To support today's organizations, IT departments need to foster the productivity of remote and mobile users, while safeguarding the security of sensitive assets and systems. For these reasons, strong authentication mechanisms are increasingly being employed. This paper compares the strengths and weaknesses of hardware- and software-based authentication approaches, and offers five key considerations for evaluating which approach is right for the specific needs of your organization.
AUTHENTICATION
DECISION GUIDE
Decision Guide
Hardware and Software Authentication:
Choosing the Right Approach Index1. Executive Summary2. Introduction: The Changing Nature of Remote and Mobile Access3. Remote Access: The Security Implications4. The Need for Strong Authentication5. Overview of Authentication Options6. Hardware or Software Authentication? 5 Key Considerations7. Conclusion8. About SafeNet Authentication SolutionsExecutive SummaryTo support today's organizations, IT departments need to foster the productivity of remote and mobile users, while safeguarding the security of sensitive assets and systems. For these reasons, strong authentication mechanisms are increasingly being employed. This paper compares the strengths and weaknesses of hardware- and software-based authentication approaches, and offers five key considerations for evaluating which approach is right for the specific needs of your organization.
Introduction: The Changing Nature of Remote and Mobile AccessFor years, organizations have been undergoing a transition in the nature of remote and mobile access. In the past, a user outside of the corporate office simply couldn't access email or any other business applications or data. Over time, Web-based email, VPNs, online portals, and an array of other technologies have opened up corporate resources to those outside of the brick-and-mortar office. Today, it is quite simply a competitive mandate to deliver the same tools and services to authorized users, whether they are inside or outside the four walls of an organization.In fact, today, the line separating internal and external users is growing ever more blurry. Here are just a few of the reasons for this:. Mobile workers. For outside sales organizations, customer-facing executives, consulting teams, and a host of other employees, optimizing productivity is a competitive mandate, whether those users are in an airport, hotel, customer site, home, or anywhere in between. For sales, mobile access is essential, which is why most enterprises continue to focus on better equipping mobile sales teams. For example, according to Gartner, more than 55% of Global 2000 organizations will deploy mobile sales force automation projects by 2011.. Smart phone and social network ubiquity. With the combined, widespread adoption of smart phones, social networking, and advanced phone-based apps, the shifting lines between corporate and personal use, as well as authorized and unauthorized device use and access, conspire to make policy definition and enforcement increasingly difficult. . Teleworkers. Providing effective remote access to employees who telecommute from a branch or home office is increasingly a must have for organizations. Today, approximately 90% of large enterprises worldwide have remote workers. The business justifications for doing so are many: With increased telecommuting, organizations can save on facilities costs, boost employee productivity and morale, and strengthen recruitment efforts by offering this perk. Further, employees can enjoy time and cost savings by reducing their time commuting, and gain greater flexibility, particularly given the increasingly global nature of business and the common need to work with partners, customers, and colleagues across multiple time zones. . Online transactions and services. Today, consumers increasingly expect to do virtually anything online with their vendors that they could do in person, whether that means doing online banking or trading, selling goods or services through portals or online auctions, or a host of other transactions. For the businesses in these markets, delivering online services is a fundamental requirement for doing business. . Outsourced services. Whether it's an offshore contact center, a third-party manufacturing or development team, or a host of other organizations, businesses are increasingly reliant upon external partners and vendors. Supporting these organizations with timely, reliable access to corporate systems and applications is one of the keys to making these relationships successful. . Disaster response. In the event of natural or man-made disasters, or evacuations due to the threat of these occurrences, the loss of user productivity can exact a large toll. One of the key ways organizations can mitigate these losses is to foster worker productivity from outside corporate offices..
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