Security Featured Article

Authentication, authorization and accounting, also known as AAA, are three important services that ensure network security. AAA technology helps service providers identify who the user is, what the user can access, and what services and resources the user is using when they make a connection with a server. 

 

Elitecore Technologies, a company specializing in telecom operational and business support systems (OSS/ BSS) system for next generation voice, video and data services, recently launched EliteAAA appliance from its CRESTEL division.

 

EliteAAA centrally manages the authentication of the subscribers, authorizes them for the appropriate level of service, and ensures reliable accounting of their usage. With this solution, Elitecore addresses the growing access control, service delivery and accounting requirements of carriers, service providers, and wireless operators.  

 

Elitecore already offers AAA software to its customers in Asia Pacific. With the launch of the new hardware solution, Elitecore promises a cost-effective and compact solution that would significantly increase time to market.  

 

“We already have our presence in the AAA software market,” said Nikhil Jain, director and COO, Elitecore Technologies (News - Alert) told TMCnet. “EliteAAA is our major offering to the telecom operators for their AAA needs; however, with the intensified fast paced competitive environment, telecom operators are continuously innovating their branding and marketing efforts to retain the wallet-share of their customers, and fight competition.”

 

“The key business need for the telecom operators is rapid time to market, cost effective solution and a compact solution,” Jain said. “Understanding this need we have launched our EliteAAA software version in a hardware appliance form.”

 

Other major players in the AAA market, according to Jain, are Juniper, Bridgewater Systems (News - Alert), VitalAAA. However, he told TMCnet, that EliteAAA differs from their solutions including faster rollout of services through a plug n’ play solution, multi vendor and platform support, reduced revenue leakage through fail-over support and ease in operation through centralized management and security of all wireless local area network (WLAN) remote/virtual private network (VPN), and wired 802.1X users.

 

“Elitecore’s AAA in a box solution offers great convenience to service providers through reduced implementation costs and slashes setup times by 50 –60 percent, also reduces maintenance, thereby lowering service provider’s administrative burden,” said Jain. 

 

Jain also said the AAA market is forecasted to reach $13.3 billion by 2011. The technology has gained huge market potential because of the fact that next-gen technology savvy users access the network from a wide variety of access points and wide variety of devices.

EliteAAA appliance is built on Intel (News - Alert) platform and gives a performance of 1000 transactions per second. It comes in various versions from 500 ports to 50,000 ports. With its simple-to-configure and browser-based management interface, the solution provides a secure console to remotely configure any of the local server settings.