Self-service security cuts costs for Optus

security software, reports Computer World.

Speaking at the CA World Expo in Sydney, head of information security, Siva Sivasubramanian, said the telco was previously spending $300 000 each year on help desk fees to reset staff passwords.

“On any given day, we get about a dozen requests for a password reset,” he said. “...if these requests are from Optus staff in Australia, they would call the helpdesk staff.”

Prior to the self-service deployment, local employees who were locked out of their accounts took at least 15 minutes to have their passwords reset by helpdesk staff, writes SC Magazine.

Besides productivity and helpdesk costs, Optus was concerned the time it took to reset passwords would prompt employees - particularly contact centre staff with challenging performance targets - to share login details.

The Australian Privacy Commissioner criticised Optus' competitor Vodafone in February for its use of shared login details in retail stores and dealerships.

ZDNet reveals that it took 90 days in total for Optus to implement the self-service password reset system.

This meant that when a user locked themselves out of their desktop, they were able to reset their own password after answering a number of personal questions to verify their identity.

The self-service had to be simple, otherwise people would be less likely to adopt it. Security is the responsibility of every individual in a telecommunications company.