07.22.2020 - New Cloud Based Virtual Directory Service Released By Optimal IdM
Tampa, FL, July 22, 2020 – Optimal IdM, a leading provider of Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions, has announced the launch of a new cloud based virtual directory service, making it the only cloud based virtual directory available. ...
09.4.2019 - What is a Virtual Directory Server?
Essentially, a virtual directory server is a way to visualize the data between applications that are fundamentally incompatible, as well as directory servers and data stores that are incompatible. A virtual directory server is a type of software application known as a middleware application, and it abstracts back-end data from client software applications, which makes it possible to change the presentation of the data dynamically. You can simply integrate new applications into your current identity infrastructure without needing to alter directory data – your data stays in its original format and place. ...
10.11.2018 - Identity Management Challenges for Retailers
07.23.2018 - Manufacturers Need Industrial-Quality Access Control
Ideas about cybersecurity in the manufacturing sector have started to change, and it’s about time. Until recently, a common misperception among those in the industrial world was that that they had little to attract hackers—no credit card data, no health records, no bitcoin. But manufacturers do have data, and it’s immensely valuable — their trade secrets. Profit isn’t the only motivation for hackers many just want to cause chaos. There are plenty of reasons for hackers to attack manufacturing systems; the proof is that one out of three industrial control systems (ICS) computers were hacked last year (Kaspersky Lab, Sept 2017). That number seems daunting. Many industrial automation systems have only limited internet connectivity, if at all. But they are connected to their corporate networks, and that’s where the weakness lies. Only half of manufacturing businesses isolate their ICS networks from their corporate networks (www.ncms.org/CyberSecurityReport). The rest are the mercy of the same phishing, ransomware, and insider attacks as any financial or healthcare organization. One vulnerability that affects manufacturers in particular is poor security practices among their vendors. It just takes one weak partner to infect an entire supply chain. Hackers are efficient criminals; they conduct research using Lexis Nexis, LinkedIn, and even dumpster dive to learn what they need to know to launch the most effective attack possible against their target of choice. If they want to attack your business, they may learn who your vendors are, choose those they suspect to be the weakest¾which may be a mom-and-pop shop, or may be a larger business that has a reputation on the dark web as an easy takedown¾and breach the weak vendor in order to hop onto your network. Security professionals like to say, “Security is people.” The average worker at a bank or hospital is highly aware that their employer is a high-value target, so they are more cautious than those in other industries about clicking on links or opening attachments. The average worker in an industrial business may not be as guarded. Security awareness training is a step in the right direction, but not all workers will take it seriously. Even if every worker did keep security at top-of-mind, humans still make mistakes. It just takes one accidental click to open the door to malware. And once inside, it may make its way to whatever target its authors desire. That could be your trade secrets, or it could be the main controllers in your automation system. ...
07.5.2018 - Troubleshooting Federation with Fiddler
Fiddler is simply the best tool to debug federation issues. Optimal IdM has just released a White Paper on this which you can download on the left side of this page. In this blog we will cover how to use Fiddler to debug WS-Federation issues. The URI for a relying party or identity provider may be in the form of a URL (such as http://my.test.com) or a URN (urn:my.test.com). URIs (both URNs and URLs) are case sensitive when used for Federation. For URLs in the form of URIs, every “/” is part of the name as is the protocol. When used as a URI the URLs http://my.test.com, http://my.test.com/, https://my.test.com, and https://my.test.com/ would all be considered different URIs. ...
04.25.2018 - Agentless SSO – What’s The Big Deal?
SSO, or single sign-on, as a desired end-state for the user experience as they connect to a diverse set of applications reaps many advantages. There are multiple methods and architectures for achieving SSO, but one that should interest just about every customer is agentless SSO. ...
02.8.2018 - SharePoint for Government – Is Seamless AND Secure Authentication Possible?
SharePoint is a Microsoft-based web application platform that businesses use to simplify infrastructure by managing multiple applications data from a single location. This can streamline your processes and improve workflow. How does it work for government agencies, though? ...
09.1.2017 - Top 5 Road-Blocks Migrating To A Cloud Identity and SSO Solution
In discussions with our customers and prospects, almost all of them share common road-blocks that prevent many organizations from fully embracing a cloud identity management/SSO solution. Here we will address 5 of the more common road-blocks and how Optimal IdM has helped clients meet and exceed their security, regulatory, and enterprise architecture needs. ...
04.9.2017 - 101 Uses for a Virtual Directory
Your corporate directory services and individual application identity pools are fragmented and sprawled throughout your enterprise. Each directory needs maintenance and probably a lot of clean up. Unfortunately, there is little time for such efforts. Consolidation of these fragmented identity services often takes many man-years of effort, costly consulting services, temporary software migration tools and the result is rarely the clean, pristine environment envisioned. ...
