Oblix, the leading provider of identity-based security solutions and BMC Software, Inc, the leader in enterprise management, today announced a new product called Oblix IDLink. Oblix IDLink, which was developed by Oblix in cooperation with BMC Software, facilitates end-to-end identity utilisation between Oblix NetPoint and CONTROL-SA by BMC Software.
By combining these two best-of-breed solutions, enterprise customers now have one Web-based system for managing all user information across their entire Web and IT environments.
Specifically, this integration provides a single management infrastructure to provide access control, manage digital identity information and provision both internal and external users for all Web-based applications and back-end heterogeneous IT resources.
As enterprise organisations continue to move more business initiatives online, IT environments become more complex. Both internal users (employees, contractors) and external users (customers, partners) need secure access to all types of applications-Web-based, mainframe and client-server.
Typically, managing identities and access rights for provisioning IT resources of users is accomplished using separate consoles, applications and data repositories than those used for managing identities and access rights to Web-based applications and resources.
Not only has this required IT departments to duplicate administrative tasks and increase their security risks, but this model for identity management does not cost-effectively scale as online business grows.
Oblix IDLink addresses this problem by providing the technology that combines the strengths of Oblix NetPoint Web access and enterprise identity management with CONTROL-SA enterprise user provisioning. With Oblix IDLink, Oblix NetPoint provides Web single sign-on to any enterprise application and an identity management infrastructure, COREid that CONTROL-SA by BMC Software can fully leverage to deliver enterprise-wide access management.
The same user identity information managed by Oblix NetPoint for Web access, now also drives uses CONTROL-SA`s user provisioning backbone across multiple back-end heterogeneous IT resources (Microsoft Active Directory, LDAP Servers, Unix, mainframes, email systems, HR and ERP and many others).
"We are seeing a huge need from our clients to have an end-to-end identity management system across their enterprise," said Joe Duffy, lead partner for the Security Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers. "The powerful combination of Oblix NetPoint for enterprise identity management and BMC Software CONTROL-SA for processing provides a state of the art enterprise wide identity management system for companies conducting business on the Web."
PricewaterhouseCoopers is presenting Oblix IDLink to several clients today and is receiving a very enthusiastic response on the integrated BMC Software and Oblix solution. The majority of these clients have very complex business environments and need an identity management infrastructure that enables them to scale their businesses while also reducing operational costs.
Specific features of the integrated solution include:
* Single point of control through the Oblix NetPoint GUI for managing digital identities and access rights for all users to all applications throughout the extended enterprise.
* Single process for end-to-end user-set-up, user changes and de-activation of user accounts in both Web-based and back-end IT resources.
* Single workflow system with automated requests and approvals for new users and their access to both Web-based applications and back-end IT resources.
* Combined role-based (access to applications based on a single attribute) and rule-based (access to applications based on a combination of roles or a specific business rule) provisioning and identity management, providing maximum flexibility in developing access rights for complex environments.
* End-to-end self-service and self-registration through one interface for all applications.
* End-to-end delegated administration for provisioning users to IT resources and user identity management to be distributed throughout the extended enterprise. Not only does Oblix IDLink produce operational cost savings by reducing the duplication of manual tasks, but it also increases security because access can be immediately discontinued to all resources for employees or business partners who are no longer permitted to access those resources.
"By integrating Oblix NetPoint with CONTROL-SA, we are able to give our joint customers a comprehensive identity management solution that delivers increased manageability and decreased costs," said Steve Lesem, vice president and business unit field executive, BMC Software. "This integration allows us to extend our provisioning capability into the Web environment and provides customers the ability to streamline their processes for granting access to any enterprise application."
"As organisations grow their online businesses, both in terms of people and applications, they need to find ways to cost-effectively scale their environments," said Gordon Eubanks, president and CEO, Oblix. "This integration with BMC Software provides customers the ability to deploy an end-to-end identity management solution that will scale with their growing business, no matter how complex the environment becomes. We are pleased to partner with BMC and provide this unique solution for our joint customers."
Oblix IDLink will be available within 90 days and will be priced on a per user basis.
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In addition to providing single sign-on capabilities to Web applications, Oblix NetPoint provides an identity infrastructure, COREid, which serves as the foundation for an entire e-business environment. By automating the process of making changes to user identity information and access privileges through a delegated administration and workflow system, Oblix NetPoint can significantly lower the cost of building and managing an e-business environment. This capability also makes it easy to keep user identity information in large and dynamic online environments up-to-date, so that critical information can remain secure regardless of the number of changes in users and security levels. Oblix NetPoint fully leverages an organisation`s existing infrastructure investments by offering the market`s broadest XML integration options.
CONTROL-SA
A centralised security administration product, CONTROL-SA allows security administrators to centrally manage and audit user access effectively. CONTROL-SA provides organisations with a secure, efficient and scaleable solution to ensure that employees and business partners have appropriate access to IT resources. For more information on CONTROL-SA, visit http://www.bmc.com/solutions/security/.
Cornastone
Cornastone is a leading IT products and services company in Southern Africa. Focused subsidiaries provides a wide range of services, including the deployment and support of Oblix NetPoint, BMC and COREid, while other companies within the group represent leading hardware and software brands to its customers. The Cornastone group is headquartered in Bryanston, Sandton, with operations in Gauteng, Cape Town, Maputo (Mozambique) and Windhoek (Namibia).
Cornastone can be reached on (011) 463 2636
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