Software Enables VMware vSphere™ Users to Securely Manage Privileged User Access with Microsoft Active Directory within Windows Environments

Likewise, the leader in delivering integration and authentication software for mixed networks, today announced a technology licensing agreement with VMware, enabling Likewise software to be directly integrated and included with VMware vSphere™.

The integration will enable VMware vSphere users to manage privileged user access with Microsoft Active Directory, providing large enterprises with a scalable means to improve authentication and access control in virtualized environments to help meet IT security audit requirements. Likewise is a member of the VMware Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) program.

“Virtualization platform vendors have realized the need to architect security capabilities into their platforms instead of relying solely on third-party add-on solutions,” said Neil MacDonald, VP and Gartner Fellow. “As enterprises build out their virtual environments, they should include the security capabilities of the virtualization platforms they consider into their evaluation process.”

“Virtualization is changing the landscape of the enterprise data center, creating new opportunities and considerations for our customers,” said Barry Crist, CEO of Likewise. “By directly integrating Likewise into VMware vSphere™, we can help customers leverage their existing investment in their Windows environments while providing additional security for their virtual environments.”

“As customers continue on the journey to cloud computing, they need to leverage existing security infrastructure for their virtualized environments,” said Patrick Lin, vice president, product management, VMware. “To help meet this demand, we plan to leverage Likewise software to seamlessly integrate this capability in large-scale environments running VMware vSphere™, providing a secure way for customers to manage their access controls.”

About Likewise

Likewise provides integration and identity management solutions to improve security and operational efficiencies and to help achieve regulatory compliance in mixed networks. Likewise Open lets organizations securely authenticate Linux, Unix and Mac users with Microsoft Active Directory. Likewise Enterprise includes all the core authentication technology that comes with Likewise Open, plus world-class migration, group policy, auditing and reporting modules. More information is available at the company’s website, www.likewise.com.