The tiny Lindon-based software company on Wednesday confirmed it is playing a part in giving the post-Saddam Iraqi government and multinational forces the technological grip they need to monitor and manage their myriad servers and workstations scattered throughout Iraq.

"We're managing thousands of computers in this project," said Rob Wellman, Altiris' vice president of strategic alliance sales.

Those computers, scattered throughout the Middle Eastern country, serve not only the military and security interests, but comprise the Iraqi government's new, evolving technology infrastructure.

In an arena where terrorism can move from bullets and bombs to hacker attacks and viruses, Altiris' suite of "life-cycle management" programs aim to make the Iraqi network an especially tough nut to crack.

Beyond the usual layers of anti-virus and access firewalls, Altiris and its on-site installation and maintenance partner, 3H Technology of Vienna, Va., are providing the Coalition and Iraqi government the automated means to make security patches to all network servers and PCs instantaneously.

"This technology allows them to gather information about all the devices [on the network]. They can know what computers are out there, their memory capacities, processor speeds, what applications they have - and we can make remote changes to any of those computers," Wellman said.

P.J. Bulger, 3HT's senior vice president, noted that while guarding against intruders is important, the less dramatic aspects of the contract - the terms of which were withheld - are what will keep the Iraqi network viable over time.

Altiris software also includes "remote maintenance and support, and an integrated help desk system supporting [the systems] from a central location," he said.

"Bottom line - more efficient operations and control . . . where resources are scarce and personnel turn over is high," Bulger added.

While both Altiris and 3HT are proud of their roles in Iraq, the companies say it is paramount to put their actions in perspective: "Our efforts do not even compare with what the men and women of the Coalition Forces, Iraqi government and Iraqi people are doing," Bulger said.

"Hopefully, we made their jobs a little bit easier as they move forward - but the people that remain in the area working day to day with the rebuilding are the real heroes."

bmims@sltrib.com