News

U Westminster Deploys Lieberman Software To Manage 'Privileged' Users

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 09/01/09

The London-based University of Westminster has chosen a utility from Lieberman Software to manage privileged user accounts. The university will use Lieberman's Enterprise Random Password Manager (ERPM) to control access to accounts with special access to network resources on servers, workstations, and network devices.

"We need to control and audit access to all of the privileged account passwords in our network, and decided on Lieberman Software's ERPM for its automated account discovery capabilities, auditing features, and productivity benefits," said Jonathan Hughes, user systems manager. "Among the solutions that we evaluated, ERPM is the only one that can automatically discover every privileged account on our network, providing real advantages over the less effective, less reliable manual alternatives."

Previously, Westminster's IT staff performed manual processes to manage privileged accounts.

When ERPM is introduced into a new environment, it locates and tracks every privileged account that exists in the network. These privileged accounts hold elevated permissions to access sensitive data, install and run programs, and change the configuration settings of hardware and software. The idea of the software is that by maintaining control and management of privileged account passwords, administrators can reduce security threats and comply with audits.

"While there were numerous factors in our decision to install ERPM enterprise-wide at the university, the implementation was primarily driven by regulatory compliance and security demands," Hughes said. "The product's access and control reporting will be valuable to our annual security audit. And, while we've never experienced a security breach, we are aware of the serious threat posed by unsecured privileged accounts. ERPM mitigates this risk."

The university has 22,000 students.