Hitachi Announces Open Enterprise Application Security Integration Software Solution

Business Wire, Feb 18, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 2002

Hitachi Computer Products (America), Inc. today announced the availability of a new software product for Enterprise Application Security Integration (EASI). The Quadrasis EASI Security Unifier(TM) helps organizations integrate and manage security technologies from multiple vendors across their distributed operating environments. The product reduces integration complexity and brings consistency to security policies while reducing cost and time-to-deployment for organizations undertaking mergers or acquisitions, or deploying e-business or Web Services initiatives.

Until now, getting different security products, like firewalls, operating system security, application security and Web Single-Sign-On to harmonize with one another has been enormously complex and expensive. Just as Enterprise Application Integration, or EAI, technologies integrate applications, databases and business processes into a single, virtual "business engine," EASI Security Unifier helps organizations centralize security policy and management by fostering cooperation between multiple security products across the perimeter, middle and back office tiers of their enterprise.

"With EASI Security Unifier, we are offering a solution that is flexible, scalable, reliable, standards-based and designed for the future," said Bret Hartman, CTO of the Software Solutions unit of Hitachi Computer Products (America), Inc. "Our pre-built security integration components, including context managers, bridges, wrappers and interceptors provide rapid deployment and end-to-end security across disparate technology domains."

Previously, organizations had to develop expensive custom software or purchase proprietary technology to enable applications using different platforms to interoperate securely. The initial release of EASI Security Unifier offers a set of services to pass credentials across multiple systems. The services are based on the Security Assertion Markup Language standard, or SAML, from OASIS, an international not-for-profit consortium that designs and develops industry standard specifications for interoperability based on XML. Adapters for Microsoft IIS and BEA WebLogic are available to provide bridging between these environments. An EASI Developer Tool is also available which can be used to EASI-enable customer-developed and legacy applications, thus bringing a complete, consistent and extensible security architecture to the enterprise.

About Quadrasis

Quadrasis products and services are provided by the Software Solutions Division of Hitachi Computer Products (America), Inc. Quadrasis software and professional services help organizations unify their security infrastructures end-to-end across their distributed enterprises. Unified security not only provides the ability to achieve centralized control over security policies, but also allows organizations to respond more nimbly to business challenges and significantly reduce implementation and administration costs. For more information on Quadrasis, visit our web site at www.quadrasis.com

About Hitachi

Hitachi Computer Products (America), Inc., is a subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., in turn a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi America, Ltd. markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, consumer electronics and semiconductors, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America. For more information on Hitachi America, visit www.hitachi.com

Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 2000 (ended March 31, 2001) consolidated sales of 8,417 billion yen ($67.9 billion(a)). The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's Web site at http://global.hitachi.com

(a) At an exchange rate of 124 yen to the dollar.

Note to Editors: Quadrasis and EASI Security Unifier are trademarks of Hitachi Computer Products (America), Inc. Other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.