The Pipeline

Are you really who you say you are?
Identity theft and network hacking aren’t going away anytime soon, and that’s a big concern, especially as remote networking continues to proliferate.

One new product on the market that addresses identity and access management is PortWise 4.5 from PortWise.

The product focuses on three areas: remote access, online business relationships and customer transactions. All are vulnerable to hacking and the theft of information and identities.

One new feature in Version 4.5 is the reporting capability. Administrators can now report on identity and access management historically and in real time. The product’s console offers a single view of multiple areas, such as endpoint integrity, device authentication, regulatory compliance and management policy changes.

New proactive alerts go a long way toward protecting networks. Administrators can pre-define events that will trigger alerts.

For example, you could set an alert that would notify you if a user tries to authenticate, say, five times within two minutes.

Another hazard of remote computing is the vulnerability of wireless access points. Hackers can use the devices as steppingstones to gain access to a network.

PortWise 4.5 protects against such so-called evil twin and man-in-the-middle attacks by forcing users to connect through pre-authenticated wireless access points.

Staying secure over the air
Speaking of remote network security, vendors are also turning their attention to virtual private networks, particularly wireless ones.

“Wireless is going much more mainstream,” said John Knopf, senior product manager for NetMotion Wireless.

The company has just announced the release of the beta version of its mobile VPN product, Mobility XE 7.0. Officials plan to issue the full version this summer.

The product includes three important new features. The first is support for smart phones that run Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, which include Cingular’s 2125, Motorola’s Q and T-Mobile’s SDA.

“Windows Mobile 5.0 devices are selling like gangbusters right now,” Knopf said.

With the added support, administrators can manage notebook PCs, handheld devices and smart phones from a single console.

Mobility XE 7.0 can support up to 15,000 concurrent users, up from 5,000.

The company has also partnered with RSA Security to certify Mobility XE 7.0 to work with RSA’s SecurID two-factor authentication token by the time NetMotion’s full product is released this summer.