SecureKey unveils new ID platform
26 March, 2013
category: Corporate, Digital ID, Financial, Government, NFC
SecureKey Technologies Inc. announced the commercial availability of its cloud-based briidge.net identity and authentication platform – a solution that enables people to use devices and credentials they already have to perform strong two-factor authentication.
The briidge.net suite of enterprise federated authentication services aims to be easy for people to use and reduces the number of user IDs and passwords, without sacrificing security and privacy.
Organizations can choose between two briidge.net service offerings, depending on how frequently their users connect, and whether or not they want to support the use of third-party credentials.
The briidge.net Enterprise service is designed for financial institutions, government, health care providers, mobile network operators and other extended enterprises seeking to improve the security of their existing credentials with multi-factor authentication for accessing their online and mobile applications. It supports enterprise Bring Your Own Device initiatives and enables users to turn consumer devices such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, and others into strong “what you have” factors for authentication.
It also enables devices to act as secure readers of in-wallet credentials like contactless payment cards, identity cards or dynamic QR codes. briidge.net Enterprise customers also can enable their credentials to be accepted by others through the briidge.net Exchange service to help those organizations better cope with infrequently used credentials.
The briidge.net Exchange service is based on a three-party model of users, credential providers, and credential subscribers, the briidge.net Exchange service enables authentication and identity information to be exchanged between credential providers and subscribers, while maintaining user privacy and control.
It enables organizations to accept credentials from a trusted third-party issuer, such as a bank, government, mobile operator, or social media site. The Exchange service enables users to bring their own credentials from third-party providers and is ideal for infrequently used services, such as government, utilities and telecom self-service, where password reset and account re-registrations lead to user frustration and high support costs.
The briidge.net Exchange service aims to reduce credential management expenses, increases service adoption and integrates into online or mobile applications with minimal administrative overhead. The briidge.net Exchange service is an extension of SecureKey Concierge, a service that enables Canadians to use their bank authentication credentials to securely access online services from the Government of Canada.
The device-based security offered by the briidge.net platform is made possible by briidge.net DNA security software, which transforms personal devices into strong, two-factor authentication tokens. briidge.net DNA software already is embedded in third-generation Intel Ultrabook computers enabled with Intel Identity Protection Technology.
It is available for Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android and Blackberry platforms, and can be embedded by developers into their apps using a software developer kit. A trusted service manger can also deliver the app over-the-air into SIMs or embedded secure elements for hardware-based security. briidge.net DNA can securely read Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Amex, Interac, PIV, ICAO and other contactless card formats.
The briidge.net platform is designed to provide a high level of trust for a variety of identity and authentication applications. Unlike one-time password solutions, which require users to type codes in to browsers and are subject to intercept attacks, briidge.net uses dynamic cryptograms to improve the user experience and security of application systems.