HelpSystems Launches Multi-Factor Authentication Solution for IT Asset Access

Enterprise IT specialist HelpSystems has announced a new authentication solution combining the classic trio of credential types – something the user knows, something they have, and something they are. It’s called Access Authenticator, and it’s aimed at regulating access to sensitive IT assets.

The system combines passwords with mobile devices or fobs, and adds in biometric authentication, ensuring a high level of security. In a statement announcing the new solution, HelpSystems did not specify the biometric modalities it uses, but asserted that it’s designed to let users “verify their identities anywhere they have an internet connection,” suggesting that the system makes use of readily available modalities like fingerprint scanning and facial recognition.

The company highlighted the system’s capability to help organizations meet standards associated with the HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS 3.2. But HelpSystems CEO Chris Heim also pointed to the need for better authentication more generally, saying, “The market need for secure user access is growing, and our goal was to deliver an easy-to-use solution that meets evolving security concerns.”

The solution arrives as multi-factor authentication becomes increasingly popular for digital security, with the FIDO Alliance urging the National Institute of Standards and Technology to include an MFA element in the updated edition of its Cybersecurity Framework.