CRYPTOCard Deploys 500 Two-Factor Authentication Tokens To Secure YHGfL’s Linux Network

CRYPTOCard Protects Linux Network for Over 2000 Schools in the North of England for Less than Half the Cost of Nearest Competitor

Ottawa, Canada and London, England – CRYPTOCard, the leading authentication technology developer for heterogeneous environments, has signed a deal with YHGfL Foundation (Yorkshire & Humber Grid for Learning) to provide two-factor authentication tokens to more than 500 people.

YHGfL connects both teachers and pupils in more than 2000 schools in the Yorkshire and Humber region. This deal means that users can securely tap into the grid’s resources without having to rely on just usernames and passwords for authentication – a weak method of security that can easily be cracked.

“We’re a not-for-profit organization so we have to keep the costs down, but we still have to provide schools with best-of-breed technology,” says Andrew Yoward, IT consultant for YHGfL. “We found CRYPTOCard does exactly what we need it to for half the cost of the competitors,” Yoward continued. “It protects everything – the network infrastructure (routers, switches, firewalls), and the services infrastructure (remote access servers, etc.)”

The YHGfL network, which runs on a Linux environment to help the not-for-profit organization keep costs down, opted for CRYPTOCard’s KT-1 two-factor authentication keychain token solution because it was cheaper than other products and could run on open source software.

“One of the things we excel in is putting security on top of alternative environments to Windows,” says Jason Hart, CEO of CRYPTOCard Europe. “The learning grid is a key tool for teachers and an excellent way for schools to procure equipment, but without security that whole network of information and private data is open to abuse.”

A recent Butler Group analyst report noted that organizations now understand that IT security and strong authentication are essential for business.

“The growing impact of regulatory compliance requirements means that the market for solutions such as CRYPTOCard’s strong authentication that can demonstrate ease-of-use, value-to-business, and provable ROI, will grow significantly,” explained Andrew Kellett, Senior Research Analyst, Butler Group.

Developed to meet real-world requirements – where Linux and Mac workstations often live in a mixed Microsoft Windows domain, with Windows clients and Apache or IIS Web servers – CRYPTOCard’s event-based two-factor authentication tokens make it simple and cost effective to eliminate weak static passwords by generating a random password for every logon attempt. One-time passwords cannot be reused by hackers and do not need to be memorized by users – eliminating the help-desk costs associated with resetting forgotten passwords, and the security risk resulting from users writing them down.

About Yorkshire Humber Grid for Learning
YHGfL (Yorkshire & Humber Grid for Learning Foundation) is a local authority company made up of 12 Local Authorities responsible for approximately 2000 schools in the Yorkshire and Humber area. Providing services to the Local Authorities via a Consortium (which is jointly funded by Local Authorities and DfES), YHGfL is one of 10 Regional Broadband Consortia set up across the UK to meet the Governments target of providing broadband connectivity to all schools in the UK to the National Education Network (NEN). To date, 99% of the region’s schools are connected to the Y & H Grid, with the last few schools due to connect before the December 2006 deadline.

About CRYPTOCard, Inc.
Established in 1989, CRYPTOCard provides cost-effective Secure Password Technology to leading enterprises worldwide in the government, technology, aerospace, financial, education, telecommunications, and healthcare sectors. CRYPTOCard positively authenticates a user’s identity by coupling something in the user’s possession (a smart card, hardware token, or software token), with something the user knows (their PIN), and provides centralized authentication for all physical and network access regardless of network infrastructure or user location. A Bristol Rugby Club sponsor, CRYPTOCard’s partners include Cisco, Check Point, Nortel, and Citrix. For additional information on CRYPTOCard, please visit www.cryptocard.com.

Posted On: 2006-12-14, 9:25 am

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