California-based authentication services provider BeyondTrust has launched PowerBroker Identity Services, an authentication platform for cross-platform and cloud-based environments.

This product launch comes on the heels of its acquisition of Likewise Software, which gave BeyondTrust capabilities in inside perimeter privilege delegation and authentication and auditing management within the cloud.

The PowerBroker platform features both an enterprise and an open version. By integrating Linux, Mac OSX and Unix systems with Microsoft Active Directory, the platform enables organizations running multiple operative systems capabilities in authenticating users and managing access. Pre-made reporting features allow organizations to comply with regulatory requirements.

“As more organizations move corporate computing to the cloud, IT administrators are encountering increasingly complex authentication and security issues, particularly surrounding the management of user identity,” said Earl Perkins, research vice president in the Security and Privacy team at Gartner. “The security risks associated with running a multi-platform network compel organizations to implement identity and access management initiatives that will seamlessly integrate platforms with identity repositories and securely authenticate users with their existing domain credentials.”