In the wake of the Nimda and Code Red worms, research firm Gartner Inc. issued a report recommending that organizations "immediately investigate" alternatives to Microsoft Corp.'s IIS (Internet Information Server) systems, in favor of Web server software from vendors such as iPlanet and Apache. In response, SupportWizard, the leading Web-based customer support company, today announced full support of Apache HTTP Server on Windows NT/2000. Now, companies can deploy SupportWizard Enterprise Edition 4.0, backed by a secure Web server.

The Nimda and Code Red viruses are only the latest examples in a long history of IIS security problems. Some members of the IT community are blaming system administrators for the worms' spread; however, the security holes in IIS make it difficult, if not impossible, to prevent such attacks. According to IT World, "about a dozen security flaws affecting IIS or various additional components of the software have been discovered in 2001."

In order to combat these viruses, Microsoft recommends installing various patches and service packs almost weekly on virtually every PC and server running IE, IIS Web servers, or the Outlook Express e-mail client - clearly a very time-consuming process. Furthermore, patches are not cure-alls; they do not guarantee resistance to new worms.

Amore constructive solution is to follow Gartner's recommendation to move to a more secure web server. The award-winning Apache HTTP Server is robust, commercial-grade, feature-rich, free, and most importantly, secure. Says Gartner, "Although these Web servers [iPlanet and Apache] have required some security patches, they have much better security records than IIS and are not under active attack by the vast number of virus and worm writers."

Says Bridget Conrad, VP of Business Development at SupportWizard, "Effective customer support and issue tracking are mission-critical applications for all companies. In light of the Gartner report, we feel that it is only prudent to support alternatives to Microsoft IIS on the Windows platform. Apache HTTP Server is a powerful and secure solution that we have always recommended on Linux, Solaris and FreeBSD. We are delighted to add support on the Windows platform."

SupportWizard Enterprise Edition 4.0 is a 100% Web-Based, fully customizable FAQ, Helpdesk, and Issue-Tracking software solution that streamlines a company's support operation by integrating Web-based, e-mail, and telephone communications into a single, easy-to-use system. SupportWizard automates the processing of new questions with fully customizable workflows, automatic e-mail response and notification, user-defined escalation rules, customizable Java chart reporting, and sophisticated control over access. The product also permits complete customization of fields, choices, look-and-feel, and user groups and permissions.