Midrange Stuff, OS/400 Edition

IBM designed MQSeries to be a robust, secure platform for connecting disparate applications across uncertain networks. The technology, which has since been renamed WebSphere MQ, is often used by banks that need to ensure the delivery of transactions. However, as industrial-strength as WebSphere MQ is, one can't be too careful these days, according to Candle, a specialist in WebSphere MQ management that delivered a new WebSphere MQ security software product last week.

Candle's latest product, PathWAI Secure for WebSphere MQ, is designed to further protect sensitive messages sent across the WebSphere MQ middleware environment, and to create an environment of trust among trading partners who are increasingly relying on Web-based transactions in their daily business. The product is not entirely new; it's largely based on the MQSecure product that Candle has developed for years.

What is new with PathWAI Secure for WebSphere MQ are the additional security capabilities, provided by RSA Security, including message encryption using public key infrastructure (PKI) technology, authentication of the sender and recipient, and validation that messages have not been altered.

Candle added the new capabilities because it believed there was a need to bolster WebSphere MQ's native security for critical documents, especially in light of new government security initiatives, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and similar requirements in other industries, including financial services. "The middleware layer is often overlooked when protecting a business, which can create an Achilles' heel in a security infrastructure," says Mark Ehr, a senior analyst with Enterprise Management Associates, who participated in the product launch.

With PathWAI Secure for WebSphere MQ, users can generate RSA key pairs using software from any certificate or registration authority provider, while using PathWAI Secure for WebSphere MQ to manage the keys. Candle's software also supports Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP), which lets users conduct a certificate "background check" using third-party services, before accepting a certificate. PathWAI Secure for WebSphere MQ also embeds digital certificates into the messages to make them more secure and to expedite certificate validation.

PathWAI Secure for WebSphere MQ is part of a complete line of PathWAI for WebSphere products that Candle launched in November 2002. Included in the product suite are two other WebSphere MQ-oriented products, PathWAI Monitor for WebSphere MQ, for tuning, testing, and configuration management, and PathWAI Dashboard for WebSphere MQ, a "single-pane-of-glass view" of WebSphere MQ systems management activity.

PathWAI Secure for WebSphere MQ supports major WebSphere MQ platforms, including OS/400, Windows, Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, and mainframe. Software licenses begin at $1,600 per processor. For more information, go to www.candle.com.

Sponsored By

PERM-A-STORE

Turtle® Data Storage and Transport Cases by Perm-A-Store, Inc.
Data Protection for Critical Corporate Assets

Have you ever noticed that some of the biggest blunders in life result from overlooking the obvious? Forgetting the simple things is a common cause of tragedy. Buckling your seatbelt takes a few seconds. Insisting your kids wear their protective gear before bicycling doesn't take a huge effort. Installing a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in your home does not require anything more than a few bucks and a phone call. Treating an illness by taking your medication at the time and for the duration prescribed shouldn't be a big deal, right? But how often do we invite disaster by failing to take those easy, simple steps to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our valuable assets?

In business, as in your personal life, some of the best solutions available to mitigate risks, to protect our assets are the simplest. You just need to decide to do it. Then do it.

That's why Perm-A-Store, home of Turtlecase.com developed the first Turtle transport case in 1988. The "new" tape back-up technology at that time was the 200 MB capacity 3480 tape cartridge. Large users, such as banks and insurance companies, were struggling with the best way to ship large volumes of 3480 tapes without subjecting them to dirt, debris, extreme temperatures and physical damage. Tossing these tapes with valuable data in an open container, where they were free to bounce around, bang against once another and be exposed to damage didn't seem to make sense.

Working with these large users, Perm-A-Store developed the first Turtle case. Made of lightweight but durable high-density polyethylene material, the Turtle provided an individual "nesting" area for each tape. In doing so, the tapes were protected from making contact with one another or the sides of the container. The design included two exterior walls rather than one. This provided added protection from impact (dropping, kicking, throwing) while allowing a protective layer of air between the two walls. The air helps mitigate temperature extremes. With unique "bumps" on the exterior of the case, any force against the exterior of the case is first absorbed by these bumps, protecting the contents. These bumps give the Turtle case it's unique appearance . . . something like the shell of a Turtle.

Lockable, stackable, with a fold down handle, the Turtle cases now protect a lot more than 200 MB of data. Today's tape technology, with LTO, SuperDLT, 3590 and 9940 provide more than a thousand times the capacity of the 1988 3480 tape ON EACH TAPE CARTRIDGE. No wonder why more and more users have turned to Turtles to help protect their critical data during transport.

Available in capacities from 5 to 100, Turtles offer users a simple way to avoid disaster. So while it might be okay to forget some things, don't forget to take the steps to protect yourself, your family and your critical corporate assets . . . like business data. Just remember: "You can't beat a Turtle!"

Call us at 1-800-366-7535 or visit us at www.Turtlecase.com