Features

Baltimore has produced one of the best access control products currently on the market. Select-Access is a welcome step forward in access control.

We are back in the world of passwords for Computer Associates' offering. Part of the eTrust suite of products, eTrust AccessControl is another policy-based application, fully integrated with the other eTrust products, as well as with CA's UniCenter network management software. It is designed to operate in Windows, Unix and Linux, and interoperates with (surprising, but not unwelcome), mainframe environments.

Novell is no stranger to access management; such functionality was built into its NetWare operating system from day one, and is an integral part of its Directory Services offering. So, it comes as no surprise to see a standalone Novell product in this Group Test.

One potential security loophole that is frequently overlooked is access to removable media. Many access control products will bar your way into the file server, log your attempts to look at the payroll database, and prevent you from using certain applications, but this is all at the system level.

If you think Unix houses have been ignored in this test, Symark's PowerBroker is just for you. Supporting multiple flavors of Linux and Unix - including IBM S390 Linux - PowerBroker ensures Unix administrative privileges can be safely managed and delegated.

OfficeScan gives the administrator some real choices when it comes to network deployment, from centralized roll out to imaging, remote installation and an uninstall of other anti-virus products to facilitate an OfficeScan install. These are not options that many of the other solutions are offering, and for the larger SME or it may prove a real boon.

Not all users want to resort to single user products to protect their SME business systems, and often the corporate editions are just not geared to the smaller business model. But McAfee Active Virus Defense Small Business Edition offers the level of security required for the SME market without compromising on any vital areas of virus protection. It delivers a suite of products that enables the SMEs amongst us to manage, update, and police our systems before any damage is done.

NOD32 can be initiated for server or workstation use, making it very flexible for the SME market. The range of features is also good. Automatic updates are provided, and it also offers updates via CD or floppy disk for non-networked machines. Central configuration can be rolled out to workstations and a silent alert can be achieved for admin use.

EnCase from Guidance Software has established itself as the leading tool for forensic investigators. Perceiving a need for similar tools in the enterprise space, the company announced EnCase Enterprise Edition, bringing most of the functionality enjoyed by criminal forensic investigators to corporate users.

I suppose this review may be thought of as two. The SecuGen EyeD Hamster fingerprint biometric reader and the SecuIBAS 'internet' authentication suite software.

Building scripts for testing software can be an arduous task, beset by pitfalls, but QA Wizard surrounds you with safety and simplicity as you move your product out of development and into the real world. Now QA Wizard makes it easy to incorporate thorough testing of a software suite, whether Windows, web or Java based. Other supportive suites are available that dovetail into the automated operation of QA Wizard, such that software is not only tested, but anomalies are tracked and flow optimized.