Bsafe Gets New OS/400 Security Solution Out the Door

by Alex Woodie

Bsafe Information Systems says it's now shipping a new release of its OS/400 security software suite that includes features that can help users comply with government mandates calling for tighter security of data. The new changed data tracking feature, which was originally planned for Bsafe/Global Security for iSeries Version 3.3 in January, is now available in Version 3.5, according to the Israeli software company, which also says it's making strides to break into the American market.

Bsafe/Global Security for iSeries performs a number of security-related functions for OS/400 servers, including managing OS/400 security settings and exit points, detecting and preventing suspicious network activity, and generating reports against the OS/400 system journal. Everything in Bsafe/Global Security is managed from a Windows GUI, which, the company says, makes it much easier to use.

About a year ago, the company said it had completed work on a new version of the product that would include two new capabilities that would give the product a boost in the hot area of regulatory compliance. Bsafe/Global Security for iSeries Version 3.3 was to include something the company called Dataflow, which would basically be a field-level auditing, too. Dataflow would use the system journal to track changes made to data in OS/400 applications, and would be used to help companies generate "before" and "after" image of specific fields, or entire records, for auditing purposes.

A second System Alert capability would also have applicability in an audit of Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance. This feature would enable an alert to be automatically sent when several predefined activities occurred, such somebody attempting to change a system setting or access an object they're not authorized to access, or a failed sign-on attempt.

In January, we reported that these new features were available in Bsafe/Global Security 3.3 (see "Bsafe Bolsters OS/400 Security Software with New Logging, Alerts"). In fact, because of problems encountered in the limited beta release of Bsafe/Global Security 3.3, the product was delayed and never actually shipped, a company official says. Instead, Bsafe continued to work on the new features in the lab. In November, the company issued a press release, dated September, announcing the new Dataflow and System Alert features in a new release of the product, Bsafe/Global Security 3.5.

In addition to the Dataflow and System Alert features, Bsafe/Global Security 3.5 contains some brand new functionality, the company says. These new functions include the capability to prevent SQL access to DB2/400; two new system journal reports; the capability to print out system value and password status reports; improvements to the automatic Telnet sign-on capability; new remote command server options; and the addition of IP address logging.

Bsafe/Global Security 3.5 is ready for prime time, according to the company. "Version 3.5 is a fully tested, approved, and considerably improved version of the unshipped 3.3," the company says.

Bsafe Software Solutions, a subsidiary of Bsafe Information Systems, also says it recently opened its second North American office, in Houston. The company has its international headquarters in Thornhill, Ontario, and lists another office in Newport Beach, California.

Bsafe sells its software directly and through several partners in the United States and Canada. The company says it has been adding new partnerships, and the list now includes Able-One Systems of Ontario; Application Design Services of Rhode Island; BDH Technologies of Texas; DyComp of North Carolina; Hampton Consultancy of California; Midland Information Systems of Florida; North American Systems International of Minnesota; OZ Global Software of California; and RMI Midrange Computers of Florida.