Q. Do your users have problems using complex passwords?
Employees are increasingly told to use more complex passwords and to avoid those which are easy to guess, such as their favourite pets name or children's birthdays etc. With an ever increasing number of systems that people have to access, it follows the more username and passwords combinations they have to remember. This either leads to writing them down on paper (including the ultimate no-no of having the Post-it note stuck to the screen reminder)or constantly having to have passwords reset by the IT team. Whilst everyone would like to have a single sign-on system covering all systems this is not always possible, especially if third parties are involved.
Strong authentication (commonly referred to as two-factor authentication) is a term used to describe the user authentication process which combines two of the three following methods:
- Something a person knows e.g. a password, PIN, or security question
- Something a person has e.g. token or swipe card
- Something specific to a person e.g. a physical attribute
Strong authentication removes the need for users to set and remember complex passwords, instead forwarding the authentication request to an external system. Typically integrated via Radius, though other methods are possible, the user can have either a physical token or software token where the password changes every 60 seconds. Some systems also provide one-time use passwords to be sent via SMS, such as in the hosted solution from Signify.
Two-factor authentication solutions are ideal for securing systems and applications including:
- Remote Access Solutions
- Wireless Networks
- E-mail systems
- Web Sites
- Microsoft Windows systems
Why Shield IT Solutions?
Shield IT Solutions has experience of deploying and integrating two-factor authentication solutions that will help protect your company or organisation. Contact us if you like to discuss two-factor authentication solutions in further detail.
