Managing access to computer systems and data is a critical issue for businesses, driven largely by the need to comply with such mega-regulations as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA in the U.S. and others around the world. That issue offered a market opportunity of $2.6 billion in 2006 that is expected to reach more than $12.3 billion in 2014, according to a Forrester research report.
In a move to strengthen its offerings in this area, IBM has acquired Encentuate, Inc., a privately held company based in Redwood City, Calif. A provider of identity and access management software focused on single sign-on and strong authentication technology, Encentuate will integrate into IBM Software Group’s Tivoli division.
Encentuate’s strength is its ability to track and facilitate identity usage while helping to increase user productivity. Plus, by centrally tracking and collating log-in attempts, Encentuate provides companies with audit and reporting capabilities that help them document their efforts to meet governance and compliance requirements.
“Encentuate technology advances our capabilities in enterprise single sign-on by offering customers an easy to use solution, more flexible integration with strong authentication form factors, dynamic session management and compliance-focused auditing and reporting capabilities,” said Al Zollar, general manager, IBM Tivoli software.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Learn more:
IBM Acquires Encentuate (press release) (US)