FireID, the Stellenbosch-based developer of cellphone-based authentication solutions, has appointed BEE systems integrator XON Systems, a Juniper Elite partner in Africa, as a Premium Reseller.
The appointment gives FireID immediate and direct access to a significant part of the virtual private network and remote access market through XON's Juniper client base.
"XON has a presence in most financial services organisations, the public sector and network service providers in South Africa and a sizable African footprint with more potential for development in its key markets," says Gerdus Byleveld, EMEA business development manager. "XON's Level 3 BEE status and traction in the public sector were also important factors for us in appointing them. We are delighted that they will also be marketing FireID in the rest of Africa."
Locally developed FireID is more secure than other two-factor authentication offerings on the market, as its one-time passwords are not sent via SMS, but rather generated on a cellphone out of band. This prevents them being intercepted, a critical consideration given the revelation that current SMS one-time passwords are in fact being used to access people's bank accounts.
"FireID complements our solution offering, not only in the security space but also our service provider and Juniper market space," says XON director Charl Coetzee. "FireID's two-factor authentication solution is a natural extension of Juniper's capabilities in the VPN and remote access space. We see these products as offering additional value to our clients as they can make use of a tried and tested integrated authentication and security environment."
XON has committed itself to "significant sales targets for the next two years", adds Coetzee. "We are confident we can deliver on this, relying on our reputation, execution and technical capability and support from FireID."
Coetzee adds that market developments mean customers will be highly receptive to FireID. "We see the market for offerings like FireID expanding as online and remote transactions increase and the chances of end-users and corporations being compromised becomes a distinct reality. Offering a flexible and cost-effective level of security makes a lot of sense, and the market is responding well to these messages.
"This is particularly true in government, which has a strong security and privacy drive. We see a product like FireID, being locally developed, as an ideal solution to some of government's security requirements."
XON has secured initial success in the Internet service provider market, and expects the financial services sector to follow suit soon, especially in the domain of high-volume, high-visibility portals such as online banking.
Share
Editorial contacts