Bank Mutual Tracks for Success with Novell Audit

Novell Cool Solutions: Feature

Digg This - Slashdot This Posted: 26 Aug 2004

Bank Mutual is one of Wisconsin's largest federally-chartered savings banks, with more than 70 locations and $3.1 billion in assets. To meet its internal development and network policies, Bank Mutual recently selected Novell Audit. You can read the full story here.

The Challenge

Today's banks are held to stringent IT auditing standards. In the past, tracking network usage at a high level was acceptable, but recent federal mandates require precise system event logging. Security breaches are often highly publicized and can jeopardize the reputation of any financial institution.

Bank Mutual's previous security utility helped with logging, but lacked the capability for managing granular detail. The bank also needed a system that could report on activity occurring across multiple platforms.

The Novell Solution

	"Novell Audit had all the features we required. The beauty of Novell is that it offers a homogenous solution for our heterogeneous environment -- the one Net vision of running on everything and talking to anyone. We can manage all of our current networked environments, as well as future initiatives." - Frank Green, VP of Network Administration, Bank Mutual

Bank Mutual selected Novell® Nsure^TM Audit, a key component of the Novell Nsure secure identity management solution. The bank worked with Bedrock Managed Services and Consulting, a Novell Platinum Partner, and after sufficient preparation, installed Novell Audit into production in a matter of hours.

Novell Audit generates records of events that occur across the bank's network and can store them in a central logfile or database. The combination of digitally encrypted signatures on events, as well as event chaining, creates a log that is indisputable in a court of law.

Novell Nsure Identity Manager automatically synchronizes changes to identity information across multiple platforms. This synchronization simplifies identity management across a heterogeneous environment and maintains up-to-date user information. Integrating the Critical Value Reset (CVR) functionality of Novell Audit in an identity management solution ensures that sensitive user identity changes are not only reset to their original state, but also are not replicated to other network operating systems.

Novell Audit monitors employee usage and also helps to protect employees from unauthorized use of their digital identities. Customers benefit from a more secure system, gaining greater confidence that the bank is protecting their private information.

The real-time monitoring and notification services of Novell Audit can alert the bank's IT staff to directory, server and file level security breaches. The bank can generate reports to help measure compliance and provide executive management with an overview of the effectiveness of company policies, without overwhelming them with technical detail.

The Results

With Novell Audit, Bank Mutual has a robust auditing solution efficiently tracking network events and assisting in safeguarding corporate information. Novell Audit improves the bank's efforts to protect the digital identities of its employees and the private information of its customers, while also helping to comply with federal and auditing requirements.

"Banks not keeping up with technology simply won't survive," said Green. "To grow in this business and to service your customers well, you need to be on top of the technology game and have a solid security infrastructure. You must be in control of your network. Novell Audit is a critical component in giving us that control."

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