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ArcelorMittal Tubarao (AMT) is part of the global ArcelorMittal group, the world's largest steel manufacturer in terms of output and global reach. AMT has 4,400 employees, is ISO 9001-certified and produced more than 7.5 million tons of steel in 2007.

Challenge

Without a standardized solution for identity management, AMT had difficulty ensuring that the right people - whether employees, partners, or customers - had access to the resources and systems they needed. The company's parent group frequently makes new acquisitions, and AMT itself works with numerous partners both inside and outside the group. Both factors contribute to a continuously changing set of users who require access to a variety of different resources.

AMT needed to simplify the process of provisioning new users and granting access rights without compromising on security. The existing identity management procedures required the IT staff to respond to requests from area managers to set up new users. The team would deal with each request on a case-by-case and resource-by-resource basis, causing significant delays and requiring a great deal of administrative effort.

Novell Solution

AMT chose to implement a Novell identity and access management solution built around Novell Identity Manager, running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Working with Novell Consulting, AMT created a global identity repository and defined synchronization processes to push standardized data out to all enterprise systems.

"We opted for the Novell solution as it represented the best value for our money," said Humberto Bonisson, IT Support Analyst, ArcelorMittal Tubarao . "Our track record of successful projects was also a factor in the decision, as was the interoperability of Novell Identity Manager. The intuitive user management tools provided by Novell Identity Manager significantly reduce administrative effort for IT and business users."

The combined AMT-Novell team built workflows to automate user provisioning and role-based access to resources. When a manager sets up a new user with a particular profile, the Novell solution automatically and seamlessly provides access to all relevant resources. The removal of access rights is also automated, creating greater certainty that confidential information and systems are only accessible by authorized users.

"The Novell solution has given us both clarity and speed in our security policies," said Bonisson. "In the past, managing access was a manual process for each individual system, and there was a risk that a user might not be removed from all systems. Novell Identity Manager automatically synchronizes all changes across all corporate systems, keeping security tight without occupying valuable IT staff resources."

Results

The Novell solution has given AMT a central point of control for identity and access management. The company can now connect employees, partners and customers to the systems and information resources they need, rapidly and with minimal administrative effort. Managers can quickly create, administer or remove their own users, enabling them to respond rapidly to new business requirements.

With all user information synchronized and centrally managed, AMT has a clearer view and better control over access rights. Novell Identity Manager has helped AMT to define roles and functions, improving the enforcement of internal controls and simplifying compliance with the "separation of duties" regulations introduced by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

"The Novell solution enables us to create a full audit trail to prove that we are following best practices and respecting regulations," said Bonisson. "We have certainly reduced administrative costs, but the most important benefits are the improved quality of the service and increased control over operational processes."

For the complete success story, visit:
htmlhttp://www.novell.com/success/arcelormittal.html

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