Trusted Computer Solutions Introduces Support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Trusted Computer Solutions (TCS), a developer of cross domain and cyber security solutions, announced that Security Blanket, the company's automated lock down solution, is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 operating systems running on IBM System z hardware.

Security Blanket provides mainframe users the ability to centrally manage multiple virtual server configurations, assess their level of security against industry standard security guidelines, and automatically configure their operating systems (OS) to a state of lock down. Importantly, the virtual servers can be associated with groups based on common functionality or security requirements, making it simple to manage large virtual environments running on System z.

"Mainframe environments, especially those within government, financial services and healthcare, are recognizing the lower total cost of ownership achieved when they migrate from UNIX to Linux. Our customers are recognizing significant savings on hardware and software," said Shawn Wells, Director of Global System z Sales and Strategy at Red Hat. "We are excited that TCS has made Security Blanket available to our Red Hat Enterprise Linux mainframe customers, further reducing costs by automating the OS lock down process."

According to a recent global study commissioned by CA (NASDAQ:CA), large enterprises continue to step up their investments in Linux on the mainframe in order to deliver more value to the business while controlling IT costs. The two main reasons cited by respondents for an increase of Linux on the mainframe are the desire to take advantage of computing capacity available on their mainframe's central processors and their assessment that using Linux on the mainframe would be more cost-effective than other platforms.

"Organizations today are looking for higher utilization rates, decreased power consumption, and the flexibility to shift capacity on demand," said Ed Hammersla, Chief Operating Officer for TCS. "The System z's advanced virtualization stack, which enables high sustained capacity utilization, is a big draw for organizations seeking a consolidation platform. Security Blanket now provides system administrators in System z environments with a solution that automates the process of securing any number of virtual operating systems to customized or industry standard levels of compliancy."

TCS engaged in IBM's Systems Application Advantage for Linux program (a.k.a. Chiphopper) for developing and testing Security Blanket on the System z platform and received official Chiphopper Assurance approval. With the addition of System z, Security Blanket broadens the family of platforms it supports. The solution also runs on x86 (both Linux and Solaris), SPARC, and VMWare vSphere.

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