Before selecting a System i Security solution, you must first determine the best security approach for your needs. Some systems offer an Object-level security approach, while others have a Transaction-based approach. What does this difference really mean?

Essentially, Object-level security enables you to define a “white list” of the objects (such as files) which can be accessed by all or specific users; such an approach enables specifying the exact access type (Read, Write, Update,…) for each object as well.

Transaction-based security, however, does not have this capability. Instead, this approach uses a mechanism called Memorized Transactions. With this mechanism, certain transactions are kept in a separate area (not in the log), and analyzed to check if the a pattern or particular template can be used as a security rule, or as the structural basis for allowing or disallowing access to objects. Naturally, pattern recognition is a CPU intensive task which can negatively affect process time for each transaction.

Our flagship product, iSecurity, uses Object-level security together with an intuitive algorithm in which more specific rules are analyzed before generic ones are referenced. Using this algorithm, iSecurity requires only one successful I/O with minimal CPU to find the exact rule.

The advantages of Object-level security are:

Better Performance
Object-level security is far superior in the area of performance. With Transaction-based security, the greater the number of memorized transactions, the larger the number of comparisons needed for each incoming TCP transaction (FTP, SQL, etc.). And more applications in use means more transactions generated, more rules that need to be defined, and more transactions that need to be memorized.

Less Security Exposures
Unlike Object-based security, Transaction-based security compares transactions character by character, which means that unimportant differences between transactions may render important security rules useless.

Installation & Maintenance Issues
With Transaction-based security, the administrator needs to carefully review each transaction, determine which transactions require rules, and memorize those transaction definitions. The above procedure is time consuming and, more importantly, extremely error prone. Errors in defining the rules can easily lead to actual security breaches and serious monetary and reputation losses to your company.

Written by Eli Spitz, VP Business Development, Raz-Lee Security
Email Eli Spitz at marketing@razlee.com

The recession has been here for quite a while, and each company must rethink and adjust their strategy and expenditures to suit the unstable economy. In most cases,  this means companies will only invest in what they consider essential.

Is information security essential? I think so. Here is why information security becomes even more vital in a time of recession:

• Time of increased security risks – In a recession, more people are hard-pressed for money and have large debts; more people are unemployed, bored and angry. And don’t forget all those employees you fired last week, who could well be looking for revenge… all these people are potential hackers and embezzlers.
• NOT a time to expand your losses – In a recession, all companies suffer financially. However, no one can afford to expand losses by losing huge sums to hackers.
• Time to automate your tasks – In a Down Market, you have to make do with fewer employees. This means you have to be more efficient. Sophisticated security tools, such as iSecurity, can save you lots of time, with wizards, report generators, real-time alerts, and more. 
• Time to prepare for the upturn – Now, when sales are low, concentrate on preparing your infrastructure for the day after the recession, when you will have to focus on expanding sales and marketing.
• Time for Musts only – Security is a Must. It is not a nice-to-have new project. It is safeguarding what you already have and treasure most – your business-critical information.

Click here for information on the need for information security.
Click here for information on iSecurity, Raz-Lee’s sophisticated system i security tools
Written by Shari Masafy, Marketing Communications Manager, Raz-Lee Security
Email Shari Masafy at marketing@razlee.com

I’ve often wondered about what IT Managers – and their superiors – really need in the areas of security and compliance.

The importance of security is pretty obvious: A security breach, be it a hacking trick done by a teenage kid from across the globe or an embezzlement carried out by “an enemy from within“, can easily make the company’s stock value and “bottom line” take a huge nose dive. And don’t forget the personal damage to the manager’s career… That alone is enough to get you to make sure that systems are totally secure and that audit trails exist!

Also, as auditors become more and more powerful in their organization, demanding answers, figures and proof of everything that happens, IT Managers have no choice but to “supply the goods” and the means for these auditors to get their jobs done.

So here are my thoughts on the 5 “must-haves” for IT Managers these days:

1) Click Click – Single click access to a single page summary report, presenting, in a “top-down” manner, all exceptions to security policies on all systems in the environment. One example of such an interface is Raz-Lee’s iSecurity GUI.

2) Take it Easy – Easily enable system administrators, auditors- and managers!- to define, run and schedule compliance reports running over selected systems in their environment.

3) A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words – Single screen graphical (i.e. business intelligence oriented) access to security-oriented data warehouse with on-line drill down capabilities to isolate and identify security breaches and related events. See iSecurity GUI Screens for an example of this.

4) Know Where you Stand – Single click assessment of how the site is complying with defined policies (either IBM’s, best practices or the site’s defined baseline policies).

5) Automate It – Automatic responses to potential security breaches and events which will enable identifying the intruder and accumulating court-acceptable evidence.

Raz-Lee’s iSecurity, an advanced System i Security product suite, addresses all 5 “Must Haves” .  Email marketing@razlee.com for a free consultation on the best security solution for you.

Written by Shmuel Zailer, CEO, Raz-Lee Security
Email Shmuel Zailer at marketing@razlee.com