Novell Takes the Market Leader in Single Sign-On and Makes it Better

Already recognized as the leader in host single sign-on by analyst firm IDC, Novell is today moving even further ahead of the pack with the announcement of Novell® Nsure™ SecureLogin 3.5 - an enhanced version of the single sign-on component in Novell's Nsure secure identity management solutions. By giving customers the ability to access all the applications they need using a single username and password, Novell Nsure SecureLogin enables businesses to significantly lower their helpdesk costs, provide a better experience to end users and get rid of the handwritten lists of passwords that compromise security.

"The effectiveness of a password management system hinges of the number of applications it can integrate with - otherwise single sign-on becomes 'sort-of sign-on,' which only complicates the problem," said Novell CTO Alan Nugent. "That's why Novell Nsure SecureLogin provides out-of-the-box support for more Windows* applications, Citrix*/terminal servers, terminal emulators and Web applications than any other single sign-on product; and it's why we've expanded that support in this latest version."

New to Novell Nsure SecureLogin 3.5 is support for Swing and AWT-based Java* applications and applets, making it the first enterprise single sign-on product to fully support Java. Novell Nsure SecureLogin is also no longer dependent on the Novell client to offer advanced features, such as a biometric login. Instead, workstations simply need to support a standard LDAP client.

Version 3.5 also makes single sign-on a viable option on workstations or kiosks that are shared by two or more users - a practice common in industries like healthcare. With the ability to automatically lock a workstation or close an application based on inactivity, the removal of a proximity card, or other events, users can share a workstation and enjoy the benefits of single sign-on without concern that private or confidential data might accidentally be disclosed.

Most important, Novell Nsure SecureLogin plays an integral role in broader secure identity management solutions. Because it's part of the Nsure family, customers can deploy a single sign-on solution and then expand to tackle advanced authentication, provisioning, Web access control and other functions without complex and costly integration work.

For Standard Life, Europe's largest mutual life assurance company, a secure identity management solution based on Novell Nsure SecureLogin and Novell eDirectory™ helped the company eliminate several business problems related to password management. During a typical day, Standard Life's more than 13,000 employees were required to first log on to their workstations, then to a mainframe system, and at times more than 10 different applications. In trying to juggle different usernames and passwords for each system, users often resorted to writing down passwords and displaying them; and the company helpdesk was continually bombarded with requests to reset forgotten passwords.

"Deploying Novell Nsure SecureLogin and Novell eDirectory allowed us to trade those long lists of passwords for one simple login, which then allowed users to easily maneuver from application to application," said Philip Murray, Standard Life Information Service Center manager. "The Novell solution has improved business productivity and overall security. The company now has a secure password management system that has enhanced user productivity, ultimately impacting the bottom line, while the service desk has seen a considerable reduction in password-related incidents enabling the company to reallocate valuable IT resources."

Novell Nsure SecureLogin will be available Oct. 17 to customers worldwide through Novell Authorized ResellersSM and solution providers or directly from Novell. For more information, go to http://www.novell.com/products/securelogin. For more information about Novell Nsure solutions, go to http://www.novell.com/nsure.