Avecto Releases Updated Version of Privilege Guard Security Software

Avecto unveiled an updated version of its hallmark privilege management solution on Monday, adding a host of new features, usability improvements and enterprise reporting modules.

Designed to help create a secure yet productive network, Privilege Guard 3.0 provides application elevation, application control and end user messaging along with a full-featured auditing and reporting framework for Windows-based systems.

New additions to the software suite include full search capabilities, summary views and a message designer. In addition, Avecto has rolled out a set of fresh application validation rules and delegated user capabilities for more flexible privilege management.

"Avecto's release of Privilege Guard 3.0 reinforces the set of capabilities available to deliver a policy-enablement framework for managing user privileges through the operations and policy management lifecycle - from gathering user requirements, deploying and enforcing policy, enabling user feedback as well as a complete auditing and reporting capability," Steve Coplan, senior analyst of enterprise security practice at 451 Research, noted in a statement.

Version 3.0 of the software solution comes loaded with two new optional add-on packs built with a Microsoft SQL Server or McAfee (News - Alert) ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) in mind.

With the ePO Integration Pack, McAfee users can report on privileged activity from directly within the ePO console through configurable dashboards and queries. The add-on pack helps reduce deployment times and simplify implementation, and covers elevated, executed, discovered and blocked applications.

The Enterprise Reporting Pack, built on Windows Event Forwarding and SQL Server, sports a robust set of preconfigured dashboards and also reports for elevated, executed, discovered and blocked applications. SQL Reporting Services enable users to securely access reports from a standard Web browser.

"Beyond the core product enhancements, the new enterprise reporting capabilities and McAfee ePO integration introduce a greater level of visibility across the enterprise, enabling the creation of compliance reports and the fine tuning of Privilege Guard policies," added Mark Austin, Avecto's co-founder and chief technology officer.

The launch comes just a week after Avecto was announced as a finalist for three 2012 Global Excellence Awards including Best Overall Security Company and Best New Security Start-Up Company.

Beecher Tuttle is a TMCnet contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Tammy Wolf