Peer to Peer Magazine

PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGA ZINE OF ILTA 36 Have you ever needed to access your desktop remotely and wondered where the heck you put your hardware token (aka keyfob)? Have you ever lost your keys and had to go back to your helpdesk in a panic to get a new keyfob? The hardships of physical tokens are real and have likely affected most of us. The good news is you don't need to deal with the hassle of a hardware token any longer. There's now an app for that! The RSA SecurID Software Token (RSA), owned by EMC, is available for Apple, Android, BlackBerry and Windows devices. ABOUT THE TOKEN The RSA software token is an application that publishes random, one-time passwords at fixed time intervals (usually 60 seconds), which can then be used in combination with a user's personal credentials to gain access to a private network resource (e.g., a virtual private network (VPN)). The software token can be issued on a device-by-device or user- by-user basis (i.e., one token per device vs. one token per user), and the token uses the same industry-leading time-based algorithm utilized in the hardware tokens. With the rise in two-factor authentication in the corporate world (think RSA token password and personal credentials), the RSA software token is becoming a must-have. EASE OF DEPLOYMENT The software token is far superior to the hardware token because of its ease of deployment. No longer do administrators need to hand out physical RSA keyfobs "on demand" and track each hardware token in a database. Instead, administrators can distribute the RSA software token as part of a mobile device management (MDM) program or on an ad hoc basis utilizing a secure provisioning protocol known as Cryptographic Token Key Initialization Protocol (CT-KIP). This provides administrators with the ability to deploy the application in a remote and secure fashion with ease. EASE OF USE For end users, the software token couldn't be more convenient: It's always by their side or in their pocket. That's good for the bottom line because more access to one's keyfob leads to more billable hours and, more often than not, more revenue. In addition, the RSA app allows users to copy and paste the one-time password directly on the device rather than having to read and transfer six to eight digits from the keyfob to a screen. This simple design and functionality will make the lives of all your users easier. IMPROVED SECURITY Security for the RSA token has vastly improved in the transition from hardware to software. The RSA hardware token was simple — a plastic keyfob with six to eight variable digits visible on the face. Once the hardware token was issued to a user, there was little security around the actual acquisition of the numerical passcode. RSA SecurID: The Rise of the Soware Token FEATURES

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