In-Depth

Briefs: CA Unicenter Update, Microsoft's Palladium Misunderstood

Unicenter products now leverage extensions to CA's Common Services; Next Generation Secure Computing Base looks like a promising, user-controlled defense against privacy intrusions and security violat

• By Stephen Swoyer
• 07/15/2003

Computer Associates International Inc. (CA) announced four new or enhanced Unicenter network management solutions for its Unicenter systems and network management framework.

The new or enhanced products are Unicenter NSM Wireless Network Management Option 3.0, Unicenter NSM Network Performance Option 3.5, Unicenter Advanced Network Operations 3.5, and Unicenter NetMaster Network Management for TCP/IP 7.0.

All four tools leverage extensions to CA Common Services that provide a service-oriented architecture and self-management capabilities.

Unicenter NSM Wireless Network Management Option 3.0 is a secure and integrated solution for the management of wireless LAN (WLAN) computing infrastructures. It manages multi-vendor WLAN environments and provides troubleshooting tools and historical trending functions—from both a central console and a handheld device.

Unicenter NSM Network Performance Option 3.5 provides real-time and historical network performance information to optimize service levels. It features a Web browser interface, along with new reporting and portal features.

Unicenter Advanced Network Operations 3.5 is a management and diagnosis tool for heterogeneous networks. New enhancements include improved scalability for Frame Relay and ATM environments, along with simplified alarm management for network devices. CA says that version 3.5 provides complete coverage of current and legacy LAN/WAN technologies across multiple protocols.

Finally, Unicenter NetMaster Network Management for TCP/IP 7.0 is a management solution for mainframe-connected TCP/IP and SNA networks. It provides Web browser-based access to real-time management and historical reporting.

Microsoft Palladium: Don't Fear the Nexus by Scott Bekker(Courtesy of ENTMag.com)

Microsoft's Next Generation Secure Computing Base is misunderstood. The controversial proposal for delivering client security through integrated hardware and software has some privacy advocates and conspiracy theorists crying foul. But several details have emerged that demonstrate that this code won't be running secretively in the background, and in fact that it looks like a promising, user-controlled defense against privacy intrusions and security violations.

The first thing you have to know is what to call it. The code-name was "Palladium." The formal name is way too long, and even pronouncing the letters NGSCB is a mouthful. Microsoft uses the guttural acronym "ING-scub."

According to Microsoft, the driving force behind NGSCB is the realization that software-only defense mechanisms have reached the point of diminishing returns.

Read the full article here: http://www.entmag.com/news/article.asp?EditorialsID=5873