The LDAP Guys

About Symas

Symas Corporation was founded in 1999. From the outset, Symas elected to base its development on OpenLDAP, then a relatively young Open Source Softare project. At the time, the OpenLDAP project preparing the University of Michigan's Open Source LDAP server software for broader deployment. It needed significant work on portability, architecture, and functionality. From the beginning, Symas's Howard Chu contributed continuously and heavily to the OpenLDAP project as a maintainer and developer.

Symas has focused its efforts at building commercial technical support, training, and consulting company for OpenLDAP. No other firm has the experience in the source code of the various related projects or the experience supporting Enterprise deployments of OpenLDAP. Symas helps enterprises introduce new or improved directories for security, identity and network management and other applications. We also assist in converting existing directories from older proprietary products.

In the late 2000s, Symas introduced Unified User Management (UUM). UUM is LDAP authentication for UNIX and Linux systems. It simplifies configuration and administration of user access to servers.

More recently, Symas collaborated with Joshua Tree Software as they developed their Open Source role-based authentication (RBAC) software for Java applications: Fortress. This partnership has led to the 2011 availability of a pre-built and tested bundle for Fortress with integrated Symas OpenLDAP libraries and server for easy installation and operation.

Companies like Hewlett-Packard, Zimbra, VMWare, Google, Verizon, EMC, Ventyx, Airwide, Aon Hewitt, and Redcloud Security rely on Symas Corporation for high-quality Technical Support for their LDAPv3, PAM, NSS, and now RBAC requirements.

Team Member Biographies

Emily Backes (Product Engineer): Specialist in OpenLDAP integration and directory design. Experience at California State University, Northridge and over eight years at Symas Corporation.

Ted C. Cheng (Principal Software Engineer): Specialist in Identity and Access Management, including LDAP/X.500 directory technologies, unified authentication in heterogeneous and distributed environments, and internet identity & service provisioning. Ph.D. University of Southern California, EE-Systems.

Howard Chu (Chief Technology Officer and Chief Architect): Specialist in distributed information technologies including X.500/LDAP at U. Michigan. Experience at JPL, Locus Computing, and PLATINUM technology. Member and Chief Architect of the OpenLDAP Core Team.

Matthew Hardin (Chief Product Officer, Sr. VP Product Engineering): Core developer and development executive for user management, networking and file management products at Locus Computing and PLATINUM technology.

Marty Heyman (President): Marketing and Development Executive at IBM, Locus Computing, Palyn-Gould Group and two software start-ups since acquired by Microsoft and EMC.

Charles Noland (Sr. VP Business Development): Banker and financial analyst in software and bio-tech. Consultant to start-ups seeking funding including executive role in early phase bio-tech venture.

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