Tivoli takes over IBM's info security products

Tivoli Systems Inc., a subsidiary of IBM Corp., this week at the RSA Data Security Conference announced the creation of a new division that will control and develop all of IBM's information security products and services.

Under the new Tivoli Security Business Unit, the IBM SecureWay suite of security products and solutions are being combined with Tivoli's Enterprise IT management product and the security management services acquired from Dascom Inc. in September 1999. The new Tivoli SecureWay family will help agencies provide policy-based secure access to their applications and systems, said Carl Kessler, vice president and general manager of the new unit.

"Most of our government agencies around the world have already invested in perimeter defense...the next major step will be to let people in," Kessler said. "Individuals need to have access to transactions with their government, and if you have a model based on keeping people out, then you miss out on the opportunity to give the right people access to applications."

The combined product family includes six, which can be used together or separately: the SecureWay User Administrator, SecureWay Security Manager, SecureWay Policy Director, SecureWay Global Sign-On, SecureWay First Secure and SecureWay Public Key Infrastructure.

Many of the products are being used within government agencies — including the Federal Reserve, the Social Security Administration and the Defense Department — but the integration of the SecureWay Policy Director from Dascom will provide a deeper level of user and application control than was available before, said John Milburn, product marketing manager at Tivoli.