Entrust, Clickatell to Provide One-Time-Passcode Authentication Via SMS

Entrust IdentityGuard OTPs to be delivered to mobile devices on as many as 775 networks in 220 countries


DALLAS, Aug. 4  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- One of the most diverse authentication platforms on the market is now that much easier to use. Entrust, Inc., in a relationship with Clickatell, an enterprise mobile messaging solutions leader, provides one-time-passcodes (OTP) to mobile devices via SMS. Often known as soft tokens, this adds yet another authenticator to the Entrust IdentityGuard versatile authentication platform.

"Working with Entrust, we give customers more choices in how they deploy strong authentication. A one-time-passcode solution for mobile devices can help in reducing security access costs and offer an unprecedented level of convenience," said Clickatell CEO Pieter de Villiers. "SMS OTPs can offer customers an easy, convenient way to gain secure access to financial accounts, corporate environments and government networks via the proven second-factor authentication method."

The joint marketing agreement will provide technology to enable single or multiple one-time-passcodes to be sent to a mobile device. Sent directly to the end-user's mobile phone, Entrust IdentityGuard will automatically issue a configurable number of OTPs via Clickatell text messaging. These passcodes can be used as a second factor of authentication with Entrust IdentityGuard -- all with the convenience of using a user's existing mobile device. This service also provides automatic refresh of the passcodes and even enables authentication while out of cell phone range.

A leader in the SMS aggregation market, Clickatell provides interoperability with more than 775 network operators in 220 countries, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange, O2, SingTel, Telstra and more.

"With unprecedented market penetration, Clickatell was the perfect partner to help extend soft token capabilities to Entrust's global customer base," said Entrust President and CEO Bill Conner. "Their expertise and global reach will provide Entrust customers the capability to receive secure one-time-passcodes for simple second-factor authentication, enabling a level of convenience and versatility not found on other third-party authenticators."

Because of its ubiquity and availability on all handsets, SMS text messaging has the greatest potential to reach billions of users with a low total cost of ownership. SMS represents an ideal form of communication for OTP delivery to employees, contractors, partners, government employees and end-users. In addition, OTPs expire after a brief period, making them ideal and ultimately secure via SMS; there is no need for customers to worry that the OTP will be "left" or "available" on the mobile device itself.

Entrust IdentityGuard enables organizations to layer security -- according to access requirements or the risk of a given transaction -- across diverse users and applications. The platform's authentication options include strong username and password, IP-geolocation, device, questions and answers, out-of-band one-time-passcode (delivered via voice, SMS or e-mail), grid cards, eGrid cards and a range of one-time-passcode tokens. Entrust IdentityGuard also provides multiple methods of supporting mutual authentication, including picture and caption replay.

Headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., Clickatell enables businesses, governments and communities to leverage the ubiquity of mobile messaging to inform, alert, notify, transact, interact and share information. Delivering mobile messaging solutions since 2000, Clickatell is a global leader in mobile communications specializing in SaaS messaging services and Bulk SMS gateway connectivity to small, medium and large enterprises in a variety of vertical markets.

About Entrust

Entrust provides trusted solutions that secure digital identities and information for enterprises and governments in 2,000 organizations spanning 60 countries. Offering trusted security for less, Entrust solutions represent the right balance between affordability, expertise and service. These include SSL, strong authentication, fraud detection, digital certificates and PKI. For information, call 888-690-2424, e-mail  or visit http://www.entrust.com/.

Entrust is a registered trademark of Entrust, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. In Canada, Entrust is a registered trademark of Entrust Limited. All Entrust product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Entrust, Inc. or Entrust Limited. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. 

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DATASOURCE: Entrust, Inc.



CONTACT:  Lindsey Jones, Media Relations of Entrust, Inc.,

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