In a move which offers South African customers access to a company that offers a comprehensive range of authentication, authorisation, public key infrastructure (PKI) and encryption solutions, Bullion Secure has been named as an RSA Security business partner.
Bullion Secure - a partner of financial software solution provider, Bullion Software Solutions - is now seeking to stake its claim in what is without doubt a competitive, but arguably and under-serviced, market. And it is seeking to help companies make their IT security investments profitable.
"There`s a serious gap in the local market for a company that has the skill and experience to map IT security technologies to the business needs of an organisation," says Peter Burgess, the territory manager for sub-Saharan Africa at RSA Security.
"For too long IT security - including high-level authentication, authorisation and encryption - has been seen as an expensive technical `should-have`. Together, RSA Security and Bullion Secure are going all out to change that mindset ... and to show companies that they can actually generate revenues from IT security."
Authentication software enables a company to ensure that individuals are who they say they are; authorisation establishes that they have the right to conduct the requested transaction (be it accessing a system or application, or making an online payment); and encryption ensures that those transactions are neither compromised and, as such, cannot be repudiated by any involved party.
Bullion focuses on all of these but doesn`t trade in `lower-end` anti-virus packages or firewalls. However, the company understands the technologies and will source them as part of a broader solution where necessary.
"We`re one of only two local companies that can deliver and support the entire RSA product range. And we also boast serious skills and experience in the PKI field with RSA`s flagship solution, Keon," says Billion Secure`s technical director, Stuart Harrison.
In order to help its customers make money from their IT security solutions, Bullion focuses on the solution that gives a company something they can generate revenues from.
"A bank, for example," suggests Harrison, "could offer two-factor authentication solution tokens to customers at a nominal charge and then take full responsibility for the security of any transactions conducted.
"We believe customers - especially corporates - will buy that. After all, it`s quite something for a bank to be able to guarantee total security [and take the risk of responsibility]. But we know that with an RSA two-factor solution, there would be little for the bank to worry about."
Financial services companies could also cut down on or eliminate internal fraud by implementing authentication, authorisation and encryption security solutions; defrauding a bank is much more difficult if the staff`s physical and virtual identity is verified and their levels of authorisation controlled.
"What about a company that goes to market with an online product offering - international funds transfers for investments, shopping and such like - that could be guaranteed as 100% secure?" suggests Clive Strover, MD of Bullion Software Solutions.
"By using a PKI and digital signatures - as well as the other solutions in Bullion`s portfolio - it`s possible to offer this guarantee. And the company that is first to market certainly stands to do well."
Bullion Secure is in a good local position because Bullion Software Solutions has extensive experience of the financial services market. In addition, RSA Security is one of the strongest security solution providers, and the skills within Bullion Secure mean that everything can be combined into one workable solution.
"The `total solution` mantra has been chanted by many an IT company for some time ... it`s now time to make it work in the security space and it`s time for security investments to be profitable," concludes Harrison.
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