Pronto Software has taken up an investment and partnership with cyber security firm Forticode to offer what it says is secure yet simplified smartphone-based authentication for Australian businesses.
According to Pronto with data breach disclosure laws recently coming into effect in Australia, providing secured access to business applications and customer data is a top-priority for most businesses.
“Rather than transmitting usernames and passwords over a network, Forticode’s flagship solution, Cipherise, allows the user’s credentials to be stored securely on their smartphone – and never shared. This eliminates the need for convoluted authentication processes with multiple passwords that users often struggle to remember and end-up storing unsafely,” Pronto says of the deal with Forticode.
The Victorian Government, which Pronto says is highly supportive of local innovation, has welcomed the announcement, with Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy, Philip Dalidakis saying: “Victoria is already Australia’s cyber security capital, so we’re delighted to see two great companies in Pronto and Forticode come together here in Victoria and further strengthen our cyber security sector. We wish them every success in their new partnership.”
{loadposition peter}Chad Gates, Managing Director, Pronto Software, said: “Cipherise helps achieve the seemingly impossible feat of bringing both simplicity and enhanced security to the authentication we offer our customers. This is crucial because a user-friendly yet secure authentication method encourages higher adoption rates – cutting-off risky cyber security practices. Moreover, the decentralised approach of Cipherise removes the large honeypot of user names and passwords businesses typically hold. This makes the organisation less attractive to hackers.
“To enable the further development of Cipherise, I’m proud to say that Pronto Software has also invested in Forticode, as a business. This partnership exemplifies our strong commitment to provide simple, innovative and secure, Australian-made software to help businesses solve complex challenges and achieve outstanding results.”
Tony Smales, CEO, Forticode, said: “The risk of a data breach consistently ranks as a top concern for cloud-based businesses, and Cipherise was developed to directly respond to this”.
“Insufficient credential and authorisation management to cloud-based data is a concerning gateway for intruders. Our solution meets a critical market need for Australian businesses as they become increasingly fearful of hackers, and seek best-of-breed tools in light of new legislative laws taking effect here, and soon overseas.
“Without a cohesive cyber security system, organisations will continue to rely on antiquated methods and platforms that require costly management and upgrades, while also opening up the company to potentially catastrophic security breach risks,” Smales said.