News

Quest Unveils Vintela Details

• By Doug Barney
• 08/16/2005

First up--tying together Vintela Authentication Services (which let Unix users authenticate through Active Directory) and Quest Active Roles (which automates user provisioning). Through Active Roles support packs, the tool can now provision Linux and Unix users.

Quest also used its support of Mozilla to stitch the Quest pass Reset Manager and Vintela Authentication Services (VAS), allowing non-Windows users to reset passwords via the Quest tool.

It is little more than a month after the deal closed, and Quest has already announced a new version of VAS that incorporate the features of Vintela Group Policy, formerly sold separately. VAS also supports a few new platforms, including Solaris 10 (now open source) and 64-bit Linux.

An Easy Acquisition

The $57 million Vintela buy, closed last month, has gone smoothly, Quest executives say. All 60-plus Vintela employees are now with Quest and new jobs are now opening up. "We've added people," noted David Waugh, vice president, product management for Quest.

The story behind the story is mighty interesting. Microsoft is a Vintela investor, and suggested that the two companies get together. This way Quest's size, market clout, and sales force can help boost Vintela sales. "Microsoft's only concern with Vintela was its size. It actually suggested that Quest look at Vintela," said Waugh. "Microsoft loved us, loved them, and now loves the fact that we are together."

What's in it for Microsoft? Vintela allows Windows tools and technologies manage Linux and Unix, making heterogeneous environments Microsoft-centric -- a neat trick.

Analysts have also been bullish on the deal. "From the acquisition, Quest will obtain key products that allow organizations to standardize on one directory structure and implement a single-sing-on (SSO) infrastructure for all their users (Windows and heterogeneous) as well as applications. Because of Vintela's approach to and Quest’s long-term 'bet' on AD as the standard in directory structures worldwide, the acquisition firmly poises Quest as the leading vendor of AD integration products," wrote Enterprise Management Associates analysts in a white paper back in May.