Security breaches driving authentication changes

Recent security breaches and deployment of new technologies are driving organizations to re-evaluate incumbent authentication vendors and re-think their authentication strategies, according to SafeNet.

“Recent highly-targeted security attacks have dramatically impacted enterprise and government organizations. The breadth and sophistication of these attacks is prompting organizations to review their authentication strategies and solutions— some for the first time in years,” said John Marler, Chief Technology Officer at SOS Security. “Now, more than ever, our customers are searching for highly flexible authentication solutions that provide security and control, and the ability to scale and adapt as an organization’s requirements evolve.”

The end of year survey of more than100 IT security resellers found the following customer behaviors:

• Three out of four resellers report that customers are “more”or “much more” concerned about security breaches now than they were a year ago.
• More than seven out of ten resellers are actively discussing with their customers the authentication and protection of their data in the cloud and/or virtual environments.
• Authentication for mobile devices, certificate-based authentication, software authentication, and secure browser authentication solutions top the list when it comes to customer interest in new authentication technologies.
• More than 45 percent of responders indicate that customers have expressed interest in these evolving solutions.
• Sixty-seven percent of resellers are exploring new authentication options and vendors when renewing contracts to meet evolving requirements.
• More than 50 percent of resellers surveyed are either currently searching or are likely to search for new authentication vendors with which to partner.

Authentication serves a vital function within any organization – securing access to corporate networks, and verifying and protecting the identities of users. Yet the recent surge in high-profile security breaches, as well as evolving environments that require entirely new considerations for access control (e.g., SaaS and cloud applications, and mobile device management), represent a shift in how trust and control is established and maintained.

“2011 was a year of evolution, and we predict that 2012 will continue to accelerate changes in the way organizations define authentication,” said Tsion Gonen, Chief Strategy Officer for SafeNet. “Security breaches and advanced threats will continue to make headlines, and will continue to drive customers to demand authentication options that enable them to improve protection while accommodating rapidly evolving business and technology environments and shifting user preferences. SafeNet and our reseller partners have already seen tremendous opportunity when it comes to meeting demand for broader choice, new innovations, and a more flexible approach to authentication that can prepare organizations to scale well into the future.”