Data security provider Kasten Chase Inc. last month introduced its new security architecture designed for networked storage. Available in October, Kasten Chase’s Assurency Secure Networked Storage is the first Storage Area Network (SAN) solution to introduce certificate-based authentication for a wide variety of storage network devices, the company claimed. The architecture features what the company calls programmable ‘Agent’ software designed for incorporation by third-party vendors into their storage networking products. The Agent exchanges digital certificates with the Assurency Secure Networked Storage Appliance to effectively authenticate third-party products as they attach to the SAN fabric, the firm said, adding the solution offers SAN security without the cost, complexities and management overhead of a public key infrastructure (PKI) solution.