IBM Unveils New Software

ARMONK, N.Y. -- IBM today announced new security software that helps corporate IT departments, telecom service providers and IT outsourcing companies keep their computer networks and systems up and running despite security attacks by malicious outsiders, employees or contractors. The software secures networks by automatically detecting and managing security threats as they happen, rather than after the damage is done.

By using IBM's real-time network security watchdog, organizations can react quickly when their networks are struck by denial-of-service attacks or hackers. It can also spot insider attacks, such as when a former employee with lingering company access tries to access sensitive company information, such as financial or customer data, which can lead to compliance violations.

The new software -- IBM Tivoli Security Operations Manager -- will be the company's first product to incorporate technology from IBM's acquisition of Micromuse, and comes only five months after the acquisition closed in February 2006. The software expands on the capabilities of the Neusecure product, which was recently positioned in the leaders quadrant in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Security Information and Event Management.

Today's service providers support always-on global data networks that deliver customer information, sales records and shipping updates. A denial-of-service attack can cripple an online retailer's ability to conduct transactions, stop an ISP from serving its clients, or prevent employees from accessing healthcare information on their company intranet.

By integrating network, security, identity and systems management, IBM Tivoli Security Operations Manager can minimize how computer networks are affected by computer worms, which are a growing scourge. A single worm could potentially cause $50 billion of worldwide damage, according to the International Computer Science Institute.

The new IBM software automates how security data is collected and analyzed across an IT infrastructure and prioritizes security incidents via a real-time dashboard. This cuts a company's response time from minutes to milliseconds and can make it less expensive for IT outsourcers, ISPs and corporations to maintain secure, available networks.

IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM)