Pat Townsend Unveils New Name, New Windows Solution

Published: August 19, 2008

by Alex Woodie

If you've ever looked for encryption software for the i OS (formerly OS/400 and i5/OS) operating system, you've probably heard of Patrick Townsend and his software company, Patrick Townsend & Associates. At some point over the last few months, the company changed its name to Patrick Townsend Security Solutions, or PTSS, as part of a Web site overhaul. The company also launched a new file encryption management solution for Windows Server.

According to Patrick Townsend, president of PTSS, the name change reflects the evolution of the Olympia, Washington, company from a pure-play i OS software vendor to a company that supports other enterprise platforms, including Windows, Unix, and Linux.

"Our name change and new Web site reflects our continuing focus on encryption and key management technologies, and recognizes the company's growth over the last 10 years," he says in a press release. "With thousands of licenses in effect in enterprise accounts we felt it was time to make the change."

Right on queue, the company announced a new Windows encryption solution soon after the name change (PTSS didn't put a date on its name change announcement, so it's tough to say how soon after).

The new Windows-based Alliance File Encryption Manager is designed to protect sensitive data following its transfer from another server. Since the data was likely protected by SSL security during transmission via FTP, Secure Shell SSH, Web upload, shared Web Folders, or other file transfer methods, the data was relatively secure as it was moving.

However, once the file has reached its destination, unless the user puts additional encryption in place, its security is put in jeopardy.

File Encryption Manager adds a layer of protection to files at rest by utilizing 256-bit AES keys to encrypt files. The software is designed for Windows-based Internet servers, including Windows SharePoint Server or Internet Information Server (IIS) running on Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008.

Once the data has been encrypted with Alliance File Encryption Manager, it can be safely moved to another server. Here it can be decrypted by another Alliance product, including those running on i OS, Windows, Linux, or Unix servers. The new software provides key storage management, and maintains a full log of events in the Windows Event Manager.

For more information on Alliance File Encryption Manager or to read Pat's new blog, check out the new Web site at the old URL: www.patownsend.com.

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