RSA releases delayed single-sign-on product

IDG News Service - SAN FRANCISCO -- RSA Security Inc. today plans to announce availability of its new RSA Sign-On Manager, a product it says will make it easier for users to log in to multiple applications and simplify password management for organizations.
Sign-On Manager was originally due in the third quarter of the year but was delayed because of improvements suggested by test customers, said Phil Fulchino, director of product management at RSA of Bedford, Mass.
Sign-On Manager succeeds RSA's SecurID Passage product and combines RSA's authentication products with single-sign-on technology. The product stores the user's credentials for multiple applications so the user has to log in only once. RSA licensed the single-sign-on technology from Passlogix Inc.
The new RSA product will work with just a username and password combination, but for extra security also supports two-factor authentication such as smart cards, USB (Universal Serial Bus) authenticators and fingerprint readers. The product also supports any x.509 standard digital certificate authority, RSA said.
A new RSA component called IntelliAccess will allow users to reset their password and gain access if they forget their username and password or lose their hardware authenticator, reducing expensive help desk calls, RSA said.
The initial Sign-On Manager will not support SecurID for Windows, but an update next year will, Fulchino said. RSA released SecurID for Windows in October, offering two-factor authentication for Windows environments using a small device that generates a random number and a personal code.
The RSA Sign-On Manager client runs on Windows 2000 and Windows XP desktops. The server component runs on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Server 2003; a version for Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Solaris is due out in the first quarter of 2005, RSA said.
For password-only mode, Sign-On Manager will cost $70 per user, which includes the client and server software. When used with hardware authentication methods, the product costs $85 per user. RSA offers volume discounts.
RSA Sign-On Manager is available worldwide in English first. RSA will work with local organizations to determine the need for localization over the first half of next year, Fulchino said.