Linoma Expands Security Power on Data Transfer Product

Published: January 10, 2006

by Dan Burger

If you rely on the Internet for transporting files, then cyber security should be part of your planning and procedures. Any time you share sensitive information, whether the Internet is the means of transportation or not, there is a risk of that information passing into the hands of unauthorized people. How do you know if and when this happens? Honestly, you don't. But you can minimize risks. That's the emphasis Linoma Software has given to its Transfer Anywhere data transfer product.

Transfer Anywhere is a Java program that was designed to automate data retrieval, translation, encryption, decryption, compression, and distribution for enterprise-level organizations. It is capable of distributing files among OS/400, Windows, Linux, and Macintosh clients. And as a database replication tool, it can exchange records among DB2/400, DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, and Informix databases. It can also convert files to Excel, HTML, XML, and fixed-width or delimited text files; compress them using ZIP; encrypt them using PGP; and then distribute them via e-mail, FTP, or file them in OS/400's Integrated File System (IFS) or the Windows NTFS file system.

In its latest release, version 1.7, Linoma has focused on security by adding support for three encryption standards--SSH, SSL, and AES--in addition to OpenPGP. There are also additional FTP features that provide added convenience, and tape encryption for the iSeries is also included. Transfer Anywhere was last enhanced in June 2005 when Linoma concentrated on the product's user interface capabilities. See "Linoma's Transfer Anywhere Tool Does Greenscreen, Too" for coverage of that enhancement.

The new release of Transfer Anywhere supports FTP over SSH (SFTP) and FTP over SSL (FTPS). SSH and SSL are industry standard protocols that implement strong encryption algorithms, server authentication, and integrity protection for data transmissions. Additional security measures have been included such as server and client authentication, which can be established using asymmetric keys or trusted certificates.

Also new in Transfer Anywhere is the capability to protect ZIP files with the popular AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm. This feature allows users to choose the strength of encryption by selecting between 128-, 192-, and 256-bit ciphers. The software permits multi-gigabyte files to be zipped or unzipped natively from the iSeries. According to Linoma's marketing manager Brian Pick, typical data can be compressed to one-tenth of its original size to significantly reduce the time and bandwidth required to transfer large amounts of data.

Pick provided an example of how the supported encryption methods (OpenPGP, SSH, SSL and AES) can be incorporated into the transfer processes by describing the transfer in four steps: 1) retrieve records from an iSeries physical file; 2) create a text file from those records; 3) compress the text file into a ZIP file (with AES encryption); and 4) send the ZIP file over an SFTP (FTP over SSH) connection with a trading partner. Transfers can be executed using native iSeries or Windows commands, either of which can be incorporated into user applications or an automated scheduler.

Enhanced FTP capabilities provide support for file renaming, custom FTP command scripts, and file name selections based on dates and timestamps. Users can also enable detailed logging to record all FTP commands executed, along with their corresponding messages.

For iSeries users, native commands are provided to encrypt and save (back up) libraries and objects to tape and other devices. This feature allows users to secure their backup media and comply with regulations such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley. The user can choose between ZIP/AES and OpenPGP methods for the encryption process. Native iSeries restore commands are also provided to restore and decrypt libraries and objects.

Pricing for Transfer Anywhere version 1.7 starts at $3,995.

For a fully functional trial version of the software, Click here. It requires OS/400 V5R1 or higher.