Joint Solution Combines Expertise of Sun Identity Management and SAP GRC ORLANDO, Fla. - SAPPHIRE '06, May 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ:SUNW) today announced it is teaming up with SAP to deliver an integrated software solution that will help businesses maintain automated "continuous compliance" with both external government regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and internal corporate security policies. The new solution combines the Sun Java(TM) System Identity Management Suite with SAP's Virsa Access Enforcer. The combination gives businesses a simple, effective way to control which employees have access to specific information stored across a company's entire IT infrastructure, regardless of what type or how many systems are deployed. The solution also allows businesses to identify and prevent real and potential security breaches, and create audits to demonstrate compliance -- all completely automated and all in real-time. Government regulations and an increasing number of security breaches are forcing companies around the world to know who has access to what information resources, monitor changes in access control, report the results and provide a historical record. The Sun-SAP solution automates those capabilities across the enterprise to help reduce costs, improve business processes and strengthen compliance. "The choice for companies today is no longer whether to invest in identity management and auditing capabilities," said Sara Gates, vice president of Identity Management at Sun Microsystems. "The choice now is whether to invest in automated, cross-application, cross-platform solutions like the one we have announced today, or to instead invest in an army of expensive IT professionals to independently administer profiles, control access to potentially dozens of systems and conduct audits after serious damage may have already been done." With SAP's recent acquisition of Virsa, the integrated solution is part of SAP's Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) framework that provides companies with effective governance, comprehensive risk reduction and demonstrable compliance, all at reduced costs. About the Joint Solution As enterprise computing environments grow more heterogeneous and complex, managing internal compliance has become increasingly difficult, placing enterprises at serious risk for damaging security breaches and costly violations of government regulations. By automating provisioning and compliance controls across all IT resources including custom and Web applications, host mainframes, databases, directories and business applications, Sun and SAP's products work together to give customers continuous compliance in real-time. Sun's Java System Identity Management Suite allows companies to create a user's virtual identity, tying the user to appropriate accounts across the enterprise. Reports are generated automatically and sent to approved reviewers, providing a clear record for auditing purposes. In addition, any violations of policy are detected, flagged and remediated. The integrated solution from Sun and SAP GRC gives enterprises the ability to enforce security policies, enable conformance to global standards and ensure compliance with legislative requirements across business applications. Benefits include: -- Automatic identity management provisioning and de-provisioning across applications -- Centralized visibility and control over access to critical systems and information -- Automatic detection, notification, and remediation of compliance violations -- Real-time insight into who has access to what resources and data at any given time -- Automatic detection of -- and response to -- potential risks, such as dormant accounts -- Enterprise-wide identity auditing and reporting -- Preventive checks on access requests within SAP and other business applications -- Both role-based and rule-based approaches to support repeatable, audit- able, enforceable security processes Availability, Pricing and Additional Information The joint Sun-SAP GRC solution is available immediately to customers through Sun sales offices (http://www.sun.com/sales/wwsales.jsp). Sun also offers implementation, licensing and support packages, as well as a full portfolio of training courses on Identity Management. Pricing is based on the number of users. For more information, please visit http://www.sun.com/identity/virsasolution. About the Sun Java System Identity Management Suite The Sun Java System Identity Management Suite helps businesses manage, protect, store, verify and share identity data throughout the enterprise and across extranets. The suite includes Sun(TM) Identity Manager (which has been certified "Powered by SAP NetWeaver,"), Sun Java(TM) Access Manager System and Sun(TM) Directory Server Enterprise Edition. More information about the Suite can be found online at http://www.sun.com/identity. In addition to the Identity Management Suite, Sun also offers Identity Auditor and Federation Manager. The Sun Java System Identity Management Suite is part of Sun's broader Java(TM) Enterprise System, an open, standards-based software system that delivers a core set of industry-leading shared enterprise network services as a single, integrated entity on a predictable release cycle. It serves as the strategic underpinning of Sun's software strategy. For more information on the Java Enterprise System please visit: http://www.sun.com/software/javaenterprisesystem. About SAP SAP is the world's leading provider of business software*. Today, more than 33,200 customers in more than 120 countries run SAP(R) applications -- from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small and midsize enterprises to suite offerings for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver(R) platform to drive innovation and enable business change, SAP software helps enterprises of all sizes around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP solution portfolios support the unique business processes of more than 25 industries, including high tech, retail, financial services, healthcare and the public sector. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP." (Additional information at http://www.sap.com/) About Sun Microsystems, Inc. A singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer(TM)" -- guides Sun in the development of technologies that power the world's most important markets. Sun's philosophy of sharing innovation and building communities is at the forefront of the next wave of computing: the Participation Age. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at sun.com. Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java and The Network is the Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. *SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning and related applications such as supply chain management, customer relationship management, product life-cycle management and supplier relationship management. FOR MORE INFORMATION Sun Microsystems, Inc. Contact: Jeremy Story Phone: 303.526.0995 email: DATASOURCE: Sun Microsystems, Inc. CONTACT: Jeremy Story of Sun Microsystems, Inc., +1-303-526-0995 or Web site: http://sun.com/

Copyright