Centrify Suite 2012 offers AD-based access management
updated 08:00 pm EDT, Wed September 21, 2011
Gives non-Windows users full AD privileges
Centrify Corporation is now shipping its 2012 suite of security and access-management solutions for businesses and centralized server operations, which monitor, control and audit cross-platform systems and applications using Active Directory -- bringing those capabilities to UNIX, Linux and Mac environments. The new version improves centralized management of complex UNIX and Linux systems, employs real-time auditing, simplifies replacement of legacy NIS systems and expands platform support.
The suite, which is in use at over 3,500 organizations, employs five programs -- DirectControl 5.0, DirectAuthorize 2.0, DirectManage 5.0, DirectAudit 2.0 and DirectSecure 1.2 -- to manage secure authentications, single-sign-on solutions, access management and user session auditing. It employs technologies such as Hierarchal Zones and Computer Roles to consolidate complex identity environments into Active Directory and manage relationships between users and groups in cross-platform setups. DirectAudit 2.0, new to the suite, now includes complete capture of Windows sessions as well.
The software uses both Zones and Roles to automatically assign users the right level of access to the server based on their job function or department, which can be customized for exceptions and other custom needs. It reports on user activity and audits it against boundaries to provide compliance with corporate guidelines and even laws such as Sarbanes-Oxley.
As organizations require consistent, centralized access policies across both physical and virtualized systems (as well as public and private cloud environments), Centrify's zoning capability as well as it's authoritative "minimum access" model reduces the chance for any security-breaching misconfigurations and mitigates insider threats by extending role-based access control to both users and computers. Enterprises can integrate UNIX and Linux identities into Active Directory easily, replacing legacy NIS infrastructure with Active Directory's more robust and scaleable architecture.
DirectManage has added new capabilities in the 2012 edition, and can now rapidly discover, configure and join new systems as well as update existing systems. The new version features improved command-line administration, including automation and script management support. The Centrify suite supports more than 300 platforms, bringing Active Directory-based compliance and security to all of them.
The Centrify Suite 2012 is available now, and is licensed on a per-server basis. Licensing starts at $385 per server and $65 per workstation.
