feel like your riding
shotgun with your buddy.
Like Ted, "Wes" would offer specially
created entertainment including complimentary in-air
board games. If turbulence becomes a problem, you can collect
your scattered game pieces and turn on any of six select music channels
featuring theme songs from popular network TV shows, including hits from
NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, UPN*, and the WB.
* UPN offerings may be limited.
Las
You might think this is an import from Scotland, but you'd
be wrong. It's actually an offering from Alaska Airlines.
Unlike
Wes, "Las" forgoes fun and games
in favor of a truly Alaskan experience: cold. The seats
on Las are sculpted from ice and the cabin temperature is
kept at a crisp 16 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot coffee is available on flights,
but is served is tightly sealed sippy cups to avoid damage to the plane caused by spills.
Can
The name doesn't describe what you'd be flying
in, but it might as well. A branch of American Airlines, "Can" flies exclusively small propeller planes refurbished from
the 1940s. Families of six or more are advised that separate
flights may be necessary.
Del
A low-cost option from Delta, "Del" caters to the tech
crowd through its special agreement with Dell computers. Each seat in "Coach
Plus" class features a laptop that folds out of the seat in front.
(Sorry front row passengers, just enjoy the extra legroom
and don't complain.)
Passengers in standard Coach class may
enjoy a wide variety of Dell computer ads ripped from magazines.
Con
Injecting excitment into the air travel market,
Continental's offering, "Con," embraces the concept of "mystery pricing." Passengers would
compete in a web-based game in which special links on certain
pages lead to different prices for the same seat. Whereas
one passenger might get seat J12 for $5, another might dish
out upwards of $500.
Ron
Another buddy you might pal around with, happy days are here again with this low-cost option
from Frontier Airlines that invites you to take a trip into the psyche
of Ron Howard. Starting with reruns of The Andy Griffith Show and moving on
to such hits as Village of the Giants and Happy Mother's
Day, Love George, and then on to Splash, Backdraft, and A Beautiful
Mind, "Ron" passengers will become intimately aquainted
with the child actor turned director through in-flight entertainment
offerings.
So it looks like air travelers may soon have a
wider variety of options—with
a few fun twists thrown in. Experts are hopeful that these
moves will help the airline industry rebound from its
continuing post 9/11 slump.
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