ASM Signs Distribution Agreement with the only Technology Vendor Inherently Safe from Heartbleed

  • Forum Sentry by Forum Systems was the only API gateway safe from the Heartbleed OpenSSL cryptographic vulnerability
  • Forum Systems now available to the UK channel through ASM Technologies
  • Forum Sentry is the first API gateway to achieve international security certification with Network Device Protection Profile (NDPP) compliance

London, Tuesday 16th September 2014

ASM Technologies, the agile technology distribution company for the IT channel, has today announced a distribution partnership agreement with the industry-leading provider of API and cloud security technology, Forum Systems. Trusted by organisations in the commercial, government, and military sectors to protect some of the world’s most sensitive and critical data, Forum Systems’ cyber-security technologies are certified as among the most rigorous in the world, most notably since its flagship product, Forum Sentry, became the world’s first and only API gateway to achieve the internationally recognised Network Device Protection Profile (NDPP) compliance certification, widely regarded as the next step in security compliance. Forum Systems has chosen ASM Technologies as its preferred distribution partner in the UK.

With information security invariably cited as one of the primary barriers for firms moving to cloud computing (with concerns raised even further by the revelation of the Heartbleed OpenSSL vulnerability earlier this year), firms are looking for reassurances that their data is safe and secure. For added peace of mind, particularly in the highly sensitive government arena, it is important for security technologies to pass stringent accreditations to prove the robustness of their solutions. To this end, Forum Sentry is among the most certified security solutions on the market, including FIPS 140-2 and NIAP NDPP.

Forum Sentry was also the world’s only API and cloud security gateway found to be inherently safe from the Heartbleed OpenSSL vulnerability. This is because it does not rely on OpenSSL for its cryptographic software library but instead provides its own centralized location for SSL processing and private key management (cryptography).

With Gartner predicting that global spend on data loss prevention will grow at a staggering 18.9% in 2014 (against a backdrop of an increase in overall information security spend of 7.9% to reach $71.1 billion), firms around the world are clearly looking for the answer to the cloud security question. Today’s announcement means that the UK IT channel can now gain access to Forum Systems’ world-class security solutions for the very first time through ASM’s unique agile distribution network.

“As soon as we saw what Forum Sentry was capable of, we knew that we needed to bring it to the UK channel. From a technical point of view it is absolutely world class. The feedback from our early adopter customers has been fantastic, with every one of them confirming that it is much quicker and easier to deploy than competitive products. This is largely due to Forum Systems’ industry-leading support and Forum Sentry’s point-and-click interface, which greatly reduces the need to use programmers to configure the device. For those firms that have been reluctant to capitalise on the commercial benefits of cloud computing due to their concerns around security, Forum Sentry really is the answer they have been looking for,” comments Stephen Dale, channel manager at ASM Technologies. “Beyond the technical capabilities of their products, we have found Forum Systems to be a good fit for ASM and the UK market in general. As an employee-owned business, they provide outstanding customer service and support, and as the only independent API gateway vendor in the market they have a real focus on security that their rivals just can’t match. We are very proud that Forum Systems selected ASM as their preferred partner in the UK.”

Mamoon Yunus, CEO of Forum Systems said, “We are on a mission to remove security as a concern in cloud computing. The convenience, cost saving and scalability benefits of the cloud are just too important for doubts around security to stand in the way of progress.”

“For our customers, they need the reassurance that we are doing everything we can to keep our products as secure as possible. Gaining the first and only international certification for Network Device Protection Profile (NDPP) compliance is a significant milestone in this journey, since Protection Profile compliance requires assurances and testing often far more rigorous than standardized EALs (Evaluation Assurance Levels) which are typically the most common standard for evaluating the security capabilities of a product. Leaders in the security industry have found that the generic EAL 4 requirements may not be relevant, achievable and repeatable in all cases, so are shifting away from EAL and towards the more rigorous NDPP compliance. NDPP is also a globally recognised standard, so achieving it means customers in all corners of the world can trust Forum Sentry to deliver the levels of security that they need. We are proud to be a leader in this field.”

ENDS

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Notes to Editors

About ASM Technologies

ASM Technologies rationalises suppliers and consolidates technology spend associated with indirect, non-core and ‘tail end’ suppliers for the IT channel. With access to a broad portfolio of over 1,700 manufacturers, vendors and publishers, ASM customers gain sustainable cost savings, efficiencies, economies of scale and a more proactive methodology of accessing commodities across the global market place. ASM’s channel-only model has proved to deliver long term benefits direct to the bottom line for systems integrators, value-added resellers (VARs), software publishers, hardware vendors and maintenance providers.
From software to server spares, peripherals to print and connectivity to consumables, ASM Technologies has a solution that will cut costs and add real value to the supply chain.
www.asmtech.com

About Forum Systems

Forum Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Crosscheck Networks, Inc., is the innovation leader in API and cloud gateway technology. The industry’s most comprehensive solution for centralized security, identity and governance for SOA, REST and mobile communications, Forum Sentry enables comprehensive threat mitigation and trust enablement, providing enterprises and government organizations worldwide with the foundation for achieving Secure Service Mediation. Processing more than 10 billion transactions per day worldwide, the NDPP-, FIPS- and DoD-certified Forum Sentry API Security Gateway delivers unparalleled protection against HTML-, XML-, SOAP- and REST-based vulnerabilities. Notably, Forum Systems products provide simplified integration and task processing with over 100 built-in, standards-based processing tasks. For more information, please visit www.forumsys.com.