Hitachi ID Upgrades Authentication Platform

Identity and access management solutions provider Hitachi ID Systems is releasing a new version of its Password Manager authentication management platform.

Password Manager 7.0 combines Hitachi ID authentication management capabilities with a SQL Server or Oracle back end database to add a real-time data replication service, data updates via stored procedures and Unicode support.

One new feature of version 7.0 is the inclusion of authentication chains, which support context-sensitive and multi-step processes for validating user identity. In addition, user classes can be set for flexible delegation of security rights, such as password reset, and a password synchronization service on Windows servers, which minimizes the code running in the operating system kernel.

Hitachi is positioning this latest system upgrade as a "one-stop" platform able to manage every conceivable authentication need. It supports authentication factors including passwords, security questions, OTP tokens, smart cards, voice biometrics and hard disk encryption keys.

The odds that any one solution can meet every authentication need an enterprise user may have are low. However, Hitachi ID is taking the right approach in an age of distributed, best-of-breed enterprise networks that feature distributed users with varying levels of access gaining entry through different means.

Password Manager ships with connectors for over 100 types of systems and applications, including common on-premises systems such as Active Directory and SAP and cloud-hosted systems such as Google Applications and WebEx. It also includes integrations with the Windows login process, help desk incident management applications, e-mail systems and  full disk encryption products. Telephone-based password and PIN reset and enterprise single sign-on are included in the base product and price.