All organisations using the Internet need to effectively secure online interactions between users and their systems.  This is achieved through security authentication factors. An authentication factor is a piece of information and the way that it is used to verify the identity of anyone accessing your information system.  

The most successful way to ensure strong authentication is to combine something you know with something you have.  In other words, the 1st factor is a piece of knowledge such as a password and the 2nd factor is a credential that you have on your person, such a token or device.  This is known as 2nd factor authentication and provides a second chance to maintain a secure online environment.  This is considered the Gold Standard in authentication.

In our previous article on ‘The Security Risks Involved with Cloud Operating Systems’ , we highlighted the problems with single factor authentication, particularly drawing attention to weaknesses in the single factor authentication of Google ‘Cloud’ accounts that lead to the recent Twitter hack.  When using cloud computing, it’s essential to use 2nd factor authentication to bolster security.

VeriSign provides an efficient way of checking the credentials of someone accessing your system. VeriSign’s VIP Solution manages the second factor authentication process without compromising the integrity of the first factor.  This allows you to add second factor authentication solutions to your cloud systems without costly infrastructure changes.

In the past, the much-touted RSA-type Key Fob has been seen as the dominant way of providing 2nd factor authentication.   An RSA-type Key Fob is a small authentication device that uses a PIN number to produce an authentication code each time a user needs to gain access to their network.  

However RSA is only a single site solution, if the user needed access to multiple systems within the same network, they would incur considerable costs as they adapted their existing information infrastructure to cope with the new demands.

VeriSign is a federated solution; it can use a single device such as a mobile, a card or a token to offer access to any of the systems connected within the same network.  VeriSign’s biggest advantage over RSA is the price. It is a highly cost effective authentication solution, offering greater benefits than its competitor, for a fraction of the price.

Furthermore VeriSign is a resilient solution, since VeriSign holds the 2nd factor authentication and owns the Dot Com root servers, it offers unrivalled reliability.
Finally, with this solution, the entire 2nd factor authentication resides with VeriSign, meaning no hardware, servicing or software update costs.

Biometric security such as voice or fingerprint authentication offers another method of verification.  Mark Dermot Ryan, lecturer and expert in Authentication and Biometric Security at the University of Birmingham points out that since biometrics are unique to the individual, they cannot easily be transferred to another person .  

However, Cloud Computing poses some problems for biometric authentication.  The nature of the cloud is that a user may work from any computer connected to the Internet; this is suited to employees that must travel frequently or use clients’ computers.  However, one cannot always have a voice, fingerprint or iris scanner present and so biometric authentication is still best suited to the home site.

In cases where Cloud Computing is essential, that's when VeriSign’s VIP tokens prove themselves. Each VIP token offers an additional layer of security, with minimal per unit cost, it’s easily carried with you and can quickly and easily be replaced if the unit becomes lost, stolen or damaged.  

If businesses are going to entrust their information systems to the Cloud, then it’s important that they acquire the most rigorous security authentication methods available.  VeriSign is an unparalleled level of security through 2nd factor authentication suitable for cloud computing.

To find out more about getting a second chance with 2nd factor authentication, visit www.securm.co.uk or call now on 0800 612 4074

i - www.securm.co.uk

ii - www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~mdr/teaching/modules/security/lectures/biometric.html