Imprivata Onesign.(network computer)(Product/service evaluation)

Byline: Alan Stevens

Imprivata Onesign

Replace your Windows passwords with something stronger

Passwords are a far from foolproof way of authenticating users but they are reasonably easy to manage. Two-factor authentication technologies such as USB tokens, smart cards and fingerprint readers, may be more secure but can be complex and expensive to deploy. Imprivata Onesign Authentication Management simplifies the management of such technologies with an innovative appliance-based solution that can be further extended to support single sign-on and physical access controls.

There are two parts to the Imprivata solution -- the Onesign server, and a software agent installed on client Windows PCs. In fact, the server is made up of two 1U rackmount Linux appliances configured as a constantly synchronised high-availability pair, so that should one appliance fail users can still log on using the hot standby unit with failover handled transparently. A third, 'warm' standby unit, can also be deployed for the really paranoid.

Installation starts with powering up the appliances and assigning an IP address from the front panel. You then connect to the built-in web server using an SSL-enabled browser and run through the configuration required to get the appliances licensed and working on the host network. Then a quick reboot and onto an almost identical web interface to configure the authentication management.

We found the interface easy to follow. You also get good supporting documentation which is a real help if you're setting the box up yourself.