Akamai, CGI and Daon Tackle Mobile Authentication for Federal Agencies

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and WASHINGTON, April 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai^® Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading cloud platform for helping enterprises provide secure, high‑performing user experiences on any device, anywhere, and Daon, a leader in identity authentication technology and services, announced the availability of Mobile Authentication as a Service (MAaaS). The solution is designed to provide cloud-based multi‑factor authentication to increasingly mobile federal employees.

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Delivered as a cloud-based application in conjunction with CGI Group Inc. (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A)-the first large IT services provider to receive FedRAMP authorization - the new MAaaS solution can be used across a wide variety of mobile devices including smartphones, tablets and wirelessly connected laptops. By allowing federal agencies to maintain security control at the application level even if they do not manage the actual device, MAaaS can be used in conjunction with increasingly popular "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) programs. 

"Public sector computing is happening on a wide variety of mobile devices, many of which are privately owned by federal employees," explained Tom Ruff, vice president, Public Sector, Akamai Technologies.  "As such, federal agencies are looking for more effective ways to manage devices, applications and data in smart, secure and affordable ways, while at the same time adhering to programs such as Cloud First."

"The introduction of 'MAaaS' in CGI's secure cloud environment supports the growing adoption of BYOD in the public sector," said James Pyon, CGI vice president.  "This enhancement reflects CGI's continuous efforts to work with our partners to evolve our cloud solutions to meet changing client needs."

Designed to be highly flexible, the new MAaaS solution can allow authentication parameters to be customized based on application and associated risk policy. This multi-factored, layered approach can help ensure the right level of protection is applied to protect information and privacy. Unlike mobile authentication solutions that employ single or 2-factor authentication, the MAaaS solution can incorporate as many as seven factors of authentication provided by Daon.

"As part of the Daon pilot for the National Strategic Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) initiative, we have been able to provide our members a secure and easy way to authenticate themselves to the restricted areas of our website," said Carter Morris, senior vice president, Transportation Security Policy at the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). "Enabling our membership to conveniently use their own smartphones or tablets to verify their identity when accessing the website combined with the increased level of security gained from the IdentityX platform creates a clear win for our membership."

The MAaaS solution is also designed to allow government agencies to incorporate existing Common Access Card (CAC) or Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card implementations into their mobile authentication strategies. This should allow agencies to take full advantage of the government's current investments in efforts such as X.509 compliance technology, while allowing greater flexibility and security to their workforce.

"Our patented and proven IdentityX secure mobile authentication platform provides secure human authentication while the secure high-performance of the Akamai Intelligent Platform™ provides internet security and enhanced user experience. CGI's secure federal cloud provides the certified infrastructure and supporting services," stated David Budd, vice president of enterprise sales at Daon. "Together, we have created a unique offering that is designed to provide cloud-based mobile authentication for federal agencies that need to secure mobile transactions and mitigate the risk of compromised systems and data loss. MAaaS is a perfect example of how advanced services can be offered safely and with exceptional performance in the cloud."

About Akamai  
Akamai^® is the leading cloud platform for helping enterprises provide secure, high-performing user experiences on any device, anywhere.  At the core of the Company's solutions is the Akamai Intelligent Platform™ providing extensive reach, coupled with unmatched reliability, security, visibility and expertise.  Akamai removes the complexities of connecting the increasingly mobile world, supporting 24/7 consumer demand, and enabling enterprises to securely leverage the cloud.  To learn more about how Akamai is accelerating the pace of innovation in a hyperconnected world, please visit www.akamai.com or blogs.akamai.com, and follow @Akamai on Twitter.

About CGI  
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is the fifth largest independent information technology and business process services firm in the world. With approximately 71,000 members located in offices and global delivery centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, CGI offers a comprehensive portfolio of services including high-end business and IT consulting, systems integration, application development and maintenance, infrastructure management as well as a wide range of proprietary solutions. CGI's annualized revenue is in excess of C$10 billion, with an estimated order backlog of approximately C$18.3 billion; its shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB) and are included in the FTSE4Good Index. Website: www.cgi.com.

About Daon 
Daon is a leading provider of identity assurance software products focused on meeting the needs of governments and commercial organizations worldwide.  Daon products have been selected to secure hundreds of millions of identities around the globe including programs in the United States, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union and Mexico. Commercial customers include two of the 5 largest banks in the world.  http://www.daon.com/

Akamai Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 
This release contains information about future expectations, plans and prospects of Akamai's management that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors including, but not limited to, failure of Akamai services and/or the MAaaS solution to operate as expected or to address intended market needs, unexpected termination of Akamai's relationship with either Daon or CGI, a failure of Akamai's network infrastructure, and other factors that are discussed in Akamai's Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other documents periodically filed with the SEC.

SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.