Telecom service provider Sprint
As private sector business has lagged during the last two years, Sprint and other telecoms have stepped-up efforts to sell to Washington, which is boosting its IT spending in the face of threats.
“Federal government customers are looking for managed security solutions that provide value, quality and will be relatively easy to implement,” said Tony D’Agata, a vice president with the Overland, Kan., company.
The additions are available through the General Services Administration, an office that coordinates large purchases of hardware, software and other products for federal agencies.
They include: multi-tier security profiles (MTSP); public key infrastructure (PKI), intrusion detection systems (IDS); and builk pricing for security tokens.
MTSP provides four levels of embedded security rules which can be tailored to each agency’s need. PKI enhances remote-access user authentication through encryption and two-factor screening.
IDS monitors and alerts administrators of intrusions into their network, or suspected compromises of their networked resources connected to the Internet or other public networks.
Finally, security tokens are small hardware devices (for example smartcards) that generate a random access number. They’re used with IDs and passwords for an additional level of security for remote access to a network. Bulk pricing will reduce costs for agencies seeking large remote-user ID systems.
In addition, Sprint’s security experts also can work with agencies to develop unique and agency-specific systems, including the use of Sprint’s Internet protocol network, a secure network with no peering points or connectivity to other public infrastructure such as the Internet.
