Ubiquitous Strong Authentication allows use of Apple iPhone for secure Remote Access

Cambridge, 29 March, 2011 – GrIDsure, the pioneer in pattern based authentication, today announced the latest version of GrIDsure Enterprise Login, a secure login solution for Windows and remote VPN access that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft environments and replaces passwords, PINs and tokens with a safer, simpler method of strong authentication.

GrIDsure Enterprise Login version 4 provides strong authentication for desktop, IIS portals and remote RADIUS based authentication using a web, mobile or desktop Challenge GrID. With support for all Microsoft 32 and 64-bit operating systems, GrIDsure’s software integrates seamlessly with common VPN platforms such as Juniper SA and Microsoft UAG and also provides strong authentication for Microsoft’s Direct Access VPN solution.

“Making our unique Mobile GrID available on the most popular devices ensures accessibility to strong authentication for the broadest range of users and scenarios. This is a fundamental design rule of GrIDsure, making life simpler yet more secure for users by utilising technology that is familiar and always available. Making the Mobile GrID available for iPhone and iPad is another step in this process,” said GrIDsure Founder and CTO Stephen Howes.

Cost-effective to implement and maintain, GrIDsure Enterprise Login can be seamlessly installed on any new or existing Windows domain. It uses sequential pattern recognition to reliably identify users and their access rights without the need for additional hardware or tokens. Users choose a memorable pattern and sequence of cells on a grid, their Personal Identification Pattern (PIP). Every time they log on, they are presented with a challenge GrID of random numbers. They then enter those values that accord with their PIP, creating a secure, one-time passcode at every login without giving away their secret pattern.

“Almost every day there is news of a data breach, affecting companies of all sizes and in all industries, their employees and customers. Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with criminals not only stealing username/password combinations but also targeting so-called two-factor solutions that use additional tokens,” said Stephen Howes.

“Gartner is already predicting a dramatic decline in the use of hardware tokens, to be replaced by alternative secure and easily available authentication methods. The market needs a solution that’s highly secure and at the same time cost-effective and easy to use. We believe our grID is the answer.”

GrIDsure Enterprise Login is centrally controlled via an additional tab on Windows’ standard user administration tools. Network administrators can easily configure the challenge grid size, required length and complexity of the Personal Identification Pattern to suit their organisation’s security requirements. The incorporated SDK can be used to integrate GrIDsure authentication into other corporate applications, including web-based applications.

The GrIDsure iPhone app is available on the iTunes App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/gridsure/id423541093?mt=8

The new product joins a family of authentication solutions including GrIDsure for Microsoft UAG, GrIDsure Solo Login, and GrIDsure SmartLogin.