TECHNOLOGY AUDIT
Intelligent Information Transport
Platform
DataMotion
ABSTRACT
The Intelligent Information Transport platform (IIT), from DataMotion, is the foundation of a solution set that enhances and extends existing corporate business processes by providing easy-to-use and easy-to-deploy secure e-mail applications, as well as data capture and file transfer functionality. Many organisations neglect data security lamentably in their use of e-mail as a transactional system to deliver commercially sensitive business documents and files, and ignore the detriment caused to performance by using e-mail to transfer large files. The IIT platform, and the products that rest atop it, enable users to send sensitive e-mails reliably and securely, and add scalability and in-depth auditability. The same qualities are in evidence across the solutions’ handling of ad hoc or scheduled file transfers, and processing of users’ form-based input. IIT facilitates adoption via on-premise software, or a hosted (Software as a Service (SaaS)) solution and is built to accommodate integration within business processes, as well as with existing corporate e-mail infrastructure. Butler Group sees the company’s current work towards establishing partnerships with significantly sized services practitioners as an important milestone in its developing maturity, and a potential step forward in gaining footholds in international markets. The potential value and attractive pricing of IIT deserve broader attention within organisations of all sizes that have significant e-mail and other data transport workloads.
KEY FINDINGS
Can be readily integrated with applications and business processes.
Integrates with popular e-mail clients. Available as a hosted service, or as
installed software.
Enterprise-strength auditability, security, and scalability for any scale of adoption.
In-house deployment requires Microsoft technology stack.
Small-scale market penetration as yet beyond North America.
LOOK AHEAD
File size limits will be further increased in 2009, and further licensing flexibility and a full new release are also planned. DataMotion also intends to establish major partnerships to market IIT.
FUNCTIONALITY
Product Analysis
IIT is DataMotion’s term for an on-demand platform that enables organisations to move and manage information securely across the Internet, utilising their existing hardware and software infrastructure. IIT enables the information being transported to be governed, which includes, but is not limited to, management, filtering, tracking, auditing, and reporting. The DataMotion solutions combine in different ways to enable information to flow between people, systems, and processes, and can be deployed in a modular fashion to suit particular needs – they are also marketed so as to enable organisations to deploy IIT in-house, or to use DataMotion’s hosted solutions.
Figure 1 shows a number of solutions based on the IIT platform combining to exchange information between people (on the left hand side of the diagram) and the organisation’s processes (on the right hand side). The diagram happens to show data transport taking place via a hosted service, but IIT includes components that enable customers to deploy elements of the information transport mechanism in-house, if required. The solution components are as follows:
• SecureMail, which can be delivered as an in-house facility or as a hosted service, and which enables sending and receiving of secure and encrypted e-mail without requiring an end user to leave the e-mail client (Microsoft Outlook, and Outlook Express; Novell GroupWise; Lotus Notes; and Web-based e-mail clients are supported).
• DataForms, which provides facilities for users to enter data, which is then stored within the DataMotion-hosted / SaaS realm for subsequent handling by a workflow process, or by DataBridge. Typical uses of DataForms include collection of ‘Contact Us’ queries, feedback forms, and application input such as disclosure or insurance forms. DataForms is available as a hosted service or can be purchased and deployed in-house, and in either case a form (whether Web-based, or securely e-mailed in PDF form) can incorporate the company’s look and feel.
• DataTransfer, which enables operators and end users to exchange large files up to a service limit of 2GB each. The data is transferred via the DataMotion SaaS, where military-grade, triple-DES encryption is used (which uses the Data Encryption Standard (DES)). DataTransfer can be used for message-based transfer (i.e. attaching a large file to e-mail) and for file-based transfer, which utilises protocols already agreed by the exchanging parties, such as ftp/s and Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), to achieve automated exchange of data.
• DataBridge, a component which resides within the customer’s infrastructure and which manages import and export of data from and to the DataMotion SaaS, in order that it can be used by existing applications, or third parties such as customers or partners.
