Prepress

Report: IBM Named Overall Leader in Worldwide Identity and Access Management Software

Monday 08. September 2008 - IBM Security Portfolio Bolstered by New Release of Single Sign-On Software

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced it led all vendors worldwide in identity and access management security software in 2007, according to a new report from independent analyst firm IDC.(1) IBM also today announced the availability of new IBM Tivoli Access Manager for Enterprise Single Sign-On software, redesigned based on technology from IBM’s March 2008 Encentuate, Inc. acquisition.
The new software serves as a business productivity tool, freeing businesses and their employees from having to manage and recall multiple passwords. It supports a wide scope of computer use — from traditional desktops, shared workstations and remote access — while also helping to simplify organizations’ compliance initiatives.
IDC ranks IBM as the overall revenue leader for the second straight year in 2007, growing its revenue by six percent from 2006 and further extending its lead ahead of the nearest competitor. The report states the total worldwide revenue for identity and access management grew to more than $3.1 billion in 2007, and due to strong demand for the software as an integral component of governance, risk, and compliance initiatives, IDC expects revenues to reach $5.3 billion by 2012.
“Our identity and access management software integrated with security information and event management is a cornerstone of IBM’s approach to help customers achieve their company-wide security and compliance goals,” said Al Zollar, general manager, of IBM Tivoli Software. “While superior technology and extensive integration are significant keys to IBM’s growth in this area, one must not overlook how these technologies are applied successfully in the context of business and IT processes. We are simply enabling our clients to apply security to these processes, so authorized users can access the right applications and information for the right business reasons.”
IBM Tivoli Access Manager for Enterprise Single Sign-On allows users to securely sign-on once to their corporate network and then automatically handles subsequent authentication and access to a wide range of different applications. By automating password management and allowing users one password instead of several, employees can become more efficient and businesses can lower help desk costs associated with forgotten passwords.
This software, now available, provides customers with several new and enhanced features including support for additional strong authentication methods such as cell phones and building access badges, centralized and customized event reporting and auditing for governance and compliance initiatives, and improved out of the box integration and session management capabilities. The software additionally provides new “visual profiling” for simpler set-up and supports 13 new languages for extensive global use.
With the new version, organizations can effectively and quickly enable secure remote access for their mobile workforce without installing any desktop software and modifying application servers. Remote workers require only one password, as well as an optional second authentication factor, to access corporate information from remote offices, home PCs, and PDAs.
Portland General Electric, Oregon’s largest electric utility, uses IBM Tivoli Access Manager for Enterprise Single Sign-On and plans to upgrade to the new version 8.0 as part of its security technology strategy to help the utility company drive productivity and save costs on IT and help desk support. The effort has simplified password management for employees, who otherwise could have more than a dozen passwords to access over 20 different enterprise applications.
“Self-service password reset, multi-factor authentication and integration with our IBM Tivoli Identity Manager provisioning application are new capabilities that are important to us,” said Theo Pozzy, Enterprise Architect for Portland General Electric. “As we plan for deployment within PGE, our company is looking for additional productivity improvements as well as increased security, and we focused on these goals as we tested the new release. The software continues to be an important solution in our efforts to address governmental and corporate security requirements.”
When Tivoli Access Manager for Enterprise Single Sign-On is used with computer kiosk stations, co-workers can securely and effectively share access without needing to re-start a computer. For example, a hospital can use IBM software to provide employees access to both buildings and computers with a single RFID work badge. A physician can sign-in to any shared computer station with a tap of the badge to securely access lab reports or patient records. With its advanced session management capabilities, multiple users can now have a secure, private desktop with shared kiosks, allowing quick and easy access to their own personalized session at several locations throughout the hospital. The software also logs access along the way and provides reports to support HIPAA compliance efforts.
IBM Tivoli Access Manager for Enterprise Single Sign-On is part of IBM’s Tivoli security software that helps prevent unauthorized access to valuable customer, employee and business data and facilitates compliance with corporate security policy and regulatory requirements. IBM’s identity and access management software is part of IBM’s portfolio of service management software which automates some of the most challenging processes associated with managing a complex IT environment, such as managing storage devices and deploying new software releases and patches. The software helps customers fight rising IT costs, manage constant change and meet the demand to stay competitive in the marketplace.