Centrify Corporation, a leading provider of security and compliance solutions to secure cross-platform data centers using Microsoft(R) Active Directory, on Tuesday announced availability of Centrify DirectSecure, a software solution that secures sensitive information by isolating and protecting cross-platform systems and by enabling end-to-end encryption of data in motion. Using DirectSecure, organizations can prevent unauthorized access to computing resources and data, improve regulatory compliance, and have optimal, policy-driven protection against network attacks for mixed Windows and UNIX/Linux environments.

"Dynamic data centers contain a mix of Windows servers, UNIX and Linux servers, and virtual servers, which going forward will increasingly extend their reach out to services hosted in multiple cloud provider data centers, said Phil Schacter, VP and Service Director, Burton Group. "Policy-based access controls and secure connections are a key requirement to protect sensitive business information and systems."

DirectSecure leverages an enterprise's existing Active Directory infrastructure and extends Microsoft's Server and Domain Isolation technology to UNIX and Linux systems -- whether they are physical, virtual or in the cloud. DirectSecure also enables Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 7 users to take advantage of the Windows DirectAccess feature to securely access non-Microsoft systems and provides end-to-end encryption and security for those connections.

Organizations can use DirectSecure to ensure that sensitive data such as financial transactions or credit card data is inaccessible to anyone but authorized users connecting through trusted computers. This results in higher levels of protection against internal or external threats -- even in situations where the attacker has a valid username and password. Unlike network hardware-based methods, DirectSecure uses a host-based software approach, ensuring security policies are enforced regardless of the server's location or application protocol. Utilizing the native IPsec support built into today's UNIX and Linux operating systems, DirectSecure provides optional encryption of data-in-motion to address audit requirements and protect intellectual property, without requiring changes to applications or network topology. This makes DirectSecure the most secure, adaptive solution for dynamic IT environments that include distributed networks, virtualized platforms and cloud computing.