SecurEnvoy thinks firms should begin looking for green alternatives to data security ‘tokens’, which require considerable amounts of energy to produce and distribute.
The number-generating tokens add an extra layer to security when combined with user names and passwords, but SecurEnvoy thinks environment-savvy managers could use hardware they already have to equal effect.
The answer, SecurEnvoy believes, lies in mobile phones. The company’s product allows standard mobile phones to be used as ‘virtual’ tokens, potentially cutting the financial- and environmental- cost of security.
As part of its research, SecurEnvoy calculated that each time hardware tokens are delivered to 3,000 employees, it can take 1,800 trees a whole year to offset the carbon from the distribution process. It claimed that the amount of CO2 emitted increases further as tokens are lost and need replacing.
Steve Watts, sales director at SecurEnvoy said, “When we looked into this we were quite surprised by the results we got – and these calculations don’t even begin to take into consideration the CO2 emissions from the manufacture of the tokens, or their eventual disposal.
“Delivery from manufacturer to purchaser normally constitutes a journey across three continents, with five stops along the way before it reaches the end user.”
Supposing those 3,000 employees already had access to mobile phones, SecurEnvoy thinks managers could save up to 65% using its technology over hardware alternatives.
SecureEnvoy’s product authenticates users by sending a passcode to their mobile phone that is replaced after use. Just like purpose-built hardware, it is said to add a second layer of security after PIN and password authentication. This should enable users to maintain the recognised standards for two-factor authentication: something you know (a PIN) and something you have (the number on the phone).
Watts said, “Our customers have told us that our products are both convenient and cost-effective and that is why they chose them. But now it seems that there is another extremely compelling reason to look at alternatives to security tokens.”
To coincide with the launch of the new product, SecurEnvoy has provided a CO2 calculator on its website.
