Entrust strengthens mobile security with device authentication
In an era when mobile devices are commonplace, Entrust introduces a straightforward method for adding digital certificates to mobile devices – and with little management from IT staff.
Through Entrust’s self-service module, end-users add certificates to their own mobile devices via an easy-to-use interface for advanced certificate-based authentication.
“As the enterprise workplace continues to move from a traditional office setting to the use of mobile and smartphone devices, organizations are in need of stronger and more widespread security measures to protect their corporate data,” stated a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Entrust. “With the proliferation of mobile devices in the workplace, enterprises are turning to mobile applications to help supply employee demand for on-the-go access.”
This Entrust IdentityGuard feature allows enterprises to provide authenticated access to VPNs, internal applications or networks, as well as enabling email decryption and signing, all on a user’s mobile device.
In fact, the issued digital certificate also serves as a unique device identifier, adding yet another layer of security to the enterprise environment.
Authorized employees, staff or contractors simply log in to the Entrust IdentityGuard Self Service Module to enroll their mobile device — compatible platforms include the Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry PlayBook and more — and are issued a digital certificate.
The entire process is seamless and occurs in real-time. Digital certificates are quickly issued from an organization’s in-house Entrust certification authority (CA) or Entrust’s hosted PKI service.
According to a Forrester Forrsights survey, “Enterprise and SMB Networks and Telecommunications Survey, North America and Europe Q1 2010,” 18 percent of enterprises said that more than half of their employees use a smartphone for work-related activities on a weekly basis. In addition, 91 percent of responding enterprises have deployed or are planning to implement wireless email for employees.