Oracle has introduced new password security features into its Identity Management 11g Release 2, while embracing the mobile and cloud movements and extending authenticated access beyond the an organisation’s four walls.

Amit Jasuja, Oracle vice president of development, Security and Identity Management, says Privileged Account Manager ‘vaults’ shared account passwords, a security area he says has ‘the worst hygiene’ with group passwords rarely changed. A self-service interface in Privileged Account Manager allows users to check out a one-time use password.

“With increasing complexity and the need for tight policy controls, managing passwords for shared and administrative accounts can be a very time consuming and expensive process,” Jasuja says.

“Oracle Privileged Account Manager reduces the administrative burden while enabling customers to benefit from simplified, highly-secure management of shared and administrative accounts.

"The combination can significantly reduce identity costs and improve security by protecting sensitive data from unauthorised parties.”

Jasuja says the increasing demand for mobility and cloud have opened up ‘interesting new markets’. “In the mobile space people are building applications for their customers or partners, but the challenge is that most of those applications are being built with minimum consciousness of doing security the right way,” he says.

"The new platform is optimised to enable organisations to securely embrace cloud, mobile and social infrastructures, and reach new user communities to help further expand and develop their businesses," he adds.

Single sign-on capabilities, to support muliple mobile apps, have also been extended in a move Jasuja says will bring additional benefits for channel partners, who will be able to leverage the technology to create self-service interfaces for data access and embed customisation that won’t have to be repeated for each upgrade or security patch.