Kasten Chase unveils SAN security tool

IDG News Service - TORONTO -- Data security provider Kasten Chase Inc. introduced its new security architecture designed for networked storage.
Available this month, Kasten Chase's Assurency Secure Networked Storage is the first storage area network (SAN) product to introduce certificate-based authentication for a wide variety of storage network devices, the company said yesterday.
"Our architecture makes certificate-based authentication integral to the SAN fabric," said Hari Venkatacharya, senior vice president, Secure Networked Storage for Kasten Chase in Toronto.
The technology allows companies to authenticate various devices in a SAN environment, Venkatacharya said.
"Over time, our Assurency solution will allow for robust authentication of a wide variety of third-party storage products attaching to the SAN fabric, and will mean increased levels of trust for the storage environment and for organizations' sensitive data," he added.
The architecture features what the company calls programmable 'Agent' software designed for incorporation by third-party vendors into their storage networking products.
The Agent exchanges digital certificates with the Assurency Secure Networked Storage Appliance to authenticate third-party products as they attach to the SAN fabric, Venkatacharya said. He said the technology offers SAN security without the cost, complexities and management overhead of public key infrastructure (PKI).
Traditional PKI only authenticates users, not devices in the SAN environment, which is crucial to ensure the established communication links are not "spoofed," Venkatacharya said.