Information technology is faced with the challenge of giving users the appropriate access, while ensuring corporate data is not at risk.
This is the view of Enrique Salem, president and CEO of Symantec, who says the solution to this problem lies in the ubiquity of identity-based security.
“We are poised to drive the adoption of identity security as the means to provide simple and secure access to anything from anywhere, to prevent identity fraud and to make online experiences more user-friendly and hassle-free,” says Salem.
This comes as Symantec signs an agreement to acquire VeriSign's identity and authentication business.
Under the terms of the agreement, Symantec has purchased specific assets from VeriSign, including the majority stake in VeriSign Japan, for the purchase price of approximately $1.28 billion in cash.
The security giant will acquire VeriSign's Secure Sockets Layer certificates services, public key infrastructure services, the VeriSign Trust Services and the VeriSign Identity Protection authentication service.
Symantec further plans to release a framework for businesses that incorporates identity security based on five imperatives Symantec views as part of its new vision of computing: identity security; mobile and other device security; information protection; context and relevance; and cloud security.
“Identity-based security gives IT the assurance that as information moves in and out of the cloud it is always protected,” says Salem. “Across any device and between the network and devices they control and those that they don't. The user's identity drives what information they can access and how it can be used and shared, independent of the device or application.”
The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.
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