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October 27, 1997, Section: Test Center:Internet Security Tools

SiteMinder 2.0 and Web Agent

When it comes time to implement a companywide security policy, Netegrity's SiteMinder 2.0 + Web Agent is ready to do the job. While most network users stick to the work at hand, more adventurous users might want to browse non-work-related Web sites on company time or perhaps get into the payroll records.

SiteMinder is an easy way to create and manage security policy across enterprise-wide environments by controlling where users go and when. Web Agent extends SiteMinder's capabilities to manage access to the Web.

SiteMinder can be used to define authentication schemes for remote users and control their authorization privileges. It supports multiple authentication options so that the best one can be selected for an individual user, such as name and password or through the use of tokens. Policies can then be implemented across Web applications, firewalls and communications servers from multiple vendors, while bundled auditing and reporting tools ensure that the security policy is being implemented consistently across a network.

SiteMinder offers browser-based administration and reporting. Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS), an Internet standard used for authentication, is supported, providing centralized management of all user authentication.

Software requirements for SiteMinder include Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 applied, ODBC 3.0 and Internet Information Server 2.0. The installation takes about half an hour, and a good part of that time is spent setting up an Informix database.

While no special skills are required to install SiteMinder, a thorough understanding of Internet and company infrastructure is a must.

The whole installation procedure would go a lot more smoothly if the software were polished up a bit. Certain files are located on a CD while others are on floppy disk, and at times the install program asks for the wrong one.

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SiteMinder 2.0 and Web Agent

Price:$3,995

Warranty:90 days

Distributors/Integrators:Distributes mainly to VARs

Authorization Requirements:

None

Model Number:Sm2-nt-200

Netegrity Inc.

Waltham, Mass.

(781) 890-1700

(800) 325-9870

www.netegrity.com