NamITech Limited and ActivCard, an international provider of digital identity technology, has announced a strategic partnership that will see NamITech becoming a reseller of ActivCard Solutions, in addition to manufacturing the smart cards integral to these solutions. The partnership will be driven out of NamITrust, the specialist security division within NamITech.
The alliance will enable the companies to deliver integrated, strong two-factor authentication solutions for enterprises, service providers and government agencies.
"ActivCard is very excited about this partnership as NamITech is an organisation with impressive credentials and a strong established client base. NamITech has also shown a commitment towards training staff on the ActivCard solution and has put significant effort into their technical support," comments Mark Smullen of ActivCard.
Says Anton Maybery, Director of Industry and Government at NamITech: "The relationship with ActivCard is hugely complementary as the offering is closely aligned with NamITrust`s PKI offering and the Trust Centre infrastructure. Strong authentication is fundamental to any trusted service and together we will be able to provide next-generation solutions to our customers who are looking to secure their digital business operations."
The alliance will combine ActivCard`s leading two-factor authentication solution, which can be embedded in a variety of devices, with managed Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) service. The integrated solution will protect valuable enterprise network resources, providing maximum assurance that only authorised users can access corporate e-mail, intranets, extranets and other critical online resources.
Two-factor authentication is a security method requiring users to submit two pieces of digital identification for remote access to a network or business application. Typically, users enter something they know, like a password, into something they have, such as a handheld token or smart card, which generates dynamic one-time passwords for secure network access. Although tokens are adequate for authentication, businesses are demanding that digital certificates be included as an extra - and much-needed - layer of security. Digital certificates are electronic credentials that authenticate end users, generate legally valid "digital signatures" and enable encrypted communications and transactions.
"Businesses are beginning to realise that in the digital domain, it is essential to maximise trust in the security of both internal and external communication and transactions," continues Maybery. "But there is often a language gap specific to security that comes from the inability to articulate the technical threats and vulnerabilities that face organisations into business language that appropriately articulate and address business needs. In an effort to address this gap, the NamITrust team has developed a Business Needs Framework for Security, and the sales force applies this approach when engaging with new prospects."
This framework has been specifically designed to satisfy business process security needs and addresses security at three levels:
* IT infrastructure where availability of these assets must be ensured at all times;
* Business applications where the information assets of the organisation are assessed, and the required business trust, and accountability in these processes is then established; and
* The final level of the framework which involves business processes and looking at leveraging the opportunities created by technology and legislation in order to improve the profitability of the business.
"This framework takes cognisance of the fact that business typically invests in security solutions in order to manage and mitigate operational, reputational and commercial risk. This is all part of a process that drives sound corporate governance; a process that has developed into a critical management responsibility in today`s largely electronic era," concludes Maybery.
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