Inter-Business Vault
The Inter-Business Vault enables the creation of secure instant wide area networks (WANs) for connecting enterprises with partners, customers and sub-contractors over the Internet - enabling them to exchange information as if they have deployed a shared WAN, but without actually doing so.
Cyber-Ark Case Study
The Cyber-Ark Vault is the only product that would allow us to do what we're doing. For the price it does more than it says on the tin.
Craig McNally
Project Manager
Sunderland City Council
Cyber-Ark's Inter-Business Vault offers an Instant Wide Area Network (WAN) for connecting enterprises to their partners, customers, and sub-contractors over the Internet. Based on its patented Vaulting Technology coupled with its Inter-Business Server Technology™ (patent pending), Cyber-Ark created a set of "Inter-Business" Servers, including: Inter-Business File Server, Inter-Business Mail Server, and Inter-Business FTP Server that provide the same functionality as their equivalent "Internal" versions, but were designed and built to be shared as-is over the Internet between discrete enterprises. These Inter-Business Servers enable discrete enterprises to communicate and share information over the Internet as if they have deployed a shared wide area network but without actually doing so.
Connecting banks to their treasury management customers for file exchange, connecting manufacturers to their subcontractors for design file sharing, and connecting enterprises to their offshore software development sites for source code sharing are just a few typical applications in which enterprises need to be connected to partners and customers. Building a WAN in any of these cases would require massive investments in high speed communication lines, network security, and management tools. As a result, these enterprises are avoiding this approach and using "workarounds", such as so called "Secure File Transfer", "Secure Collaboration" or "Secure email" solutions. However, all of these workarounds are not standards compatible and not productive. There is a better option, eliminating the need to build a WAN, but at the same time avoiding the use of proprietary solutions that force the migration of exiting systems and processes. By using Cyber-Ark's Inter-Business Vault, the standard building blocks of every internal network worldwide can now be made available for external use.
How does it work?
An Inter-Business Server is comprised of two components: the Vault and the Vault Connector. The Vault is a highly secured repository that is used as an Internet Storage which can be shared between various enterprises. The Vault Connector is a gateway that enables each of the partner enterprises to access the Vault by standard interfaces such as file system interface (e.g. CIFS), mail system interface (e.g. SMTP), and file transfer interface (e.g. FTP). In addition, the Vault can be accessed directly by a standard Web Interface (HTTP). The combination of these two modules enables the Inter-Business Vault to overcome all Security, Performance, Manageability, and Accessibility "behind-the-Firewall" barriers that limit today's Extranets only to Web Servers. Now file systems, mail systems and FTP systems can be shared over the Internet while ensuring unmatched Security and Performance for a fraction of the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of alternative approaches.
- Inter-Business File Server:
Enables discrete Enterprises to share "real" File Systems by using a standard file system protocol (CIFS). This means that whether these enterprises share Design Files, Source Code, or Office Documents they can all manage and access these files directly from any of their numerous existing systems and applications. There is no need to change workflow or to train end-users. - Inter-Business Mail Server:
Enables discrete Enterprises to share a "real" Mail System using the standard mail system protocol (SMTP). This means that these enterprises can send emails to each other directly between their private mail systems avoiding the unsecured, slow and unpredictable public mail system. No more quota limitations, delivery problems or security risks. - Inter-Business FTP Server:
Enables discrete Enterprises to share a "real" FTP System by using the standard file transfer protocol (FTP). This means that whether these enterprises transfer data between back-end systems or batch processes, they can all continue to use their countless existing FTP scripts and batch procedures. There is no need to rewrite scripts or to migrate existing processes.
