Identity management, authentication and anti-spyware technologies are expected to take center stage this week at the RSA Conference in San Francisco.

Computer Associates International, Islandia, N.Y., plans to unveil a new version of its eTrust Identity and Access Management Suite. Version 8, available at the end of the month, will feature new modular components that facilitate role-based identity provisioning, role-based access privileges, simple password administration and directory resource management.

Also at the show, RSA will release its SecurID appliance, designed specifically for businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees. The two-factor authentication tool interfaces with RSA SecurID identity tokens and helps manage identity and access to a network or system. The appliance bundles hardware and software in a security solution formerly available only in configurations suited to large enterprises. Pricing starts at $4,000 for 10 users.

Symantec plans to unveil new spyware repair and removal capabilities to its AntiVirus Corporate Edition as part of a software upgrade. Version 10.0 not only will remove spyware, but also will repair damages caused by it, said Kevin Haley, group project manager at the company.

"This will free up resellers to spend less time fixing spyware damages and more time adding value to a particular solution," he said.

Security information management (SIM) also is expected to make a big splash at the show.

Intellitactics, Reston, Va., an up-and-comer among security solution providers, plans to introduce new SIM software. The Intellitactics Security Manager, priced at about $150,000, addresses enterprise needs for compliance reporting and threat and vulnerability management.

Also, eIQnetworks, Acton, Mass., will launch a security event management solution. The Network Security Analyzer combines forensic analysis with security event archiving, correlation, monitoring and reporting capabilities.

Brian Philips, director of technical operations at Network System Technologies, Naperville, Ill., said he is looking forward to investigating some of the new SIM technologies and seeing which would serve his customers best.

"Security is taking a brand new shape," he said. "It's an exciting time to be in this growing market."