IIT platform-based products are normally integrated with any third-party workflow solution owned by the customer, in order for its facilities to be used alongside business processes. The solution set is intended to meet a wide range of business needs by combining flexibly, and underpinning with strong security, scalability, and manageability any organisational requirements for the collection of data, or its transfer to people or processes. For example, IIT has been used to deliver the following facilities:
• Automation of customer inquiries from a PDF or Web form, importing data and feeding it onwards in XML format to business applications.
• e-invoicing, wherein businesses can automate generation of high-volume invoices from systems such as SAP, secure and track their delivery, and resolve invoice disputes with their customers and suppliers. This eliminates the need to set up complex Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems to handle high-volume transactions where low margins make that approach too costly.
• Management of file transfers from existing data sources – commonly DataBridge is used to connect files in mainframe environments, or network file shares, to users via the Internet; an arrangement that can be extended to business partners and customers without causing exceptions in a corporate security context.
Figure 1: IIT Solution Set, Shown Accessing a Hosted Service
Source: DataMotion D A T A M O N I T O R
Product Operation
SecureMail is the appropriate means of transferring data that is intended for single, or few, recipients. It can be invoked for outbound mail via a facility that is easily integrated into users’ e-mail client programs (for Microsoft Outlook, Novell GroupWise, or IBM Lotus Notes users): a ‘Send Secure’ button. There are implementation options to allow security to be implemented at different parts of the solution, including mandating encryption at the user’s desktop; policy-based encryption at an e-mail gateway; or securely connecting to the DataMotion SaaS and having the service undertake encryption, allowing customers to adopt outbound mail encryption without making any changes to their e-mail infrastructure. SecureMail digitally encrypts all messages during transmission; maintains a two-way, secure communication with any Internet user; records the date and time the message was opened; uses encrypted server storage for messages; and uses RSA digital signatures to automatically verify message integrity.
The option of using a DataMotion e-mail gateway enables rules to be applied to e-mail traffic. Rules processing includes matching of text (e.g. to detect credit card data being used, or to meet compliance requirements by matching key words), and a number of actions can be taken including quarantining e-mail items, notifying administrators, or mandating encryption. The method of securing inbound e-mail enables the addressee to be only person who can read the content unencrypted (either via the user’s e-mail client, or by a URL link which is sent by e-mail, and which opens the message in the DataMotion SaaS, where the content is held).
The Web-based user interface and password entry characteristics of the SecureMail SaaS option may be adopted for an in-house deployment, this option providing an easy means of extending facilities to customers and partners.
Used for message-based transfer (with either the in-house or SaaS option), DataTransfer can move files up to 2GB (either clientlessly with a browser interface, or with an e-mail client using drag-and-drop). Many customers prefer the SaaS option to save the normal in-house e-mail system taking the load of transferring large files. Data transfer may be initiated by the recipient (i.e. using a ‘pull’ arrangement): clicking on the URL link in a notification e-mail sent to the recipient by IIT enables the recipient to initiate a download of the file. DataMotion offers Web Services APIs (written in SOAP and XML), enabling customers to integrate applications with the capabilities offered by the IIT platform. A reporting dashboard is included in IIT, and provides detailed user- and domain-level reporting and tracking, with metrics such as messages sent, messages opened, message size, and user log-on activity.
The foundation of the Microsoft Windows technology stack enables DataMotion’s services to be scaled using multi-processor servers, and to be load-balanced. Database and services tiers can also be clustered using the Microsoft Windows platform clustering technologies.
Product Emphasis
The IIT platform enables enterprise-strength secure e-mail, and data transfer capability to be adopted by organisations of any size. Requirements such as resilience, auditability, scalability, and handling large-sized e-mails exceed the capabilities of most organisations’ e-mail systems. Furthermore, IIT provides the ability to integrate e-mail, data file, and data form handling with business processes via standards-based protocols. The best news for organisations that see their own needs met in this strong list of capabilities is that no replacement of their existing messaging or application infrastructure is required in order to take advantage of DataMotion’s solutions, and also its availability via a SaaS option makes adoption easier and more cost-efficient than would be imagined, for a solution providing this extent of credibility and value.
