DigitalPersona Delivers Multi-Factor Authentication for Users on the Go with Support for Contactless Proximity Cards and Bluetooth Phones

DigitalPersona Delivers Multi-Factor Authentication for Users on the Go with Support for Contactless Proximity Cards and Bluetooth Phones

Newest Release of DigitalPersona Pro Strengthens Security for Windows-based Applications and Operating Systems, VPNs and Cloud Applications, Earns 4.5 Out of 5 Stars in SC Magazine Product Review

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- DigitalPersona, Inc., a global provider of strong authentication and access management solutions, today announced the newest version of DigitalPersona® Pro Enterprise has support for a variety of new authentication credentials. With the software, organizations can now mix and match different ways of securely identifying themselves to Microsoft Windows and to applications - from PINs, passwords and smartcards to biometrics, contactless proximity cards and Bluetooth® phones.  Managed from Active Directory, DigitalPersona Pro alleviates the costs and risks of assembling a patchwork of potentially-incompatible technologies.

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DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise makes it more practical for businesses to address the growing mandates for strong authentication and to protect access to sensitive information on PCs, across networks and in the cloud. The software suite gives organizations the ability to define, deploy, enforce and report upon authentication policies for both individual computers and shared-user workstations. With DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise, strong authentication can be layered on top of PC- and cloud-based applications that use password authentication without requiring application changes. Underlying passwords can be randomized and hidden from the user, preventing people from accessing corporate applications and data from uncontrolled devices. Furthermore, DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise enables Bluetooth phones to act like proximity cards - but without the burden of opening an app or carrying an additional smartcard or key fob.

The newest release of DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise makes it practical for organizations to follow industry best practices by allowing or requiring combinations of different methods of authentication, including:

    --  Things You Know - passwords, PINs
    --  Things You Are - fingerprints
    --  Things You Have - smartcards, contactless cards, proximity cards,
        Bluetooth phones
With DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise, IT administrators can use Active Directory and familiar Group Policy tools to specify which authentication credentials are to be used by different groups of users. For example, clinicians in a hospital can be required to use their fingerprint along with a contactless proximity card to access patient records. Remote users connecting over a VPN can be required to use a password and have their Bluetooth phone with them in order to login. In addition, DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise provides both self-service and IT-assisted emergency access recovery that helps users avoid being locked out of their computer if they ever lose a card or forget their password.

"Businesses in healthcare, financial services and other industries are increasingly finding themselves caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to protecting access to critical systems and data," said Jim Fulton, vice president at DigitalPersona. "They're forced to take strong measures to know who's doing what, but this can drive up complexity and costs to an unrealistic level. DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise breaks this impasse by making it practical to apply advanced security controls."

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DigitalPersona, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.digitalpersona.com