IBM Resource Access Control Facility vs Precisely Ironstream comparison

In 1976, IBM set the standard for security products when RACF was introduced!

From the beginning, the RACF Development Team has proudly brought you RACF, the premier product for securing your most valuable corporate data. Working closely with your operating system's existing features, IBM's award-winning Resource Access Control Facility (RACF) licensed program provides improved security for an installation's data. RACF protects your vital system resources and controls what users can do on the operating system.

You decide which resources you want to protect and which users need access to them. RACF provides the functions that let you:

• identify and verify system users
• identify, classify, and protect system resources
• authorize the users who need access to the resources you've protected
• control the means of access to these resources
• log and report unauthorized attempts at gaining access to the system and to the protected resources
• administer security to meet your installation's security goals

IBM Resource Access Control Facility Features

Resource Access Control Facility offers the following features:

• Access Control: RACF allows administrators to define access controls for various system resources, including datasets, programs, transactions, and system commands. It enables granular control over who can access specific resources and what actions they can perform.

• User Authentication: The solution supports multiple authentication methods, such as passwords, digital certificates, smart cards, and biometrics. It ensures that only authorized users with valid credentials can access the system.

• Authorization: Users are provided with fine-grained authorization capabilities, allowing administrators to assign and manage permissions for individual users or groups. It enables the definition of resource-level and data-level access controls based on user roles and responsibilities.

• Auditing and Logging: RACF generates detailed audit logs that capture security events, including successful and failed access attempts, resource modifications, and policy violations. These logs are essential for compliance auditing, security analysis, and incident investigation.

• Secure Password Management: The product includes features for enforcing password policies, such as minimum length, complexity requirements, and password expiration. It supports password encryption and hashing to protect sensitive credentials.

• Encryption and Data Protection: The solution provides encryption capabilities to protect sensitive data stored on mainframe systems. It supports encryption algorithms and cryptographic protocols for safeguarding data confidentiality and integrity.

• Integration with External Authentication Systems: Users can integrate it with external authentication systems, such as Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) or Active Directory, allowing them to leverage existing directories for authentication purposes.

• Resource Monitoring and Control: It enables real-time monitoring and control of resource accesses, as well as providing alerts and notifications for suspicious activities, allowing administrators to respond promptly to potential security threats.

• Compliance and Regulatory Support: RACF helps organizations meet regulatory compliance requirements by providing the necessary controls, audit trails, and reporting capabilities. It supports compliance frameworks such as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

• Administration and Management: The solution offers a comprehensive set of administration and management tools for configuring, maintaining, and monitoring the security environment. It provides utilities for managing user accounts, defining security policies, and performing system-wide security administration tasks.

IBM Resource Access Control Facility Benefits

Some of the benefits that IBM RACF can offer its users are:

• Enhanced security

• Access control management

• Authorization and authentication capabilities

• Centralized control over resource access

• Fine-grained access control policies

• Audit trail and monitoring features

• Compliance with regulatory requirements

• Protection against unauthorized access

• Segregation of duties

• Efficient resource allocation and utilization

The line between mainframe processing and distributed-systems processing has blurred.

So why do you still have to switch back and forth between totally different systems tools in order to troubleshoot enterprise-wide problems?

It’s time for data streams from the mainframe to be as accessible as your other data streams when it comes to analytics for business intelligence and security monitoring.

Syncsort Ironstream enables you to collect and forward z/OS log data, including security data, into Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Enterprise Security, where you can get that true 360-degree view. Simply. In real time. Without needing specialized expertise and different monitoring systems for z/OS.

Precisely Ironstream Features

Precisely Ironstream offers users the following features:

• Real-time streaming: Ironstream enables real-time streaming of mainframe and IBM i operational data into modern analytics platforms, allowing users to analyze and act on the data as it is generated.

• Integration with analytics platforms: The solution integrates seamlessly with popular analytics platforms such as Splunk, Elastic, and Kafka, enabling users to leverage the power of these tools for analyzing mainframe and IBM i data.

• Data transformation and normalization: Users can capture and transform mainframe and IBM i operational data into a format compatible with modern analytics platforms, ensuring data consistency and facilitating accurate analysis.

• Comprehensive data capture: Ironstream captures a wide range of mainframe and IBM i operational data, including log files, security events, performance metrics, and more. This allows users to gain insights into various aspects of their legacy infrastructure.

• Real-time alerting: Users can monitor mainframe and IBM i systems in real time and set up custom alerts for critical events or anomalies. This helps organizations proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact business operations.

• Centralized data management: Ironstream allows users to centralize mainframe, and distributed system data in a single analytics platform. This approach simplifies data management, enhances data accessibility, and facilitates cross-platform analysis.

• Performance optimization: The solution provides performance monitoring and optimization capabilities for mainframe systems. Users can identify bottlenecks, optimize resource utilization, and improve overall system efficiency.

• Scalability and reliability: Ironstream is designed to handle large volumes of data generated by mainframes. It offers scalability and reliability features to ensure data is captured and streamed without disruptions.

• Ease of deployment and configuration: The user-friendly interface and simplified deployment process make it easier for companies to set up and configure the solution according to their specific requirements.

Precisely Ironstream Benefits

Some of the benefits of using Precisely Ironstream are:

• Enhanced analytics capabilities

• Proactive issue resolution

• Compliance adherence

• Centralized data management

• Streamlined auditing processes

• Performance optimization

• Scalability and reliability

• Simplified deployment and configuration