DEPLOYMENT
DataMotion states that customers can typically be operational via its SaaS facility in approximately two hours, or in around four hours with on-premise installations. It recommends that customers’ IT operations staff have working experience with Microsoft Windows Server and Web Servers, as well mail server administration experience (with whichever is appropriate of Exchange, GroupWise, or Lotus Notes). During ongoing operations, there is no resource overhead on an organisation using the SaaS facilities, and monitoring of any on-premise installations (such as DataBridge) should require less than one hour per week.
Butler Group would regard it as highly advisable to have the skills of a Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE) for the ongoing management and maintenance of in-house solution elements – while the skills required might be those of a relatively junior technician, e-mail is now a mission-critical business system for most organisations, and therefore warrants a high degree of responsible care. Those considering the company’s hosted solution have the assurance that the DataMotion secure data centre resides in the US$100+ million NAC.Net complex – one of the largest and most prestigious data centres in the Eastern United States. This data centre allows the DataMotion SaaS to meet industry-mandated compliance, security, and fault-tolerance requirements.
System administrators can access three one-hour on-demand webinars for training purposes, and detailed technical administration user guides for administrators are provided along with any on-premise installation. DataMotion can undertake on-premise installations for a fee. Support is available from DataMotion in three ways: via e-mail, by phone, or by submitting a support case online via the DataMotion Web site.
All on-premise software installations can be resident on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Server platforms (Windows 2003 Server and Windows Server 2008), with load balancing and clustering features fully supported, and use Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or 2005 as data stores (which customers must license). Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 or 6.0 is required for the Web tier of IIT. An existing Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server can be utilised, or alternatively the built-in Windows SMTP service used.
DataMotion has introduced a flexible, pay-per-use pricing structure, innovatively based upon a customer’s expected annual usage – the more the customer expects to use the system, the lower the cost of each event. DataMotion affords flexibility when customers initially exceed planned usage limits, especially in the higher-volume usage bands. Standard customer reporting information enables organisations to identify chargebacks of their usage costs, to users or groups within their organisation, or to external customers.
PRODUCT STRATEGY
IIT is suitable for all vertical markets; however, DataMotion is currently targeting healthcare, insurance, financial services, and government. The company believes the solution to be scalable to the needs of any organisation that sends files or uses e-mail. It states that Return On Investment (ROI) is typically via savings achieved through reduction of charges for physical mail that can be eliminated due to the assurance and security of IIT, and also due to economic savings and business value arising from compliance with requirements such as privacy legislation. Using SecureMail as the core product for implementation of workflow-based processes can also generate increases in productivity and efficiency.
DataMotion positions IIT as fulfilling core needs such as automated governance (including management, auditability, tracking, filtering, and security) of informal data flows within the organisation, or across the Internet, along with data security.
Currently IIT is sold direct and via reseller channels, but DataMotion is actively seeking strategic partner opportunities, which Butler Group believes are important to enable it to achieve ‘critical mass’ in a highly competitive market area. It has key technology partnerships that support IIT with Microsoft (DataMotion is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner), Intel (with Premier Provider status), and RSA. DataMotion sees its major competitors as Axway, Proginet, Accellion, YouSendIt, BisCom, and IronPort (with its e-mail and encryption offering).
In 2008, 90% of the company’s new customers took up the SaaS option. For users of the SaaS option there are no support charges, although customers can pay a fee (based upon the number of user licences) for premium 24x7 support. IIT releases in 2009 are planned to focus initially on higher file size limits for DataTransfer, and a full release of new functionality subsequently.
