From Smartcard to Smartphone -- Entrust Bridges Digital Identity Investments across Physical Environments to Mobile Devices

MINNETONKA, Minn., Nov. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrust Datacard delivers enterprise-grade security via mobile devices that serve as trusted identity credentials for secure physical, logical and cloud access. Via the next evolution of the Entrust Mobile Smart Credential, organizations may extend digital certificate or smartcard investments into the mobile environment to reduce costs, enable business efficiency and empower users.

"Mobile devices are quickly replacing the traditional desktop and IT organizations want to be at the forefront of this movement," said Entrust president David Wagner. "As the shift away from the office-bound workforce continues, mobile devices are often replacing the traditional desktop PC. These modern work patterns create the need for crucial enterprise-class security and support for mobile devices, identities and applications."

Entrust Datacard helps organizations transform mobile devices into multipurpose digital identities for authentication, digital signing and encryption. The mobile-based identities may be issued, managed, derived and authenticated via the on-premise Entrust® IdentityGuard software authentication platform or the easy-to-use Entrust IdentityGuard Cloud Services. Using innovative mobile-derived credentials, identities also may be originated from users' existing vetted smartcard or digital IDs.

Simple Authentication for Mobile Users

The Entrust Mobile Smart Credential eliminates the need for one-time-passcode (OTP) requirements, multiple mobile applications, complex integrations and login frustrations. Because the certificate-based identity and the mobile device are already securely bound, end-users only require their PIN to complete once-tedious logins or authentication processes.

What is a Mobile-Derived Credential?

The challenge for any mobile authentication system is ensuring authorized employees are issued their correct and verified credential. The derived Entrust Mobile Smart Credential solution simplifies this process by taking a trusted credential and extending it to a secured mobile device.

When the solution is deployed, a trusted user or employee owns a digital identity that has already endured a rigorous and thorough vetting process. Enterprises and governments alike may extend their security investment by recreating this digital identity — via the Entrust IdentityGuard software authentication platform — to derive a trusted identity on secured mobile devices.

The Entrust Datacard solution complies with rigorous government standards, making it an ideal mobile identity solution for governments and other security-conscious organizations. The solution may be deployed at the customer premises or via Entrust IdentityGuard Cloud Services, which is secured in the same facility as the existing U.S. Federal Shared Service Provider certification authority (CA).

Derived Credentials in Government

For U.S. government agencies, managing the surge of BYOD demands is particularly challenging. Governments are responsible for the nation's interest, citizens and data it holds. Government agencies must follow and comply with many policies — including FIPS 201, NIST SP 800-157, HSPD 12, etc. — that shape how employees and IT organizations conduct day-to-day business. The Entrust new mobile approach eliminates the need for government agencies to build custom solutions that comply with various regulations and policy.

This innovation further extends the Entrust Datacard investment in the U.S. government space. From FIPS 201 PIV credentials to advanced mobile identity solutions that conform to NIST SP 800-157, Entrust Datacard leads the way in security technology that meets rigorous U.S. government standards.

Integrating with Trusted Security Vendors

To increase effectiveness for different use cases and environments, Entrust Datacard has partnered with trusted software security vendor Thursby. Integration with the Thursby PKardPro Reader application — available for both Apple iOS and Google Android — creates a single authorized digital identity on a user's mobile device. This empowers customers to perform secure browser transactions on mobile devices while increasing usability and decreasing costs.

Thursby's growing ecosystem of partners — including Acronis, Silanis and Juniper — may leverage the Entrust Mobile Smart Credential solution in their applications via the PKardPro Reader Toolkit, providing an alternative to a standard physical smartcard. These applications support a variety of use cases commonly found in the enterprise, including certificate-based authentication to Web applications, secure email, secure file sharing and secure document-signing.

About Entrust Datacard. 

Consumers, citizens and employees increasingly expect anywhere-anytime experiences — whether they are making purchases, crossing borders, accessing e-gov services or logging onto corporate networks. Entrust Datacard offers the trusted identity and secure transaction technologies that make those experiences reliable and secure. Solutions range from the physical world of financial cards, passports and ID cards to the digital realm of authentication, certificates and secure communications. With more than 2,000 Entrust Datacard colleagues around the world, and a network of strong global partners, the company serves customers in 150 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.entrustdatacard.com.

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SOURCE Entrust Datacard

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