Authentic8 Delivers Key Enhancements to Aid Government Telework Initiatives
CAC/PIV Smart Card capabilities now include support for varied format and multiple certificates
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Responding to increased demand from government organizations needing to maintain productivity in a COVID-19 work from home environment, Authentic8 today announces the immediate availability of enhanced CAC/PIV card capabilities, including support for all forms of DoD certs, multiple user personas, and various certificates.
Government organizations require strong authentication and encryption methods for secure access to online resources. Government employees and civilian employees accessing online solutions need to use Common Access Card (CAC) or Personal Identity Verification Cards (PIV Cards) tokens, which combine hardware smartcards with centrally managed certificates for strong authentication.
While the White House ordered employees across the government to be ready to telework, little guidance on methods, resources, or security measures were provided.
"The requirement that offices close and send workers home came more quickly and had more immediate consequences than anticipated," said Justin Cleveland, Head of Government Business at Authentic8. "This has put IT on its heels trying to maintain business continuity, sending employees home without having adequate infrastructure or procedures in place to accommodate them. Government employees aren't typically configured for remote access, and their personal computers aren't equipped with CAC or PIV readers."
The Silo web isolation platform from Authentic8 is a key enabler for remote work initiatives. Silo is a cloud-native platform and can be accessed from any computer or location. With full CAC/PIV authentication support, including managing multiple certificates, federal employees and contractors can safely and securely work from home from non-government devices, accessing multiple, discrete sensitive websites from within Silo, without exposing themselves to exploits or putting their organization at risk.
"Just as we have transferred risk off our network while at work using Silo, we now have the capability to rapidly enable mission execution from home. I encouraged my entire command to download Silo on their home computers and login with their work credentials," said Captain Hal Cole, Commanding Officer of Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command. "It's the fastest, most responsible way to access CAC-enabled government sites without bringing data onto their personal devices."
Across the federal government and commercial sectors, end users are using Silo to securely access OWA, O365, cloud storage, Time and Attendance services, ticketing systems, .mil websites, and more. The Silo Web Isolation Platform is in-process with FedRAMP certification and is deployed in production environments in more than 150 federal organizations.
"We've been working with organizations who are accelerating adoption of cloud technologies, sending CAC readers home for use on personal computers, and updating their guidance to ensure unclassified work can continue," said Sean Heritage, Head of Platform Adoption (Federal) for Authentic8.
No one is sure when the telework guidelines will be relaxed. Until they are, federal organizations can rely on Silo and CAC/PIV support to maintain productivity of the workforce and help accelerate economic recovery. And in a post-COVID world, telework will be part of every organization's continuity planning. Silo will continue to be a core component of that strategy.
About Authentic8
Authentic8 enables anyone, anywhere, on any device to experience the web without risk. Founded by the principals from Postini, acquired by Google in 2007, Authentic8's web isolation platform, Silo, brings a "trust nothing" stance toward the underlying systems and resources we interact with online daily.
The Silo Web Isolation Platform separates the things you care about like apps, data and devices, from the things you cannot trust like external websites, users, and unmanaged devices. Silo executes all web code in a secure, isolated environment that is managed by policy, to provide protection and oversight.
Today, the world's most at-risk organizations rely on Silo to deliver trust where it otherwise cannot be guaranteed. www.authentic8.com
SOURCE Authentic8
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