RSA transforms enterprise authentication with big data-driven risk analytics

Issued by Redline a division of DRAFTFCB for EMC Southern Africa
Johannesburg, 04 Mar 2013

News summary:

* EMC has announced the release of RSA Authentication Manager 8, adding a new risk-based authentication option that leverages big data analytics to help organisations achieve a higher level of identity assurance in enterprise, cloud and mobile environments.
* Combining the industry's most popular RSA SecurID one-time password technology with risk-based authentication, RSA Authentication Manager 8 is engineered to analyse dozens of risk factors invisibly to verify and authorise end-user access to corporate or cloud-based resources without compromising convenience or productivity.
* The solution is designed to lower total cost of ownership, simplify administration, and it works with all customer deployments of current and active RSA SecurID hardware, software and mobile authenticators.
* RSA Authentication Manager 8.0 is RSA's most innovative authentication system to date and is the cornerstone of RSA's Adaptive Identity & Access Management portfolio.

Full story:

As today's IT infrastructures become more fragmented across cloud-based applications and mobile devices, enterprise network boundaries are all but disappearing. At the same time, the 'consumerisation' of IT means that even enterprise users demand simple, transparent access to applications and information, no matter which device they choose to use. Organisations confront unprecedented identity risk arising from these key technology disruptions, and the task of creating and maintaining trusted relationships is becoming more difficult than ever.

Addressing these challenges, RSA, The Security Division of EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC), today announced the upcoming release of RSA Authentication Manager 8, the next-generation access control solution engineered to combine both strong one-time password technology and risk-based authentication to secure access to sensitive data and resources in the enterprise and the cloud.

IT recognised as key to driving EMEA business growth in 2013

RSA Authentication Manager 8 is engineered to use a risk-based approach to evaluate and assure user identities transparently. User login processes are fast, familiar and simple, while RSA's self-learning Risk Engine conducts authentication checks in the background against a number of unique risk factors to help assure the security of every user session.

Leveraging big data analytics, RSA Authentication Manager 8 is designed to provide deeper visibility into access control risk by building rich user profiles based on both device and behavioral characteristics to detect and permit normal behaviour and challenge or block anomalous activity. By providing automated access control measures that leverage dozens of unique risk factors, RSA Authentication Manager 8 is engineered to provide secure access control that goes well beyond standalone two- and multi-factor authentication methods, helping to give organisations a higher level of identity assurance without compromising user convenience or productivity. With the potential to employ more than 100 risk factors in near-infinite combinations, organisations are better equipped to evaluate trust and risk based on user activity and can establish an acceptable level of authentication assurance based on individual risk tolerance.

RSA Authentication Manager 8 is engineered to deliver:

* Protection against advanced threats - RSA Authentication Manager takes an intelligence-driven security approach to detect unauthorised access and anomalous activity, while the self-learning risk engine protects against current, emerging and future advanced threats.
* Lower total cost of ownership and improved manageability -The built-in features, including an enhanced administrator user dashboard and self-service portal, are designed to help both minimise helpdesk calls and enable IT teams to do more with less, by addressing many of the most time-consuming and costly tasks of managing a traditional enterprise authentication deployment. In addition, RSA Authentication Manager 8 includes secure software token provisioning, ensuring that sensitive token or user information can be created dynamically and without having to be sent over the Internet.
* Flexibility of choice - Risk-based authentication can be deployed alongside RSA SecurID hardware, software and on-demand authenticators. Use cases can be expanded to cover applications and users including temporary employees, contractors and partners that were previously viewed as too cost-prohibitive to cover using strong authentication.
* End-user convenience - Increases security transparently without compromising user convenience by preserving the traditional logon experience of username/password and conducts risk assessments invisibly in the background.

Additionally, RSA Authentication Manager 8 will be available as a VMware Virtual Appliance, which can help organisations leverage the potential of their virtual environments by streamlining deployment, administration and ongoing system management.

