Cloakware Cuts Down Administrator Sneakernet

A security threat or incident typically sets off a series of actions that include manually changing password protection on threatened servers. Cloakware Inc., a new entry in the automated distribution race, on Monday will unveil Cloakware Server Password Manager to automate that process.

While vendors such as M-Tech Information Technology Inc. and Proginet Corp. already offer automated password capabilities, those apps require that customers access the capabilities as needed over the network. Cloakware says its offering remains on-site as a library for future password checkout.

Application developers are used to receiving server IDs from a central source. With Cloakware, those developers embed a routine into the apps, so the software acquires the necessary credentials at run time from a designated server. That allows server passwords to change without any manual redistribution of passwords or application maintenance.

Cloakware routines will support multiple development platforms, including C, C++, and Java. It costs between $150,000 and $1 million, depending on configuration, and is available starting Monday.

The virtual directory approach by Cloakware is ambitious, says Earl Perkins, an analyst at IT market research firm Meta Group. "Cloakware won't be untested in this market. But customers still manually go to each server to update passwords, and Cloakware will offer them a different approach."

App developers are used to receiving server IDs from a central source. With Cloakware, those developers embed a routine into the apps, so the software acquires the necessary credentials at run time from a designated server. That allows server passwords to change without any manual redistribution of passwords or app maintenance.

Cloakware routines will support multiple development platforms including C, C++, and Java. It costs between $150,000 and $1 million, depending on configuration, and is available starting Monday.

An industry analyst thinks the virtual directory approach by Cloakware is ambitious. "Cloakware won't be untested in this market," says Earl Perkins, an analyst at IT market research firm Meta Group. "But customers still manually go to each server to update passwords, and Cloakware will offer them a different approach."