 |
In the security realm
Winn Schwartau, On Security
 I have always found secrecy, privacy and encryption intriguing. In 15 years, though, I have only encountered a couple of companies with products that I felt were "on the mark" function-wise. One of those companies is Tecsec, with its Constructive Key Management (CKM) cryptographic software.
One of the biggest complaints I hear about public-key infrastructure (PKI) products is the requisite infrastructure investment. CKM avoids that conundrum because it provides a truly distributed key management system that works with any existing network topology.
Quick look
Constructive Key Management
Tecsec
Pricing: $129, with volume pricing available.
Market status: CKM Version 4.7 currently shipping.
|
|
CKM manages the flow of and access to information at the basic object level. It controls who has access to whom and to what, where and when, across the network. Access controls also can be provided to databases, documents, photographs, Web pages or any other object that can be digitally represented or named.
CKM makes role-based access attributes inherent to each object. The attributes reflect access policies mandated by system administrators. So when laying out an enterprisewide system, attributes such as city, country, department, job title, clearance, hair color or sex, for example, are chosen to establish permission rights. Users carry identification on a floppy disk, smart card or other memory device that contains their attributes. When the "object" and user attributes match, the user has access to the object. What could be simpler?
The access to objects is determined cryptographically without access to data contents. This lets sensitive objects be routed around the network and other control devices without additional management. Thus, a document could be sent to the entire company or posted on an extranet site and only be intended for "single, blond-haired, dark-eyed, deeply tanned men who are six feet tall, weigh no more than 180 pounds and have an IQ of 130 or higher." The encrypted message would be out there for anyone to sniff or download, but only people with the corresponding credentials would be able to open it.
A CKM-protected enterprise does not have to be rearchitected. It sits on existing topologies without modification, thus providing a manageable, secure environment so customers can use the most efficient methods of communications available to them.
It's worth your time to go to Tecsec's site and download the free demo for a hands-on experience.
Related links
Schwartau is chief operating officer of The Security Experts, an information security consulting firm, in Seminole, Fla., and president of infowar.com. He can be reached at winn@securityexperts.com or winn@infowar.com.
On Security archive
CKM overview from Tecsec
The PKI Page
Links to technology overviews and related info.
Don't wait until PKI has grown up to put it to use
Dan Blum, Network World, 10/25/99.
PKI Buzz
Network World columnists deflate the hype around PKI. Network World, 9/27/99.
Other columnist picks:
|
 |
| More info on the topics in this article. Click! |
| Ask the experts on the best ways to manage your career. Click! |
We've told you the best, now you tell us the worst.
Click!
The best ideas in networking, ever. Can you match the technology with its inventors. Click!
|
