Identity managementThere are two kinds of identity issues. The first are of the "Who am I and what am I doing here?" type, and fall far beyond the scope of New Products. The second are of the "Who are you and what are you doing here?" type, and there we're on firmer ground. Take, for instance, the new release of Beta Systems' SAM Jupiter, a security and identity management solution that automates user management processes, including the creation and deletion of user accounts and the definition and enforcement of enterprise-wide security policies. Version 4 is now available for Unix and Windows, as well as mainframe platforms, and offers easier customization and an extended graphical user interface for managing system utilities. With its ease of use and customization, and all those ID management capabilities, it should help you ask and answer the second type of question. As for the first, you are, as ever, on your own.
Price: Based on number of users and components licensed.
Beta Systems Software AG
www.betasystems.com
BizTrust
While clients rarely know what they need, oftentimes you don't either. You could ask, but didn't we just finish saying that they don't know? You could bring them to self-awareness through a long and emotionally painful process of Socratic self-examination - or you could sign up for BizTrust, an online client and prospect assessment solution from BizAction.
BizTrust takes a collection of assessments covering everything from general topics to specific industries, and delivers them to your clients through BizAction's online newsletters and delivery systems. Once prospects or clients go through the 20-minute assessment, they receive an individualized report covering, say, strategic planning or the financial health of their business, and you get valuable information for cross-selling, improving client service and differentiating your firm.
Price: Contact vendor.
BizActions
www.bizactions.com
(866) 240-8477
Information in chains
Information wants to be free, which is why those in charge of confidential client or firm data must load it down with more chains than King Kong at his New York debut. Still, there are times when you need to move it around or store it off-site, which is where the EncryptEase hybrid disc comes in. A hybrid of CD-Rs and CD-ROMs, these new recordable discs feature copy guards, password-protected access and scheduled expiration dates. EncryptEase comes with a pre-recorded encryption application in the ROM portion of the disc, while users can add data to the CD-R section in up to 20 sessions.
Price: $6.99 each.
Ricoh Corp.
www.ricoh-usa.com
(800) 22-RICOH
Scantastic!
We haven't been this excited about a big machine since we covered the closet-sized shredder. For those of you considering document management systems, Kirtas Technologies' new APT BookScan 2400 is the Big Bertha of scanners, capable of scanning 2,400 pages every hour, with all sorts of image-enhancement and document-handling capabilities. And just look at it! If, however, you're not in the market for something quite that industrial, Kirtas also has the BookScan 1200, and operates a service bureau where you can send materials to be digitized and returned.
Price: APT BookScan 2400 - $189,000; APT BookScan 1200 - $149,000.
Kirtas Technologies
www.kirtastech.com
New and improved!
CCH is now the exclusive distributor in North America of GlobalVATOnline, an online value-added tax research and news product from PricewaterhouseCoopers. ... Sage Software has released Sage BusinessVision 7.0, with over 100 enhancements. ... Intuit Inc. has launched QuickBooks Online Payroll, a payroll solution for users of its QuickBooks Online Edition.
