BeyondTrust Announces Support for New Government-Wide OMB Standard Desktop Configuration Mandate.

Deployed at Several Air Force Locations, BeyondTrust Privilege Manager Transparently Enables Compliance with Administrative Rights Restrictions for Windows XP and Vista

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- BeyondTrust Corporation, the first provider of Least Privilege Management solutions, today announced that BeyondTrust Privilege Manager, the first product for efficiently managing user privileges in enterprise Windows environments, supports the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) mandatory government-wide Windows desktop configuration standards. Already in use at multiple Air Force locations to enforce the standard configurations on which the OMB requirements are based, BeyondTrust Privilege Manager facilitates compliance by enabling government computer users to log in to Windows without administrative privileges while transparently allowing them to run or install all authorized applications.

OMB in March issued guidelines that require government agencies to comply with standard Windows XP and Vista security configurations. The goal is to improve the government's information security and reduce IT operating costs. The OMB mandate, which is based on a similar initiative undertaken by the Air Force, will require agencies to restrict administrator rights on all PCs by Feb. 1, 2008. The standard security configuration edict not only demands administrative rights be restricted, but does so due to the common understanding that any system that operates with administrative privileges is at high risk of running or installing unauthorized applications, including malicious code, and changing security settings.

"BeyondTrust Privilege Manager has helped us to meet Air Force standard configuration requirements more efficiently and to eliminate end-user administrative privileges, while decreasing the need for IT support," said Mike De Bruin, senior systems engineer with RS Information Systems at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. "Privilege Manager enables our end users to continue using numerous applications that require administrative privileges and to perform necessary system tasks such as adding a local printer and defragging the hard drive while still meeting the government mandate. As other government agencies seek to comply with the OMB requirements, their efforts will be made considerably easier by adopting BeyondTrust Privilege Manager."

By adopting BeyondTrust's technology, agencies will receive efficient, policy-based management for user privileges across their networks to enable compliance with the new OMB requirements without productivity loss. Multiple government agencies already rely on BeyondTrust Privilege Manager, including the U.S. Army, Census Bureau and the Departments of Defense, Treasury and Veterans Affairs, as well as international agencies such as NATO.

Privilege Manager provides the industry's first Least Privilege Management capabilities for Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003 and Vista platforms. It enables end users to run all required applications and perform all authorized system tasks without administrative privileges. By transparently managing privileges, Privilege Manager prevents unauthorized malicious use, protects against malware and zero-day threats, and increases productivity and compliance. Privilege Manager eliminates the usability and password management problems that arise when organizations improperly implement Least Privilege.

"The OMB's recognition of the importance of restricting administrative privileges for Windows workstations represents an important step forward for increasing security government-wide," said John Moyer, CEO of BeyondTrust. "BeyondTrust looks forward to helping agencies tasked with compliance with the new mandates to easily and efficiently manage end-user privileges for their Windows deployments and fortify their security postures against both foreign and domestic threats and malicious use."

BeyondTrust Privilege Manager is implemented as a true Group Policy extension that allows administrators to select and attach elevated application permission levels to groups of end users. Privilege Manager gives organizations control over applications, software installations, ActiveX controls and system tasks that require elevated or administrative rights--all while keeping user systems locked down and preserving the user's security context, which is critical for auditing. Applications, users and computers are targeted using standard Group Policy conventions and per-setting filters. Permissions and privileges are added and/or removed on the fly, allowing organizations to quickly get to Least Privilege--a critical component of any secure computing environment.

About BeyondTrust

BeyondTrust Corporation, a pioneer in Least Privilege Management, enables enterprises to move beyond the need to trust users with excess privileges or administrator passwords. BeyondTrust Privilege Manager was the first product to enable the security best practice of Least Privilege in Windows environments by allowing administrators to assign end users permissions to required or selected applications. Least Privilege strengthens security by limiting users to the permissions they need to do their jobs. Hundreds of organizations worldwide in industries such as financial, healthcare, government and military rely on BeyondTrust Privilege Manager to secure their enterprises. BeyondTrust is a Microsoft Gold Partner. For more information about BeyondTrust, visit www.beyondtrust.com.