Systems integrator Tiv Technologies has announced First Access, an authentication solution that is unlike any existing contactless or "close proximity" product available today. Using the VicinID Card and Sensor, it provides networks with the maximum level of security and users with the greatest ease-of-use.
According to Tiv Technologies sales director Trevor Traube, Vicinity Authentication virtually guarantees user compliance with network security measures by fully automating workstation logon and auto-locking, each time a user approaches or leaves the workstation.
"In addition, the First Access solution provides Continuous Authentication, constantly monitoring the workstation area for the presence of an authorised user. When the First Access system is deployed enterprise-wide, passwords need no longer exist for network logon. Each user is represented by a unique Vicinity Smart Card that is his or her gateway to the workstation and the domain," says Traube.
"Each workstation in the network is installed with the VicinID Client software and Vicinity Sensor. Simply by carrying the card, network users are automatically identified by the VicinID Server from a predefined distance and granted or denied access to specific workstations and domains according to their access profile. User profiles are centrally managed by the VicinID Manager (GUI), integrated into the Windows NT User Manager for Domains.
The Aberdeen Impact report entitled, First Access Leads the Way in Wireless Authentication, outlines the movement by IT decision-markers toward adopting new user credential solutions in an attempt to improve the security and usability problems inherent in traditional password-based network authentication.
The problems, as outlined by the report, include the threat to enterprise information assets as users circumvent or abuse passwords, the heavy support burdens placed on MIS personnel attempting to properly administer security policies, and the general inconvenience and productivity loss experienced by network users.
Senior Analyst for Aberdeen, Eric Hemmendinger, sees the First Access Vicinity Authentication system as "Strikingly convenient" for users and administrators, with a "key advantage" over other potential solutions for internal network authentication, such as biometrics or contact smart cards.
"First Access has introduced a solution delivering continuous authentication of users through proactive detection of individuals` credentials. Strikingly convenient for users, the product features a smart card-like Vicinity Card held by the individual and a PC-attached sensor that detects the presence of vicinity cards with sophisticated wireless technology. When detected, the individual is authenticated and logged on to the Windows NT network through a tightly integrated vicinity card-sensor-client software-NT server process.
"When the user leaves the area, the product immediately locks the screen or the PC, preventing further access. While the current PC-based applications continue to run in the background, the PC is locked. When the user returns, the desktop is immediately accessible and the network authentication process is automatically repeated," he says.
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