SAP acquires encryption software from Secude

SAP acquires encryption software from Secude

By Robin Whitlock

www.millhousedata.com

The US business software giant SAP hit the IT headlines in January by buying a number of computer security software packages from Swiss company Secude, in particular the latter company’s Enterprise Single Sign-on and Secude Secure Log-in. Despite the acquisition Secude will continue to operate as an independent company and so this move is not, as it may appear, a corporate takeover. SAP state on their website that with the new software they will be able to offer their customers a complete software security package without the need to rely on additional components from third-parties. In future, SAP software will be available with default security settings because the encrypted communication pathways will be built into the software and will activate after installation. This in turn will help to reduce the administrative burden faced by customers as well as their financial TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).
SAP was founded in 1972 and currently maintains a sales presence in over 50 countries according to its website. It is listed on both the Frankfurt and New York stock exchanges. At present its security portfolio is organised around three main departments; training and education, support and consultancy and finally technology. Secude emerged out of a partnership established in 1996 between SAP AG and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute. Its main office is in Switzerland but it also has offices in Hungary, Turkey, China, Vietnam, Singapore, India, the Middle East and the US. The Enterprise Single-Sign On software was designed to tackle the issue of security caused by multiple passwords which many employees often forget leading to lost working hours and an increased security risk. Employees may recover their passwords after some investigation but if they don’t they typically have to call on helpdesks thereby wasting more valuable working time. Invariably employees also tend to write down passwords or use terms that are simplistic and easy to remember. Both of these behaviours are potential security risks. The New York-based IT research and advisory company Gartner has estimated that a particular company will typically call the helpdesk at least 19 times per year over password issues. Secede state that their single-signon can easily be integrated into a company’s IT policy through the use of smart-cards and USB devices.
Another way in which single sign-on helps to improve security is that with a single sign-on, the user can enter a variety of different systems but without having to enter a multitude of passwords, something that can be invaluable against phishing attacks while at the same time reducing stress from having to remember so many passwords (password fatigue). Single sign on systems uses centralized authentication servers which are often encrypted.
Any move towards increased data security has got to be welcome, especially after the furore caused by the recent Wikileaks affair and the resultant ‘revenge’ attacks on companies by rogue bands of computer hackers. Both the Secure Login and Single Sign On will be especially useful in helping to reduce such security risks in the future.

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