authen2cate
The Dusk of Passwords—Enter Multi-Factor

From an organizational standpoint, managing identity and access management around a closed network translates to both convenience and surety. Consider a university student who’s lost their login credentials and needs them reset; this student might be just one among a dozen who call the college tech helpdesk every day for this purpose. The resulting level of congestion and technical load can be better managed through a cloud-based system employing single sign-on secured via multi-factor authentication (MFA). This is the core functionality of authen2cate, a company whose mission, as its EVP Louis LaBrecque states, “is to provide a simple, yet secure and trusted model to authenticate and authorize individuals and businesses to perform transactions.”

Originally developed for in-house key access management, authen2cate rose to its current stature when its creators recognized the potential of the solution if leveraged commercially. Industry pain points were consequently identified among several verticals, particularly the higher education and healthcare sectors. A staggering 90 percent of students require password resets every semester, and the school’s IT department gets flooded with support calls. With the authen2cate smartphone app, students can use the mobile authentication solution for multi-factor verification and password reset. authen2cate’s app extends its functionality across any industry’s authentication demands, offering the benefit of convenience for users to be able to login securely with a single authentication via an active directory (AD) and then have access to all their applications through a single sign-on methodology. As CEO, Paul Miner says, “Passwords are long gone. When it comes to security and being the front door to a number of different applications, it is our responsibility to enforce that security.”

From the users’ perspective, they are provided with an MFA solution, which may be implemented either through a one-time pass code, email, phone call, or through the mobile app. On the backend, the client will have a set of APIs that they can use during development for integration with their existing application, which then does the authentication, thereby reducing support calls to the help desk. The process of understanding the client’s unique requirements helps dictate how authen2cate is to be deployed (either as a local AD server, on the cloud, or as a hybrid).

Our mission is to provide a simple, yet secure and trusted model to authenticate and authorize individuals and businesses to perform transactions

Then the content of the user base is identified and the most customized version of the platform is delivered as an effective means of achieving an organization’s authentication goal.

To substantiate, The Royal Marsden hospital required a secure way for medical professionals outside the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) network to access the Coordinate My Care (CMC) application. Their hosting provider was unable to provide sufficient security measures, and authen2cate was contacted to provide a means for allowing non-NHS users to securely access confidential patient data. authen2cate designed and implemented an enterprise-class, full-service solution that required no additional resources. Now, after entering their username, non-NHS Royal Marsden users can elect to receive a registration code via email or phone, enter a PIN, or answer a secret question. This ensures that only fully authorized users access critical patient information, saving The Royal Marsden crucial time and money while upholding the strictest security standards.

For authen2cate, the focus is on being flexible in supporting clients from a security perspective, as they adapt to the changing access management landscape. The company is growing steadily, having carved out a niche in the single sign-on and MFA market and has plans to incorporate blockchain and biometric-based authentication measures in the future. The end goal for authen2cate is to ensure that enterprise-grade security is available to all verticals while providing the comfort of use that businesses are accustomed to.