Novell's Endpoint Solution

Novell announced the availability of ZENworks(R) Endpoint Security Management with expanded encryption functionality and local language support. This policy-based security solution offers improved encryption for personal data management, removable storage and white-listed devices, as well as increased security for fixed disks.

This is a great differentiator IMHO in the identity space. Back in the day, it was all about directory consolidation, adapters/APIs, and authoritative sources. All of these server based, centralized (ok, mostly centralized) applications and using IdM to provision and deprovision people.

Ian Glazer and I worked for a company that was focused on tying endpoint identity and machine identity into a comprehensive endpoint to network and application layer identity based system. I still feel that the endpoints are always a bigger concern especially with the well documented tales of people picking up thumbdrives in parking lots loaded with password sniffers and other programs to thwart security that can unnerve risk management and certainly not help justify continued funding of IdM projects.

If I look at this conceptually, I could see a VERY solid solution of Novell's ZENworks Endpoint Security Management offering with NetVision's offerings designed to police the IdM environment so that you truly have an end to end solution covering endpoints (machines/peripherals), people, and a monitoring solution to keep everyone honest and embed transparency into Identity Management.

Lets see how things play out...