Security concerns are the single-most-cited source of anxiety by everyone, from systems administrators who oversee corporate servers, to individual consumers using home PCs. Security fears are not likely to end any time soon, as viruses become more sophisticated, and exploit new ways of infecting systems, by migrating from wireless platforms, for example. Curiously, there are very few books that are considered - by editors, academics, developers, or consumers - as exemplary, or capable of clearly answering questions that many home PC users have.

That all changed this month with the publication of the book, Securing Web Services with WS-Security: Demystifying S-Security, WS-Policy, SAML, XML Signature, and XML Encryption. The text was a collaboration between Dr. Jothy Rosenberg, founder, CEO and CTO of Service Integrity, and David Remy, Director and Product Architect for BEA. Both men are recognized as pioneers in Web security development. The project, which was not born out of financial motivations, was undertaken to promote what has been a passionate issue for them both, since before most people even knew what "Web security" was.

The book is being called a classic, not by a handful of sources, but across all fields, as editors, security experts, and consumers - all of whom have complained about the quality of such texts until now - have embraced it, calling it one of the best Web security texts they have come across.

The authors are often referred to as "business, technology, and security solutions visionaries." However, their successful and pioneering work in the field of computer security is less the result of magic as a reflection of the dedication to Web security they have always carried, long before such issues went mainstream; as well as their commitment to solutions-based security solutions.

Coast-to-coast, editors specializing in computer publications have said that it stands out from all other offerings, in both the depth and clarity of how they present Web services security.

M. Greg Shanton of AMS, wrote, "Rosenberg and Remy are among the first to accurately portray Web Services Security by addressing how to apply the correct amount and types of security solutions...they have provided a great roadmap on how to properly deploy secure Web services at all levels."

The book is not simple or rudimentary, as astute and novice readers alike are being won over. People with little knowledge of computer security have said the text explains what is truly needed to create and maintain safe computing environments. Furthermore, they bring the seemingly limitless kinds of computer virus out there into a more manageable perspective by explaining the root similarities many computer threats share.

Anne Thomas Manes, of The Burton Group, said that the book fully explained the seemingly endless security offerings available, by showing the similarities many potentially harmful bugs have in common, and ways one security filter can handle entire classes of intrusions. She said, "This book makes it quite a bit easier to comprehend all the facets of Web Services Security; plus, it aggregates information on all underlying and associated security technologies that WS-Security relies on."

Rosenberg, who holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science, was one of the first people who introduced and extended security certificate provisioning in Web environments. He co-founded GeoTrust, the world's second largest certificate authority. As the company's COO and CTO, Jothy is credited with bringing companies into the fold of secure Web services, where business integration with SSL technology began.

He is unrelenting in tracking emergent security threats and then creating the best solutions to avoid them. His latest venture, Service Integrity, uses XML-based technology that provides deep views into Web services networks, for close monitoring of security and performance integrity.

And while Rosenberg and Remy will continue to be lauded as visionaries, it helps to remember that what they achieved was not a result of marketing hype, but derives from a lifelong passion for security concerns. The success of Service Integrity highlights a core business practice that has guided Rosenberg throughout his endeavors: it is through being a committed user of real-world knowledge that he succeeds in bringing practical solutions to market.

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