RSA Authentication Manager 8 is the cornerstone of the RSA Adaptive Identity & Access Management Portfolio. It leverages the same risk engine technology found in RSA Adaptive Authentication, which today protects more than 350 million consumer identities, and combines it with the power of RSA SecurID technology to provide a solution both flexible and strong enough to meet the diverse needs of any enterprise. When combined with RSA Access Manager and RSA's federated solutions, RSA Authentication Manager is engineered to support the broadest range of enterprise use cases and cloud applications.

Analyst quote:
Jason Malo, Research Director, Tower Group
"With the number of significant breaches we've seen this year, it's no secret that static authentication solutions are falling short. Next-generation authentication solutions must be able to adapt as risk levels change and threats become more sophisticated. Merging big data analytics with strong authentication technologies is a good first step to answer this call and helps fulfil a growing need in the market."

Partner quote:
Joseph Arbellay, Senior System Engineer, ComProSec
"Strong authentication is the foundation of IT security. RSA has listened to customer requirements, and with RSA Authentication Manager 8, it has definitively changed the game with regards to offering a comprehensive solution and strongly enhancing product manageability and usability."

RSA executive quote:
Manoj Nair, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, RSA Identity & Data Protection
"As the enterprise perimeter continues to disappear and the threat landscape continues to change, so must our approach to authentication. Today, only 20% of enterprises deploy some form of strong authentication for their users - leaving the other 80% at risk. Our goal with RSA Authentication Manager 8 is to turn what is fundamentally a big data problem into a cost-effective and seamless solution that can help protect 100% of users. By leveraging a big data risk analytics approach, we are taking the next step towards creating an "infinite factor" system where nearly any element, device attribute or behaviour can be part of the equation to calculate risk and authenticity of a user, while making it simpler and more effective for the end-user."

Availability
RSA Authentication Manager 8 will be available worldwide in Q1 2013.

Additional resources:
* Learn more about RSA Authentication Manager 8
* EMC Pulse Blog: "Transforming Identity Assurance Through Risk-Based Authentication"
* Connect with RSA via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and the RSA Speaking of Security Blog and Podcast

RSA

RSA, The Security Division of EMC, is the premier provider of security, risk and compliance management solutions for business acceleration. RSA helps the world's leading organisations succeed by solving their most complex and sensitive security challenges. These challenges include managing organisational risk, safeguarding mobile access and collaboration, proving compliance, and securing virtual and cloud environments.

Combining business-critical controls in identity assurance, encryption and key management, SIEM, security analytics, data loss prevention and fraud protection with industry-leading GRC capabilities and robust consulting services, RSA brings visibility and trust to millions of user identities, the transactions that they perform and the data that is generated. For more information, please visit www.EMC.com/RSA.

EMC, RSA and SecurID are either registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other products and/or services referenced are trademarks of their respective companies.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under the Federal Securities Laws. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in information technology spending; (iii) the relative and varying rates of product price and component cost declines and the volume and mixture of product and services revenues; (iv) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures and new product introductions; (v) component and product quality and availability; (vi) fluctuations in VMware's operating results and risks associated with trading of VMware stock; (vii) the transition to new products, the uncertainty of customer acceptance of new product offerings and rapid technological and market change; (viii) risks associated with managing the growth of our business, including risks associated with acquisitions and investments and the challenges and costs of integration, restructuring and achieving anticipated synergies; (ix) the ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; (x) insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory; (xi) fluctuating currency exchange rates; (xii) threats and other disruptions to our secure data centres or networks; (xiii) our ability to protect our proprietary technology; (xiv) war or acts of terrorism; and (xv) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in the filings of EMC Corporation, the parent company of RSA, with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. EMC and RSA disclaim any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

Editorial contacts

RSA transforms enterprise authentication with big data-driven risk analytics

RSA Authentication Manager 8 will deliver next-generation access protection, combining industry-leading RSA SecurID technology with risk-based authentication for identity assurance.