Quest Software has become, after a series of acquisitions, the leading vendor in the segment of Win-dows Management tools. Overall, Quest provides specialized tools to support IT operations in the areas of Windows Management, Application Management, Database Management, and Virtualization Management.
Amongst these tools, several solutions support Identity and Access Management (IAM) aspects, which has recently been branded as the Quest One Identity Solution, even while this is only a part of the overall offerings of Quest Software. In contrast to other vendors, Quest never tried to provide a (more or less) complete suite for IAM but always focused on specialized tools to address specific threats. That is, by the way, the overall product philosophy of Quest.
The tools of Quest are, in most cases, built to complement and extend existing products. One of the most well-known examples is Quest Authentication Services, formerly known as Vintela Authentication Services, which provides Kerberos-based integration of UNIX/Linux and Mac environments into Active Directory.
On the other hand, Quest claims to provide a pretty complete IAM offering with its “Quest One Identity Solution” – which is at least true in Active Directory-centric environments, where Quest provides a broad set of tools. The Quest One approach aims to build on an existing investment and installation of Active Directory.
Even while Quest isn’t directly competing with the leading Provisioning vendors through offering a full-featured provisioning solution, Quest is a provider who might deliver value-adds and, in some cases, more complete IAM solutions to most environments. The Quest strategy is unique in the market, providing sort of a complete set of niche products plus some more complex offerings like for Single Sign-On, thus being a one-stop-shop in contrast to typical niche players.
