Julian Ashbourn

We evaluated a previous version of PC-Duo and were generally impressed with its intuitive interface and no-nonsense functions. We are pleased to report that the previous strengths – an attractive and intuitive interface – remain. The functionality has also been well considered and will be truly useful in a broad range of operational scenarios.

LANsurveyor 9 is a subtly different program from others tested here. At its heart is a graphical mapping capability that allows you to create "maps" of your network to various levels of detail. These maps might be used solely within the program, or be exported in a variety of formats, including Microsoft Visio, so you can edit them as appropriate to your organizational requirements.

The LANDesk Management Suite is much more than just an auditing tool. It is a comprehensive group of tools for generally managing a corporate network which might include large numbers of clients.

Auditing software requirements will naturally vary between organizations. In many cases, a relatively straightforward approach will be all that is necessary. But sometimes you might want a higher level of analysis and control.

Ecora Enterprise Auditor 3.5 is a comprehensive package tailored to fit into most contemporary IT environments.

The Passlogix single sign-on product is particularly versatile and caters for a broad range of potential applications. You can use it in a simple set-up for accessing your Windows and web applications, or, if you really want to put it to work, you can configure it for a variety of client/server, mainframe, database and even dial-up networking and VPN applications.

WebConnect SSO provides SSO access to mainframes (or, to put it another way, multiple mainframe applications) via a web browser interface.

P-Synch concentrates on password management and synchronization, rather than single sign-on in the accepted sense.

HP OpenView Select Access 6.0 provides a sophisticated and scalable access management solution for online resources. It may be used for employees accessing intranet resources, for external users undertaking transactions with your organization via the internet, for partner organizations to share resources, or any mix of access.

This is a comprehensive product that offers managed access and SSO functionality to applications via the internet, terminal emulation or Windows. It can also be regarded as a modular component of the even broader Access Master suite, which includes additional components for provisioning, managing certificates and workflow and other functions.

The Citrix MetaFrame Password Manager provides a relatively straightforward means of managing various application passwords and automating the application log-on process. In fact, it appears deceptively simple, although it can offer fairly comprehensive functionality. The Password Manager Agent sits on the client, while the Password Manager Console is located at a convenient central point.

eTrust Single Sign On offers SSO functionality across a broad spectrum, from client applications to web applications, secured databases and virtually any networked application. It also offers useful tools to administer users, policies and even sessions.

Aladdin's eToken SSO solution is based on the use of USB tokens upon which information is stored, including user data, application profiles and, if you wish, other certificates. This makes for a particularly intuitive operation as, once everything is set up, you just plug in your token and enter your password once. And when you have finished, simply remove the token.

ActivCard Single Sign-On is an intelligently designed solution that will easily integrate into most enterprise environments.

Set any group of business IT users talking and it will not be long before the subject of passwords and application access control crops up. The "I have more passwords than you" debate will then take place, followed by some imaginative suggestions for getting around the system, together with colorful observations about the relative effectiveness of passwords in any event.

The SecuGen Mouse takes a different approach to providing fingerprint biometric logon facilities, in that it combines a good-quality optical fingerprint reader with an equally good-quality optical mouse.

This device is an exquisite little fingerprint reader with immediate visual and tactile appeal. Manufactured in Korea, it has been cleverly designed to offer flexibility of placement.

Saflink is a well-known and well-respected company within the biometrics arena, with many successful customized implementations to its credit. It seems like a natural progression, therefore, for it to bring its experience and expertise to the broader commercial product area.

This might appear to be a slightly unusual product to include in this group test, but it qualifies as a potential biometric due to the use of signature verification, or fingerprints where applicable.

DigitalPersona Pro (formerly U are U Pro) for Active Directory is now at version 3.0 (the vendor tells us version 3.1 is now available) and is as slick as ever in its presentation, installation and general ease of use.