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29
Q & A
Tim Shaw,
Channel Sales
Manager,
VASCO
PITR:
Why does two-factor
authentication present a strong
opportunity for the channel?
Tim Shaw (TS):
Despite many high profile
global security breaches, the truth is that
in many medium-sized businesses, remote
access to the corporate network is not
adequately secured. Nor are critical data
assets protected against unauthorised
access.
Talking about securing printers and
MFPs opens the door to a much broader
discussion about network security as
a whole and the role that two-factor
authentication solutions can play in keeping
a business’ entire network (not just the
peripheral devices connected to it) secure.
For dealers to demonstrate how they
can help customers plug a still sizeable
security gap is a conversation well worth
having. If we look at the IT security systems
of SMEs, a typical picture emerges: firewalls
and anti-virus software are installed
to prevent unauthorised access to the
corporate network and to prevent data
theft; but little or no thought is given to
securing remote access to the network
by staff, partners or customers in order
to protect data on the network. How can
they know for sure that someone accessing
the network is who they claim to be? It’s
because they can’t always validate who is
trying to get onto the network that we see,
almost on a daily basis, reports of successful
attacks on companies’ databases. And these
are increasing, rather than decreasing.
PITR:
Surely companies are already
doing all they can to protect
themselves?
TS:
They think they are. But there is
an imbalance in the level of protection
afforded to physical assets and to
confidential data. Take access control to
a building. Verification can take many
forms, from surveillance cameras to ID
cards, to ensure that only people with the
right permissions can enter the grounds
or specific areas of a site. Yet, for critical
information systems, more often than not,
a simple and easily guessable password
is all that’s needed to gain access to the
company’s lifeblood, its business critical
data and confidential information.
What makes this scenario even more
exasperating is that it has been known for
decades that passwords are not resilient
and offer ineffective protection against a
determined hacker. And the more valuable
the data, the more determined the hacker.
PITR:
Is two-factor authentication
complex to deploy and use?
TS:
That assumption is what makes the
above scenario even more frustrating.
Incorporating two-factor authentication
to protect data is not difficult, and
the technology has proven to offer an
exceptionally robust defence against
potential security threats for many years
now. The technology’s roots lie in the
banking industry, one of the most heavily
regulated and protected in the world,
where security is absolutely fundamental.
Two-factor authentication successfully
marries end user convenience with security.
Anyone who conducts their banking
online is already familiar with two-factor
secure authentication from using a device
provided by their bank. This provides them
with a One-Time Password (OTP). There’s
no real learning curve in rolling out a
similar OTP solution for a workforce to use
when accessing the network remotely.
PITR:
The market is awash with
competing security products, so are
margins tight?
TS:
It is not the additional sales potential
alone that makes two-factor authentication
a compelling opportunity for dealers
The margins are still significantly more
rewarding than in many other areas,
precisely because two-factor authentication
is not yet a commodity business, especially
for companies that already offer network
peripheral devices. Offering strong
authentication is an excellent addition
to a dealer’s existing device portfolio
and an opportunity to provide expertise
and differentiate themselves from the
competition.
Tim Shaw, VASCO Channel Sales Manager for the UK and Ireland, explains to
PITR why two-factor authentication helps dealers differentiate their business
and add value to their offering
Two-factor secure authentication:
a growing opportunity
PITR:
Does the technology require
dealers to learn a whole new skill
set?
TS:
From a technical perspective, strong
two-factor authentication is now much
easier to implement than many resellers
and end users assume. There are relatively
easy to implement solutions on the market
that can be integrated with little effort
into any existing application, no matter
what data model or architecture it is based
on. Solutions can be delivered with all
the necessary hardware (e.g. servers) and
software included and preconfigured.
An even easier sell is cloud-based
authentication, which further simplifies
the sale and management of two-factor
authentication. Here, the effort is limited
to integration into existing applications,
with a dealer using either existing cloud
offerings or a server to provide its own
service to several customers. In both cases,
the customer saves on investment and the
hassle of internal maintenance and the
dealer benefits from regular, stable and
predictable revenues.
Secure two-factor authentication is an
absolute business must-have. Yet, despite
the ever-rising incidence of cyber-crime,
its sales potential remains untapped.
Introducing customers to two-factor
authentication, when talking about
device security, provides dealers with a
differentiator that adds value and new
revenue opportunities to their business.
How can they
know for sure
that someone
accessing
the network
is who they
claim to be?
