IBM rolls Check Point into autonomic effort

IDG News Service - IBM's Tivoli Risk Manager software is extending its so-called autonomic, or self-healing, capabilities to include Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.'s VPN-1/Firewall-1 Next Generation software, according to a statement today from Check Point.
Tivoli Risk Manager is a security management product that allows network administrators to monitor heterogeneous network software and hardware for security-related incidents or vulnerabilities.
The product was already compatible with Check Point's VPN-1/FireWall-1 product, but the latest announcement heralds an even closer integration of the two products that will allow Tivoli Risk Manager to completely control the Check Point software.
Although Tivoli Risk Manager could already monitor the health of devices running Check Point's software and correlate event information provided by those devices, it couldn't remotely administer Check Point's software, said the company.
Autonomic computing is a term used by IBM that refers to a range of self-protecting capabilities in Tivoli Risk Manager and other products. Risk Manager's autonomic features enable it to automatically react to security threats, for example changing device configurations or pushing out security patches to fix vulnerabilities it has discovered in devices that it monitors.
As part of the effort, IBM has obtained Check Point Open Platform for Security (OPSEC) certification for Tivoli Risk Manager version 4.1, enabling closer integration between the two products, according to Check Point.
OPSEC is Check Point's widely adopted security framework that sets standards for providing interoperability and central management of different network security devices.
In return, Check Point's VPN-1/FireWall-1 Next Generation software has been certified by IBM under its Ready for Tivoli Software program, according to Check Point.
Future integration projects are likely to follow, tying Check Point's security software and IBM's network management technology even closer together, Redwood City, Calif.-based Check Point said.

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