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Centrify Ships DirectControl 2.0, Delivers Enterprise-Class Security and Management for UNIX, Linux and Mac Through Microsoft Active Directory

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 August 2005, 12:00 CDT

Centrify Corporation:

-- DirectControl Comprehensively Extends Microsoft Active Directory by Delivering More Platform Support and More Group Policies for UNIX, Linux and Mac Than Any Other Solution; Other Unique Capabilities Include Delegated Administration of Non-Microsoft Systems

Centrify(R) Corporation today announced at LinuxWorld Expo the availability of the Centrify DirectControl(R) Suite 2.0, its flagship product line that delivers enterprise-class security administration and systems management by seamlessly integrating UNIX, Linux, Mac, Java and web platforms with the identity, access and policy management services of Microsoft Active Directory. The unique capabilities of DirectControl now include delegated administration of UNIX, Linux and Mac systems within Microsoft Active Directory; more security and configuration management Group Policy templates for non-Microsoft systems than any other solution; advanced UNIX management tools; and support for more UNIX, Linux and Mac platforms than any other product in its class. By using DirectControl 2.0 in conjunction with their existing deployment of Active Directory, organizations can now move toward a more secure, connected computing environment composed of disparate, heterogeneous systems and applications.

"We're pleased that Centrify continues to extend the authentication, authorization and Group Policy management capabilities of Microsoft Active Directory," said Michael Stephenson, director of Active Directory product management at Microsoft Corp. "Enterprises can take full advantage of their secure, established Active Directory infrastructure and centrally administer and manage their heterogeneous systems."

DirectControl 2.0 provides granular, group-based delegated administrative capabilities for organizations wanting to centralize the identity and configuration management of heterogeneous systems within Active Directory, while maintaining full control over how each administrator manages users and their access to specific systems and applications. DirectControl 2.0 delivers this capability through Centrify's patent-pending Zone technology, giving IT managers the ability to group UNIX, Linux and Mac systems along business, geographic, or functional lines within Microsoft Active Directory and to delegate the administration of these separate Centrify Zones. Each Centrify Zone can have its own set of authorized users, its own administrators, and its own set of security policies.

DirectControl 2.0 also includes over 50 ready-to-use Group Policy templates for UNIX, Linux and Mac OS X systems -- more than any alternative solution. These allow managers to enforce consistent security and configuration policies across Microsoft Windows and non-Windows systems. When combined with Centrify's Zone technology, administrators get the increased security control they need without sacrificing the flexibility to administer systems in the way that works best for their organization.

"We are pleased that we can now centrally manage identities on our Solaris systems via Microsoft Active Directory," said Ron Thomson, Computer Center System Administrator at Central Michigan University. "We look forward to using DirectControl 2.0 and having the ability to delegate some of the management to local administrators who are close to the applications and usage needs within their departments. Policies will be standard across systems and, with user accounts centralized in Active Directory, we can eliminate orphan accounts that pose security risks."

"By integrating non-Microsoft systems with Active Directory, Centrify helps organizations comply more confidently with government regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley, because enterprise security policies can be enforced across all of their distributed systems equally," said Michael Dortch, Principal Business Analyst, Robert Frances Group. "In addition, the new capabilities in DirectControl 2.0 give enterprises increased flexibility and security when administering their heterogeneous environments, increasing the business value of enterprise investments in both Active Directory and distributed systems."

"With Centrify's unique Zone technology, delegated administration, and industry-leading platform support, we're able to deliver a truly enterprise-class solution for securely integrating non-Microsoft systems with Active Directory," said Tom Kemp, CEO of Centrify. "In particular, customers tell us that such integration simply wouldn't be possible without the ability to retain their current access control groups using Centrify Zones. They can now reap the benefits of consolidation through Active Directory without the invasive reconfiguration of accounts and systems required by other solutions."

About DirectControl 2.0

The Centrify DirectControl suite consists of the DirectControl Agent, which enables a UNIX, Linux or Mac computer to join a Microsoft Active Directory domain and provides authentication, access and policy services for that system, and the DirectControl Management Tools, which enable administrators to set user access rights for the managed systems and to perform other setup and configuration tasks.

To help administrators centrally enforce security and configuration policies across non-Microsoft systems, DirectControl 2.0 includes more than 50 built-in Group Policy templates with policy settings such as: login settings, password prompts, firewall configuration settings, timeout settings, Kerberos settings, password caching, and group maps. Security is stronger because security administrators can enforce Active Directory's rules for password complexity and expiration, thereby establishing a consistent global standard for users regardless of where they log in. They can also apply consistent updates to the sudoers file, defining privileged commands that specific users can execute. DirectControl is the only solution that provides authentication, access control, and Group Policy for non-Microsoft systems with a single, seamlessly integrated agent. The Group Policy capabilities are provided as a standard part of the DirectControl product offering at no additional cost.

DirectControl 2.0 also delivers additional UNIX management tools and capabilities. The DirectControl 2.0 NIS server enables UNIX administrators to securely store, distribute, and deploy NIS maps through Microsoft Active Directory. DirectControl's easy-to-use interface within Active Directory enables UNIX administrators to edit and manage netgroup, automount, and auto.master NIS maps, as well custom maps. UNIX client systems that are still using NIS for authentication and directory services can now use Microsoft Active Directory through the DirectControl NIS Server. For both security and compliance reporting purposes, administrators can leverage Microsoft Active Directory to deliver an audit trail of changes to a map.

DirectControl 2.0 has added new platform support as well, including: Mac OS X "Tiger," HP-UX Trusted Mode, IBM AIX, Debian Linux and SUSE Linux. With the addition of these environments, DirectControl covers more platforms than any other application in its class. A complete list of supported platforms and versions can be found at www.centrify.com/platforms.

Availability

Centrify DirectControl Suite 2.0 will be available on August 15 and includes support for Mac OS X, IBM AIX 5L, HP-UX and HP-UX trusted mode, Sun Solaris (SPARC and x86), Debian Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Novell SUSE Linux, and VMware ESX Server. DirectControl also provides support for Java applications such as JBoss and web servers such as Apache. DirectControl is licensed beginning at $50 per workstation and $300 per server. To receive an evaluation copy of the Centrify DirectControl suite, call (650) 961-1100 or visit www.centrify.com/trial. A preview release of DirectControl for Microsoft Active Directory Federation Service is also available (www.centrify.com/adfs).

About Centrify

Centrify is a leading provider of Microsoft Active Directory-based identity management, access control and policy enforcement solutions for UNIX, Linux, Mac, Java and web platforms. With its DirectControl suite, Centrify provides a secure, connected computing environment for heterogeneous systems and applications, enabling organizations to fully leverage Active Directory to significantly strengthen security, reduce infrastructure costs, streamline IT operations, and better comply with regulatory requirements. Founded in March 2004, Centrify is headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information about Centrify call 650-961-1100 or visit www.centrify.com.

Centrify and DirectControl are trademarks of Centrify Corporation. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

Source: Business Wire

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