SAP-certified Solution Improves Regulatory Compliance across Disparate Enterprise IT Systems

WATHAM, Mass., June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Novell today announced the Novell(R) Compliance Management Platform extension for SAP(R) environments, a cost-effective solution for managing access and security challenges across both SAP solutions and non-SAP systems. With Novell provisioning capabilities, customers can integrate the identity and security information in their SAP solutions with other business applications to reduce the time spent on manual IT compliance. The Novell Compliance Management Platform version 1.0 has recently been certified by SAP for integration with the SAP BusinessObjects(TM) Access Control application.

Together, Novell Compliance Management Platform and SAP BusinessObjects Access Control provide complete visibility throughout the enterprise, enabling control over network resources, ERP applications and other mission-critical business applications. The integrated solution helps organizations deploy an end-to-end compliant identity management solution and address and solve IT and compliance-related issues in the enterprise. Through the combined integration of Novell Compliance Management Platform and SAP BusinessObjects Access Control, enterprises can achieve the arduous goal of compliant provisioning in virtually any environment.

The Novell offering enhances SAP customers' ability to comply with security mandates and government regulations by providing a unified view of user activities across all applications in the enterprise. Now customers using the SAP ERP application and SAP BusinessObjects governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) solutions can apply security rules across SAP and non-SAP systems and then validate that those policies are being enforced consistently. This saves time and money by minimizing the duplication of effort and the potential for error.

"Compliance mandates are one of today's top executive concerns. Managing user access and demonstrating adherence to corporate governance across various systems in an enterprise presents significant business and IT challenges," said Jim Ebzery, senior vice president and general manager at Novell. "Novell's Compliance Management Platform leverages SAP's strength in user validation and couples it with our expertise in provisioning user access to form an integrated approach that will help our customers meet these challenges head on."

"With growing security threats and increasing regulatory oversight, companies need seamless integration of their governance risk and compliance management solutions across the entire IT landscape," said Brian Parker, Principal, Deloitte & Touche LLP. "Keeping a watchful eye on the security and privacy of valuable data assets can be more effective if a comprehensive approach which includes the use of technology automation coupled with effective governance is taken."

Novell Compliance Management Platform extension for SAP environments combines user provisioning, access control and security monitoring products from Novell into one comprehensive solution that integrates with SAP BusinessObjects Access Control. The certified Novell Compliance Management Platform 1.0 enables compliant-based user provisioning functionality by integrating with SAP BusinessObjects Access Control via web services.

"The Novell Compliance Management Platform is optimized to complement SAP's open strategy for IT governance, risk, and compliance," said Sanjay Poonen, senior vice president and general manager, Performance Optimization Applications, SAP BusinessObjects Division. "Together we can help offer our customers a new level of confidence that the right controls are in place so only authorized employees have access to sensitive business information."

The Novell Compliance Management Platform complements SAP's GRC solutions to integrate identity, access and security information and event management technology to provide a real-time, holistic view of all events across an enterprise. This tight integration eases implementation and creates a governance solution that ensures business policy becomes an automated IT practice.

The Novell Compliance Management Platform extension for SAP environments is the second deliverable resulting from the partnership between Novell and SAP. SAP recommends SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as a preferred platform for customers who want to deploy SAP applications on Linux.* Novell ships SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Priority Support for SAP applications, which offers customers a single support entry point, from the operating system through the application, to streamline resolution of support incidents, reduce complexity and lower the total cost of ownership when running SAP solutions on top of a Linux operating system.

For more information on the partnership between Novell and SAP, please see www.novell.com/sap.

About Novell

Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) delivers the best engineered, most interoperable Linux platform and a portfolio of integrated IT management software that helps customers around the world reduce cost, complexity and risk. With our infrastructure software and ecosystem of partnerships, Novell harmoniously integrates mixed IT environments, allowing people and technology to work as one. For more information, visit www.novell.com.

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SOURCE Novell, Inc.