SUSE customers can now easily apply Active Directory-based authentication, user single sign on, and access control policies upon deploying a new SUSE Linux Enterprise Server instance on premise or in the cloud. This integration also makes it simple for customers to optionally add auditing support to provide complete visibility over their SUSE Linux Enterprise Server environment using Centrify’s DirectAudit capabilities.
Centrify is a silver sponsor of SUSECon 2012, the first annual global Linux conference for SUSE customers, partners and community enthusiasts, taking place this week in Orlando, Fla. Centrify Express, the free version of Centrify Suite 2012, is now pre-installed with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on a software appliance to secure the operating system and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server applications. These virtual appliances have been built using SUSE Studio and are featured in SUSE Gallery.
SUSE Studio is a web application for building and testing software applications that supports the creation of virtual- or cloud-based applications by leveraging the software appliance form-factor. SUSE Studio helps independent software vendors (ISVs) simplify virtual appliance creation, reduce development and support costs, and extend their applications to the cloud. SUSE Gallery is an integrated component of SUSE Studio which allows ISVs to publish, share, exchange, collaborate on and promote software appliances. SUSE Gallery acts as a central repository for application images or appliances. The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server-based Centrify Express virtual appliances are available today on SUSE Gallery for Amazon EC2 and any VMware-based system, with additional supported environments on the way.
“SUSE Studio now has more than 300,000 registered users since its launch in 2009. The addition of this Centrify offering will help SUSE Linux Enterprise Server customers secure access to their systems and web applications, and enhance their compliance efforts,” said Darren Davis, director of Independent Software Vendor Relations, SUSE. “With our ISV partner Centrify, SUSE Studio online users can add additional security features such as limiting access to specific systems by Active Directory group membership, and controlling how and when users can access systems.”
The Centrify virtual appliance powered by SUSE is a result of the company’s ISV partnership with SUSE. Centrify is a Silver ISV Partner in the SUSE PartnerNet Program, with Centrify’s products being listed in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Catalog. In addition, Centrify also offers an SAP-certified solution to deliver secure authentication and centralised access management for SAP Netweaver applications running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
An integrated offering of the Centrify Suite 2012 security and compliance product, DirectAudit delivers detailed, real-time auditing of privileged user sessions on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server systems. This detailed capture of historical user activity establishes accountability and advances compliance reporting by recording which users accessed which systems, what commands they executed, with what privilege, and the exact changes they made to key files and configurations. With DirectAudit, enterprises can report on historical user activity, pinpoint suspicious activity through real-time monitoring, and troubleshoot system failures by replaying actions for root-cause analysis.
“With SUSE Studio, Centrify was swiftly able to build cloud- and virtualization-ready SUSE Linux Enterprise Server software appliances with built-in support for Active Directory,” said Shreyas Sadalgi, Senior Director of Business Development at Centrify. “Customers can now deploy Centrify with one click directly from SUSE Gallery to their Amazon EC2 or VMware infrastructure, enabling a fast and flexible way to Centrify their systems and applications in minutes.”