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Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 05:34:24 GMT
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PLATINUM AutoSecure Single Sign On
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November 17, 1997
PLATINUM technology Simplifies Security Administration with LDAP Directory-Based AutoSecure Single Sign On Oakbrook Terrace, IL, November 17, 1997 PLATINUM technology, inc. (NASDAQ:PLAT) today announced a new version of its PLATINUM AutoSecure Single Sign On (SSO) security product. AutoSecure SSO increases user and administrator productivity, reduces costs of help desk support, and simplifies user administration, while maintaining information security. This version of AutoSecure SSO is the first solution to offer directory-based user security administration, which allows administrators to manage groups of users registered on multiple distributed servers from a single point. With AutoSecure SSO, users only need to remember one ID and password to securely log on to multiple applications and services. This significantly minimizes the problems of lost time and productivity caused when users forget their passwords and have to call the help desk to have passwords reset. A recent report from Forrester Research* stated that 20 percent of calls to corporate help desks were from users who had forgotten their passwords, and 56 percent of help desk calls were related to network resource access. Given these numbers, single sign on can help resolve a significant number of calls to the help desk. Eliminating multiple passwords, however, is only one element of a single sign on solution. Organizations implementing such solutions need also to consider user authentication, authorization, password change control, and user administration, not just for the single sign on system but also for other security systems. AutoSecure SSO is one of the few solutions available that addresses all of these issues. "When you think about using single sign on, you have to also think about the administrative issues specifically, how do I keep track of all my users, and how do I assign who gets access to which resources," said Bob Peterson, vice president of PLATINUM’s security product development. "Both single sign on and user administration can be costly if not properly addressed. The time and money that companies save on the user-side by installing single sign on, could be lost on the administrator-side if the proper administration tools aren’t in place. Our large customers want to be able to integrate their security solutions with their corporate directories. They also want to put information security closer to the company’s departments by managing users in business groups rather than on a server-by-server basis. By supporting LDAP directory technology, our AutoSecure SSO Version 5 release provides a visionary, effective security solution that responds to these user requirements." "Single sign on is important because users need a simple process for secure access to network resources. Most corporate users can’t remember more than three passwords, and the average user has to remember six or more; single sign on reduces that number to one," said Steven Foote, director of strategic research at Hurwitz Group. "But administration issues are just as important, and PLATINUM’s directory-based approach is an efficient solution to many problems associated with user security administration." Directory Technology Allows for "Zones of Administration" Increasingly, organizations need to be able to administer all users within a logical grouping (e.g. "all finance," "all sales") from a single point. But this can be difficult when the users in the group are geographically dispersed and registered on different servers. AutoSecure SSO’s directory-based administration allows organizations to designate "zones of administration" which span multiple servers and include only those users who belong to specific groups. PLATINUM’s directory integration utilizes LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) technology, which has been endorsed by all major directory vendors. The integration of AutoSecure SSO with this directory technology allows security administrators to perform single sign on administration functions from a single point, for all users in a given group, and also enables administration of very large numbers of users. "The true benefit of this directory technology is that it allows IT staff to delegate security administration by grouping users in a logical fashion by business function, for instance regardless of the physical location of the servers on which the users are registered," said Tom McHale, chief architect of PLATINUM’s security products. "An administrator can be authorized to manage a specific group from a single point without having to log into each server individually." For example, if a global manufacturing firm had accounting department staff in Hong Kong, New York, and London, an administrator could create a finance group containing only those accounting staff members, and could easily maintain access privileges for that group. "One of the key issues facing information security professionals is the management of resources across a multi-platform computing environment," said Mike Milliard, a senior analyst at Yellow Technology, the IT division of Yellow Freight System, one of the top transportation companies in the U.S. "In these heterogeneous environments, the LDAP protocol is a key tool in enterprise security administration. Using an LDAP standards-based directory service for security administration means different security products can use a common source for resource information across an enterprise." Yellow Technology uses PLATINUM AutoSecure for security administration. Any LDAP-conformant directory, including Microsoft Active Directory and Netscape Directory Server, can be integrated with AutoSecure SSO. For those organizations that do not have a directory in place, PLATINUM can supply the i500 Enterprise Directory Server from ICL Inc., as part of the AutoSecure SSO solution. Pricing and Availability Pricing for PLATINUM AutoSecure SSO Version 5 starts at $125 per user. AutoSecure SSO is available now from PLATINUM technology, inc. PLATINUM is demonstrating its security products, including AutoSecure SSO, in Booth #712 at the Computer Security Institute exposition, November 16-18 at the Sheraton Washington in Washington, DC. For sales information, call PLATINUM at (800) 442-6861 or (630) 620-5000. All PLATINUM technology, inc. product names and product category names are trademarks of PLATINUM technology, inc. Other company names and product names referenced herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective corporation. * Statistics from "Computing Strategies: Rethinking Desktop Support," The Forrester Report, Volume 14, Number 9, July 1997, Forrester Research. For more information please visit http://www.forrester.com. All prices based in US terms only. Pricing varies with configuration and processor class/group. © 1995, 1997 PLATINUM technology, inc. All rights reserved. 800-442-6861 630-620-5000 Fax: 630-691-0718 |