Java System Solutions

Single Sign-On for the BMC Remedy Action Request System

Single Sign On brochure

It’s a fact that no employee will dispute: passwords equal huge headaches - causing user frustration and hindering productivity - not to mention the burden on the IT Service Desk for password resets. Employees, while trying to keep pace with password policy, jot passwords on sticky notes, attach them to monitors or under keyboards - ironically creating significant security vulnerabilities and risk - quite simply, what the password policy was meant to negate.

Fortunately, creating secure and easy user access no longer is at odds with employee productivity and can be effectively managed as part of your security initiatives. Introducing JSS Single Sign On product, version 2.0.

The Java System Solutions SSO Plugin solution provides the only purpose built single sign-on (SSO) solution for the BMC Remedy Action Request System.

The SSO Plugin does not require weeks of consulting, endless meetings, etc., and can be implemented rapidly by your AR System administrator - the SSO Plugin is a product you can download and install today.

Why not watch the Single Sign On in four minutes movie?

Key features

• The only product in the market to provide SSO support following the BMC whitepaper, therefore the only product to follow BMC guidelines.
• Secure Windows Authentication: Out of the box support for SPNEGO/Kerberos and NTLM, across multiple domains, with no requirement for third party products or licensing.
• Windows User Tool support: Login to the AR System Windows User Tool without entering your username and password.
• Cleartrust and SiteMinder: Seamless integration with Cleartrust, Siteminder and other third party SSO systems.
• User aliasing: Supports mis-matched SSO and AR System usernames.
• Strong encryption: IDEA is a block cipher which uses a 128-bit length key to encrypt successive 64-bit blocks of plain text.
• Excellent usability: SSO Administration Console runs along side existing AR System administration consoles.
• BMC Remedy Knowledge Management: Enables direct SSO access to the BMC Remedy Knowledge Management product without having to first login to the BMC ITSM product.

Why do you need Single Sign On?

Where a user is already properly identified to the corporate computer network or extranet, it is frustrating for the AR System to make the user identify themselves all over again. SSO Plugin 'picks up' the existing user identification and automatically identifies the user to the AR System so that the user doesn't have to go through the process manually: on clicking the appropriate logo, the user will find they are ‘signed on’ to Remedy.

SSO Plugin complements an existing SSO system (such as Cleartrust or SiteMinder), and supports Windows Authentication, allowing Windows domain users to be transparently signed-onto Remedy systems through their standard workstation login.

The AR System is promoted as featuring Single Sign On support, however whilst an interface to ‘support’ SSO is provided, there is no actual implementation included with the product. The JSS SSO Plugin is the only purpose built solution for the AR System.

Widely interoperable

SSO Plugin's reliability and flexible design allow us to rapidly adapt the product to any Single Sign On environment. Supported ‘out of the box’:

• Supports all versions of the AR Systems since version 7.
• Platforms including Windows, Linux, Solaris and HP-UX
• Java EE web containers including Apache Tomcat, JBoss, Weblogic and Websphere.
• Web browsers including Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

How does the SSO Plugin differ from others?

There are a number of companies offering general-purpose ‘password management’ applications, that happen to work with AR System Midtier, as a single sign-on solution.

Password managers simply store login details on each computer used by each user. This approach is popular for consumer-level web site access, but has significant drawbacks for corporate networks:

• Convenience: When a user's password changes, the stored passwords on each password manager installation must be manually updated to match;
• Security: Storing passwords on the local computer is frowned upon by all security minded individuals, and totally unacceptable in many organisations.

The SSO Plugin provides the solution your organisation deserves: It's safe and secure.

Installation

Typical install time: under two hours.

SSO Plugin is installed as an AREA plugin to the ARS server installation, a plugin to the Midtier, and both installations are typically simple: a file copy into the relevant locations and a little configuration.

Configuration of the Midtier plugin is performed using a web interface provided with SSO Plugin. Configuration of the AREA plugin is performed through an installer or simple configuration file.

Once installation is complete, you can access your Midtier via the normal URLs. Direct access to AR System applications will be protected; the SSO system protects Midtier URLs (such as /home, /forms and /apps).

Evaluation

We provide a free trial of our single sign-on solution allowing you to ‘try before you buy’.

Installation is relatively straightforward. Assuming the relevant skills and the availability of internal network configuration details (such as Active Directory login credentials), installation can be performed in a couple hours.

One of our engineers can also perform the installation for you. A remote desktop connection will be required and the server should meet a list of pre-installation criteria.

Contact us for more information or to request an evaluation.