Centrify Enhances Its Market Leading Active Directory Integration for Apple Macs

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Macworld -- Centrify Corporation, the leading provider of security and compliance solutions to secure cross-platform data centers using Active Directory, announced enhanced features in its newly released DirectControl for Mac OS X v4.4 designed to help IT and helpdesk staff streamline the deployment, security and management of the Mac in sophisticated, Windows-managed, IT environments.  Centrify also announced it earned the Department of Defense JITC certification for support of Common Access Cards (CAC) and strong authentication, and integration with Group Logic Extreme Z-IP for support of home directories on Windows DFS shares.

The Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) provides test, evaluation, and certification services for acquiring and deploying global "net-centric" military capabilities. With certification of its DirectControl for Mac OS X solution, Centrify can now assure government agencies and those who interact with them that DirectControl for Mac OS X meets the high standards established by the JITC. Among the required capabilities is support for Common Access Card (CAC), smart card login to Active Directory. Centrify JITC certification is now listed under Public Key-Enabled Products on the JITC website. To review the current JITC certification online, please visit http://jitc.fhu.disa.mil/pki/pke_lab/app_testing/details/centrify_direct_control_4_4_0.html

With the release of DirectControl for Mac OS X version 4.4, Centrify has added functions that make it even easier for organizations to manage Macs in the workplace. Centrify DirectControl already delivers hundreds of Active Directory Group Policies to lockdown Mac desktops, and with version 4.4 released last week, new Group Policy for login settings let administrators predetermine which items should be opened, such as applications, folders or server connections, when a user logs in. Centrify DirectControl now also supports FileVault on Mac OS X 10.5 and later. Mobile users whose home directory is on an NFS-mounted share can now authenticate to that share using Active Directory. This market leading AD integration is critical to enterprise customers introducing Macs into their environments.

As a founding member of the Enterprise Desktop Alliance, http://www.enterprisedesktopalliance.com/, Centrify works closely with other companies who provide enterprise solutions for the Mac. With this latest release, Centrify simplifies authentication to home directories on Windows Distributed File Services (DFS) shares by supporting interoperability with Group Logic ExtremeZ-IP, a server software solution that ensures seamless file and printer sharing between Mac desktops and Windows servers.

"We see organizations benefiting from interoperability between our solutions," said T. Reid Lewis, CEO of Group Logic. "By simplifying authentication in a DFS environment, Centrify makes it easier for our customers to get the value of DFS without having to increase their administrative overhead."

Price and availability

Centrify DirectControl for Mac OS X v4.4 supports all versions of Mac OS X from 10.4.x through the current versions.  It is generally available from Centrify and its partners and is priced at $60 for quantity one. The Smartcard support module is an additional $30.

About Centrify

Centrify enables organizations to reduce IT expenses, strengthen security and enhance compliance by centrally securing their cross-platform data centers through Active Directory-based identity and access management. By leveraging Active Directory, organizations have a cost-effective solution for authentication, access control, role-based privilege management, user-level auditing and server protection for heterogeneous systems, hypervisors and applications. Built on a common architecture, the seamlessly integrated Centrify Suite – DirectControl, DirectAuthorize and DirectAudit– has been chosen by over 1,500 enterprise customers worldwide for its quick-to-deploy, easy-to-manage next-generation technology. For more information about Centrify and its solutions, call +1 (408) 542-7500 or visit http://www.centrify.com/.

Centrify, DirectControl and DirectAudit are registered trademarks and DirectAuthorizeis a trademark of Centrify Corporation in the United States and other countries.

SOURCE Centrify Corporation