DigitalPersona Delivers Multi-Factor Authentication for Users on the Go with Support for Contactless Proximity Cards and Bluetooth Phones

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- DigitalPersona, Inc., a global provider of strong authentication and access management solutions, today announced the newest version of DigitalPersona® Pro Enterprise has support for a variety of new authentication credentials. With the software, organizations can now mix and match different ways of securely identifying themselves to Microsoft Windows and to applications – from PINs, passwords and smartcards to biometrics, contactless proximity cards and Bluetooth® phones.  Managed from Active Directory, DigitalPersona Pro alleviates the costs and risks of assembling a patchwork of potentially-incompatible technologies.

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DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise makes it more practical for businesses to address the growing mandates for strong authentication and to protect access to sensitive information on PCs, across networks and in the cloud. The software suite gives organizations the ability to define, deploy, enforce and report upon authentication policies for both individual computers and shared-user workstations. With DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise, strong authentication can be layered on top of PC- and cloud-based applications that use password authentication without requiring application changes. Underlying passwords can be randomized and hidden from the user, preventing people from accessing corporate applications and data from uncontrolled devices. Furthermore, DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise enables Bluetooth phones to act like proximity cards – but without the burden of opening an app or carrying an additional smartcard or key fob.

The newest release of DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise makes it practical for organizations to follow industry best practices by allowing or requiring combinations of different methods of authentication, including:

• Things You Know – passwords, PINs
• Things You Are – fingerprints
• Things You Have – smartcards, contactless cards, proximity cards, Bluetooth phones

With DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise, IT administrators can use Active Directory and familiar Group Policy tools to specify which authentication credentials are to be used by different groups of users. For example, clinicians in a hospital can be required to use their fingerprint along with a contactless proximity card to access patient records. Remote users connecting over a VPN can be required to use a password and have their Bluetooth phone with them in order to login. In addition, DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise provides both self-service and IT-assisted emergency access recovery that helps users avoid being locked out of their computer if they ever lose a card or forget their password.

"Businesses in healthcare, financial services and other industries are increasingly finding themselves caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to protecting access to critical systems and data," said Jim Fulton, vice president at DigitalPersona. "They're forced to take strong measures to know who's doing what, but this can drive up complexity and costs to an unrealistic level. DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise breaks this impasse by making it practical to apply advanced security controls."

DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise v5.2 Earns 4.5 Out of 5 Stars from SC Magazine

As part of SC Magazine's annual Multifactor Authentication Group Test in January 2012, DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise v5.2 received an overall score of 4.5 out of 5 stars. DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise was highlighted for its integration with Active Directory for management and deployment of security features and policies, functionality delivered for the price and support for biometrics. After thorough evaluation in various real-world scenarios, DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise received a perfect five star rating in the areas of features, ease of use, support and value for money.

The newest version of DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise is now available from the company and its worldwide network of solution providers. It uses organizations' existing Active Directory infrastructure to control access to individual or shared-user notebooks and desktop computers running Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP, as well as applications accessed from those computers through Microsoft Internet Explorer 7-9 and Firefox® 4-9. For more information, please visit www.digitalpersona.com/pro or call +1 650.474.4000.

About DigitalPersona

DigitalPersona, Inc. is a global provider of strong authentication and access management solutions that close the gap between people and security for enterprises, government agencies and commercial embedded-solution developers. DigitalPersona's software is shipped by computer manufacturers on millions of notebooks and desktop computers per year; its cloud- and Active Directory-managed solutions for multi-factor/strong authentication, single sign-on (eSSO) password management and emergency access recovery simplify compliance and cut IT costs. For more information contact DigitalPersona, Inc. at: +1 650.474.4000, or visit www.digitalpersona.com.

© 2012 DigitalPersona, Inc. All rights reserved. DigitalPersona® is a trademark of DigitalPersona, Inc. registered in the United States and other countries. Firefox® is a registered trademark of the Mozilla Foundation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contact:
Derek James
McGrath/Power Public Relations
408-727-0351
[email protected]

SOURCE DigitalPersona, Inc.