Identity authentication and secure card issuance company Entrust Datacard announced enhancements to its Mobile Smart Credential solution this week. Overall, the changes help guard against security threats without compromising the user experience.
The Minnesota-based company’s main enhancement to its password-free mobile login experience is the addition of Bluetooth login support. The Mobile Smart Credential solution’s Bluetooth enhancement offers proximity-based VPN and workstation admittance, as well as access to cloud applications, legacy applications and physical door access. Instead of passwords or two-factor authentication, the user’s mobile device is their key.
Ryan Zlockie, global vice president of authentication solutions for Entrust Datacard, called mobile devices “an extension of our identity.” He added, “Like a mobile wallet for payments, Mobile Smart Credential is a virtual employee ID that provides unfettered access to all of the digital and physical places where employees need to do their job. And, by removing friction to the authentication process, organizations are able to streamline operations, increase productivity and provides a better user experience for their employees, which leads to greater overall employee satisfaction.”
The Bluetooth functionality, which Entrust Datacard sees as another step in its journey to “zero-factor authentication,” is the result of the company’s collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). In December of 2017, Entrust Datacard participated in an advanced authentication lab at JPL to test authentication experiences that increase security.
Entrust Datacard was founded in 1969 and presented at FinDEVr Silicon Valley 2016. Jason Soroko, Security Technologies Manager, and Matt Rose, Technical Sales Consultant, spoke to the audience of developers on Safeguarding Your Banking Applications. Last month, the company acquired cloud security firm SMS Passcode and made a strategic investment in cloud security expert CensorNet.
With 2,200 employees in 34 locations across the globe, Entrust Datacard is a privately held company headquartered in Shakopee, Minnesota. The company issues 10 million+ identity and payment credentials daily and manages billions of transactions on an annual basis.