PrimeSource Building Products

Prior to contacting Pragmatyxs, PrimeSource's internal order verification process relied exclusively on a manual process. Unfortunately, this meant the process was labor intensive and error prone. Pragmatyxs developed a material tracking solution to quickly and effective meet PrimeSource's compliance requirements.

Find out how Pragmatyxs implemented a wireless order verification application for PrimeSource

Odyssey Software

Odyssey is a wireless LAN access control and security solution that not only provides strong security over the wireless link, but also can be easily and widely deployed and managed across an enterprise network.

Odyssey includes client and server software. It secures the authentication and connection of wireless LAN (WLAN) users, ensuring that only authorized users can connect, that connection credentials will not be compromised, and that data privacy will be maintained. Odyssey is based on the IEEE security standard 802.1x, and supports a wide variety of 802.1x security methods, including the strong and easily managed security method EAP-TTLS.

EAP-TTLS offers the significant benefit of not requiring the set up and management of client certificates on each WLAN user's PC. Instead, the WLAN user is safely authenticated to the network using ordinary password-based credentials, whose use is made proof against active and passive attack by enclosing it in a TLS security wrapper. You'll be able to safely deploy WLAN access against your existing authentication infrastructure, significantly alleviating your management burden and allowing users to connect with the credentials they're accustomed to using.

Odyssey Client runs on multiple Windows platforms, Both Odyssey Client and Server support all 802.1x-capable access equipment, for unsurpassed multi-vendor compatibility.

Odyssey comprises:

Odyssey Client

Runs on Windows XP, 2000, 98, Me, Pocket PC 2002, and Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC and lets a user securely connect to a WLAN. It can communicate with Odyssey Server or any authentication server which supports an Odyssey authentication type, to get necessary security and connection information.

Odyssey Server

Odyssey Server is a RADIUS server customized to handle WLAN users and security. It handles connection requests from Odyssey Clients and other 802.1x clients which support WLAN authentication types.

Odyssey is available as a Client/Server system, and as a stand-alone Client.

Multiple Security Types

The level of security on a WLAN is determined by the "EAP authentication type" in use. EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) authentication types provide credential security, data security, or both. Odyssey supports the following EAP authentication types: EAP-TTLS, EAP-PEAP, EAP-TLS, LEAP, EAP-MD5.

Additional Security Features

With EAP-TTLS, dynamic per-session keys are generated to encrypt the wireless connection and protect data privacy. Odyssey Server can be configured to re-authenticate and thus re-key at any interval; frequent re-keying thwarts known attacks against the encryption method used in wireless communications (WEP). EAP-TTLS also provides strong mutual authentication of Client and Odyssey Server, preventing an intrusion onto the network by an unauthorized user, and ensuring that the client is connecting to the right server.

EAP-PEAP, EAP-TLS, and LEAP also provide these safeguards

Authentication

Odyssey can safely authenticate WLAN users directly against your existing Windows 2000 Native Domain or NT Domain authentication database, and includes full support for user and group designations.

And, for seamless integration into networks which aren't exclusively Windows-based, Odyssey can also forward EAP-TTLS authentication requests to other RADIUS servers, including Funk Software's Steel-Belted Radius, for safe authentication against non-Windows authentication schemes.

If you set up Odyssey to forward EAP-TTLS authentication requests to Steel-Belted Radius, you'll be able to authenticate WLAN users against:

• Token systems (RSA Security's ACE/Server SQL/LDAP databases)
• TACACS+
• Solaris NIS, NIS+
• NT Domains/Windows 2000 Native Domains
• Any combination of the above

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Essentials of Success: Ten Characteristics of Successful Projects

Over the last 15 years Pragmatyxs has been fortunate to be part of many successful projects. While we believe our efforts contributed to these results the real heroes are our customers. Without their vision, focus and steadfastness these projects would have at best been only marginally successful in meeting objectives or at worst costly failures that wasted valuable resources and potentially crippled the business.

In these trying economic times project undertakings must provide a measureable return and be delivered on-time, on-budget—failure is not an option!

Learn more about the characteristics of successful projects and the pitfalls to avoid. (Read more...).

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