COMPANY PROFILE
The founders of DataMotion have been engaged in data security since 1989 and founded their first company, Safetynet, in 1991. Safetynet provided software solutions to meet the security and access control needs of the US Department of Defense, and subsequently for commercial organisations. In 1995, Safetynet began using Internet-based software distribution, but immediately became aware of the significant security drawbacks inherent in delivering code over the open Internet. Over the next three years, the company developed a proprietary architecture to track the secure delivery of its software products, leading to the 1998 launch of the first CertifiedMail hosted service, the company name having been changed by that time eponymously. The company was rebranded DataMotion in October 2008, as it was felt that the name CertifiedMail was identified too closely with the e-mail space and did not properly reflect the company’s broader capabilities in governance of integration and collaboration technologies.
Its headquarters are in Morristown, NJ (the base mainly for sales, marketing, and administration), and the primary site for engineering, product development, and technical support, is in Portland, Oregon. DataMotion has 22 employees, of whom half are based in Morristown, and the rest (with the exception of two people based in California) at the Oregon site. The company expects to increase employee numbers by 50% or more during 2009.
DataMotion is privately held, and does not make its financial information available publicly, although it has stated that it achieved profitability in 2007, and that the majority of its revenues arise in the US (50% from sales in east coast locations, 15% from mid-west sales, and 15% from businesses on the west coast), only 20% being due to international sales. It numbers amongst its customers 100 organisations with in-house corporate licences, and 300 that use its hosted service – from these 400 and more organisations, over 400,000 individuals have access to the service. Sun Life is the company’s largest customer (with licences for 30,000 employees) and, like the following well known organisations that are also its customers, has enterprise server licences (except where otherwise identified):
• Guardian Life.
• UK Department of Fair Trade, which uses a SaaS deployment of Secure Workflow (see Figure 2).
• Sutter Health.
• Boston University.
• Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
• US Healthcare.
• RiteAid.
• Sovereign Bank.
Figure 2: DataMotion Products Forming the UK’s ‘Consumer Direct’ Service
Source: DataMotion D A T A M O N I T O R
SUMMARY
Corporate e-mail systems bear a heavy burden in terms of volume and performance requirements, and business expectations, which are too great to realistically be fulfilled, in many cases. Nevertheless, every organisation knows nowadays what a critical service for the business their e-mail service constitutes. DataMotion has long been a specialist in providing secure capabilities to augment corporate e-mail systems, and IIT now extends further to manage message- and file-based data transfers, and to capture user-entered form-based data and manage its transfer into business processes.
IIT is built to satisfy requirements for high security, auditability, resilience, and large-scale data and message transfers, and provides hosted service adoption options across its range of solutions. Butler Group believes that the approach of extending (rather than requiring replacement of) existing e-mail and data transfer infrastructure, and providing easy and cost-efficient adoption via the hosted IIT service, will be of significant appeal to the significant numbers of organisations that could plan to advance their business processes, and e-mail and data handling capabilities, with DataMotion’s valuable solutions.
Table 1: Contact Details DataMotion HQ 35 Airport Road Suite120 Morristown NJ 07960 USA Tel: +1 (973) 455 1245 Fax: +1 (973) 455 0750 E-mail: [email protected] www.datamotion.com Source: DataMotion D A T A M O N I T O R Headquarters Shirethorn House, 37/43 Prospect Street, Kingston upon Hull, HU2 8PX, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1482 586149
Butler Direct Pty Ltd.
Level 46, Citigroup Building, 2 Park Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia Tel: + 61 (02) 8705 6960 Fax: + 61 (02) 8705 6961 Butler Group 245 Fifth Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10016,
USA
Tel: +1 212 652 5302 Fax: +1 212 202 4684
Important Notice
This report contains data and information up-to-date and correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of preparation. The data and information comes from a variety of sources outside our direct control, therefore Butler Direct Limited cannot give any guarantees relating to the content of this report. Ultimate responsibility for all interpretations of, and use of, data, information and commentary
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