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Review: Enterprise Key Management Software: Page 8 of 9

Although it was acquired by storage giant EMC in mid-2006, RSA remains one of the big names in encryption. Its RSA Key Manager is a software-only product designed to work hand-in-hand with the RSA BSafe Data Security Manager to provide key services for RSA's encryption platform. RSA Key Manager is a client- server application that operates under both Windows and Linux, and uses the Key Manager client software to serve as a platform to provide key services for applications running under Hewlett-Packard HP-UX, IBM AIX, Java, Linux, Microsoft Windows and Sun Solaris; C++ development tools also are available for the IBM x/OS and AS/400 OSs.

RSA Key Manager serves only as a key-generation module and database front end for issuing, storing and managing access to keys. Like nCipher's keyAuthority product, it requires the back-end support of a SQL Server or Oracle database. Key Manager is only one of a number of security tools from RSA targeted at large development environments. Other components include the Key Manager Client Library, Data Security Manager, Certificate Manager, Access Manager, Card Manager, Federated Identity Manager and enVision Log management tool, as well as modules for SecureID and smartcard interfaces.

RSA offers consulting and development services for customized security. For companies without an internal application-development group, an investment in an RSA key-management system will likely require third-party development assistance. In any case, it's clear that RSA gear can form the core of a massively scalable, integrated security environment.

Sun Microsystems Storagetek Crypto Key Management Station

Although its not yet a global key-management offering, Sun's new StorageTek Crypto Key Management Station (SCKMS) is worthy of mention. The SCKMS is a software "appliance" that runs under Solaris on a dedicated Sun Ultra 20 workstation equipped with the Sun Crypto Accelerator 6000 card with random number generator. It's designed to interface primarily with the StorageTek T10000 encrypting tape drive, but on closer examination it has all the goodies necessary to expand into other security applications in Sun's lineup. Sun hasn't made any announcements to that effect, but the potential for other applications for the SCKMS are obvious.