RSA Breaks New Ground In Identity Assurance
Although RSA executives did not respond to request for comment, sources close to ChannelWeb said the new Authentication Manager represents the biggest change to the company's identity assurance platform in years.
Partners anticipate that version 7.1 will provide an "innovative and holistic" solution for customers who need to discover and classify information, and then set policies to help mitigate the risk of its loss.
In light of data breaches that have graced the news and recent malware trends, sources say that the release of version 7.1 couldn't be better timed, considering that now businesses face a security environment that is more complex and treacherous for business than ever before.
Altogether, the new Authentication Manager incorporates four core capabilities.
The first is credential management, or ways to prove user identity before granting access to systems.
The second capability incorporates a range of authentication mechanisms, which provide users the ability to implement device identification and technologies such as one-time passwords.
The third feature users can anticipate for Tuesday's announcement is expanded contextual authorization, which incorporates access control.
The fourth integral component is integrated intelligence -- the ability to provide proactive threat protection with active monitoring, alerts on emerging threats and information sharing services.
Sources say that all of these functions have the ability to be deployed across domain and infrastructure platforms and as well as vertically throughout the supply chain.
The anticipated Authentication Manager also offers more than 40 new enhancements. Sources say one of the highlights includes increased capabilities in key areas of business continuity, which enables customers to expand their RSA SecurID deployments and remain productive in the event of a power failure. For example, sources say that the business continuity component handles a licensing feature through the console that enables all users to have access to VPN with two factor authentication capabilities, which will remain constant throughout the duration of a power outage.
In addition, version 7.1 offers extended authentication options, which include an on-demand authenticator that is centrally managed by RSA. The authenticator can be delivered via text messaging with a one-time password, providing a two-factor authentication solution to businesses and organizations unwilling to deploy a hardware token. Sources say that the two factor authentication can be deployed with a phone number and username, which can be pulled from the existing infrastructure.
Finally, the solution features enhanced operational efficiencies, with numerous back-end improvements that lower costs for end users, provide ease of management and increased deployment speed, as well as further streamlining performance.
Sources say that in light of its granularity and flexibility, the RSA's new authentication solution provides an answer to problems created with a more mobile workforce, porous networks and increased threat vectors.