Halcyon Software Unveils Authority Swapper, iPhone Interface

November 2, 2010 Alex Woodie

IBM i systems management tool vendor Halcyon Software recently announced the start of beta testing for Authority Swapper, a new security tool designed to reduce the need for IBM i users to be signed onto the server using powerful user profiles. The vendor also announced a new iPhone interface for its IBM i performance tool.

The October issue of Halcyon Software’s newsletter, called “halcyonnews,” contained two product announcements of interest to its IBM i installed base. The first was the start of beta testing for its new Authority Swapper tool, which would bolster the U.K. software house’s existing security offerings.

According to Halcyon, Authority Swapper would allow a user to temporarily swap into a different user profile that includes a higher authority level, such as QSECOFR, to complete a certain task, such as installing software or adding other users.

This type of tool has been a hot seller for other IBM i security software developers, as it helps IBM i shops to minimize their security risks and liabilities by keeping internal users from having full access into all aspects of the entire server. Surveys show that IBM i users often have more authority than they need to accomplish regular tasks.

Halcyon says access to Authority Swapper will be tightly controlled, and all of the activities of the user will be logged while they are swapped into the alternative user profile. The company, which has been pushing strongly into the United States market through an office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, expects the product to be generally available by the end of the year.

The October newsletter also announced a new iPhone interface for Halcyon’s performance management tools. The new interface will allow users to view the performance of IBM i servers in real-time via a graphical display.

The new iPhone interface also runs on iPads and iPods, and is designed to work with its Performance Analyzer product. Halcyon also bought the Snapshot performance management tool from the Australian firm Mid-Comp International, but it was unclear as this newsletter went to press whether these were the same products.