A more secure cloud
01 November 2011
ActiveEdge Authentication adds additional layer of security to Star’s Virtual Private Cloud offering.
Star, a provider of on-demand cloud computing and communication services to UK businesses, has announced the launch of ActiveEdge Authentication. The service provides business users with an additional layer of security on top of their existing username and password combination.
The on-demand, hosted authentication service will drastically reduce risk of online attacks while providing remote workers with cost-effective and reliable access to corporate data from any device.
Several high profile security breaches, including the Sony PlayStation hack and the more recent Betfair saga, where names, birth dates, emails, phone numbers and passwords were stolen and then published, have highlighted the sensitivity around the issue of how service providers protect their customer data and the need to secure information for consumers and businesses alike. This, and the fact that cybercrime costs the UK economy £27 billion a year (according to the UK Government), emphasises the need for increasingly robust security measures.
The challenge facing most medium sized UK companies wanting to offer their staff the same level of security as their enterprise counterparts is the prohibitive cost of buying direct from the vendor and then having to implement, manage and support a solution. Star’s ActiveEdge Authentication is a managed service delivered via Star’s private cloud platform, optimised for UK businesses.
Remote and mobile access, as well as the consumerisation of IT, has accelerated the need for businesses to strengthen the authentication of employees accessing the corporate network from any location. Depending on the way in which passwords are generated, they are often not considered safe enough to protect business critical data. In these instances, authentication is thought to be a practical and cost effective way to improve the way organisations protect their sensitive data.
Usually, a key-fob device is used to generate a unique, single-use pass-code; a system similar to that used by many banks today. With ActiveEdge Authentication, pass-codes can be sent directly to smartphone applications for iPhone or Blackberry and by SMS, negating the need for hardware tokens that also carry cost implications.
Phill Harber, Proposition Marketing Manager at Star said: “ActiveEdge Authentication is the simplest way for businesses to get started and use advanced security measures because we take care of the technical details. This gives our customers enhanced security as a service, without the pain of an up-front purchase and worrying about ongoing support and maintenance. They can add and remove users to match their security requirements, and costs, in line with their needs. The result is a flexible and cost effective option for medium sized UK businesses. As more consumer devices find their way in to the workplace we help to keep corporate data secure, no matter when or where it is accessed and used.”
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