Comment: Novell security push

Novell has updated its iChain single sign-on security product as the start of a new strategy for enterprise security.

The company said it has not traditionally been regarded as a provider of security tools, but it hopes to rectify this with iChain 2.0 and forthcoming initiatives to support employee access to Web-based applications via single sign-on.

IChain is designed to sit on Novell's eDirectory, the next stage of Novell Directory Services, and IT managers will be able to use it to set authentication and access privileges via the Net.

IChain uses Web Single Sign-On, which lets authenticated users log in once and access multiple applications, platforms and Internet domains.

It can also fill in Web forms automatically, from eDirectory, to authenticate users for activities such as online procurement. Enhancements include customisable log-in pages and authentication using multiple identity checks, such as smartcards, tokens and a user-name and password combination.

Lee Howarth, iChain product manager, said, "We're trying to position Novell as a key player in security by many [initiatives]."

He explained that Novell's NetWare network operating system has its own public key infrastructure (PKI) security called Nici, and iChain can add strong identity management to it.

"Companies are realising that a simple password isn't enough. IChain is a gatekeeper to the Web server, so we don't require anything to be installed on the Web server, unlike many other products."

He added that version 2.0 has benefited from feedback from the Ministry of Defence, which implemented version 1.5.