FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. – April 7, 2005 – Symark, the developer of leading UNIX/Linux security and administration software solutions PowerBroker® and PowerPassword®, User Management Edition, today announced at SANS 2005 the release of new Symark PowerKeeper®, which provides secure storage and access for administrative passwords, including the UNIX/Linux root and Windows Administrator passwords.

Today many enterprises write down critical administrative passwords on paper, and seal these papers in envelopes that are then locked in a safe or drawer. This is a time-intensive, manual process, particularly when government or industry regulations require passwords to be secured with strong composition and reset regularly. Some enterprises write their own applications to manage administrative passwords, but require resources to train employees and upkeep code for new applications or operating systems. If the developer of the application leaves the company, so does the expertise, leaving accounts at risk.

Symark PowerKeeper is an appliance-based solution with no client software to deploy, and it can be installed in just hours. The appliance may only be accessed via a secure web interface that requires password and (optional) token authentication. Administrators add managed systems, accounts, and passwords to PowerKeeper, and they are stored using full AES disk encryption. Then users and groups are created and assigned access rights to specified systems and accounts (e.g. root).

Access to administrative account passwords stored on PowerKeeper is governed by user or group, by system, day/date/time, and can require an optional human “Approver” to authorize password release. Once a user is granted a password by PowerKeeper, that password can be automatically reset after usage, on a scheduled basis, or both. Passwords are reset using secure composition rules, such as length, character set, and case. Once reset, only PowerKeeper knows the new password, protecting critical administrative accounts. All actions are logged in detail, and customizable reports can be generated for compliance and audit requirements.

“Administrative passwords have forever been a burden to enterprise IT organizations, but PowerKeeper changes the old ‘paper’ paradigm,” said Jeffrey McGrath, Symark Director of Product Marketing. “The new paradigm is that only PowerKeeper knows your administrative passwords, and nobody else. But if you have a business need for administrative rights to a server, application, or network device, then only you get that password. Once you’re done that password is automatically reset and only PowerKeeper knows it once again.”

Symark PowerKeeper supports administrative passwords for Sun Solaris, HP-UX, IBM AIX, Red Hat and SuSE Linux, Active Directory, Windows 2000, XP and 2003. Database passwords from Oracle, SQL, and Sybase are supported as well. PowerKeeper also supports routers and firewalls, including Cisco, CyberGuard, Nokia, and NetScreen. PowerKeeper has the capability to manage any shared or privileged account.

Symark services and support complement the company’s powerful product offerings. Symark offers onsite training, rapid deployment assistance, and 24x7 support by highly specialized technicians and staff.

About Symark

Founded in 1985, Symark is the leading provider of UNIX and Linux security solutions for Global 2000 businesses. Symark PowerBroker® enables granular delegation of administrative privileges while restricting root account access. Symark PowerPassword®, User Management Edition provides user account management along with login and password security policies. New Symark PowerKeeper® provides storage and secure access of administrative passwords for UNIX/Linux, Windows, applications, and network devices. All three products offer central administration and detailed audit logs. Symark offers extensive expertise in enterprise computing security, and its products are backed by unmatched technical support. For more information, visit us at www.symark.com.