There's a very satisfying feeling that happens when a company seems to listen to and follow the advice they're given. Whether or not it was in response to something I said, Agiliance - the up-and-coming company to watch in the governance, risk management and compliance (GRC) space - has just made some changes to its flagship offering that add a great deal of value to the product.

Last fall, when I spoke with Agiliance VP of Marketing Patrick Kerans I mentioned that I thought that, to be most effective, the company’s Agiliance IT-GRC product needed to reach deep within applications to gather, understand and control activities but in an automated way. After all, the product already offered automated controls for configuration, vulnerability and security management. It seemed like just a small step was needed.

Well, not only did it take a small step, it invested a good piece of change in doing so. Just this week San Jose-based Agiliance announced that it looked down the road a few miles and found just what it needed so it is acquiring Sunnyvale’s Phulaxis, (it’s pronounced “Full Access,” too cute, eh?).

What Phulaxis brings to the table is a new automated access controls (AAC) module for Agiliance IT-GRC. This module extends Agiliance’s automation and monitoring capabilities to manage access to systems in which important and highly sensitive governance, risk and compliance data resides – such as databases, identity management systems, ERP systems and other applications. I believe this is the point where I should say “I told you so!”

Just as important to Agiliance, though, is the customer base Phulaxis brings which includes Cisco’s Linksys division (also located here in the South Bay area of California – it’s like we’re all neighbors!). Having Cisco as a customer is a tiny wedge that can open many doors. You might want to visit (or re-visit) Agiliance IT-GRC Version 3 and schedule a free demo to see if it’s the right fit for you.

In the second newsletter each week I sometimes highlight new resources for identity management, but today it’s mostly for fun that I point out two videos you definitely should watch:
* Sun vs. Ping: an Epic Battle
* 72 vs. 35000: Ping strikes back 

Not really educational, but certainly interesting!

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