Meggitt is a provider of systems to the aircraft industry, and has strict security policies in place for users to follow. Previous to implementing OneSign, employees had a number of user names and passwords to remember, each of which would have to be changed on a regular basis.
Users could forget their credentials and be locked out of their applications, resulting in delays in accessing critical data which they needed to do their jobs, as well as increased pressure on the company’s IT helpdesk as they took calls from end-users to reset passwords.
Stewart Gale, network services manager at Meggitt Avionics, chose Imprivata OneSign to solve the problem. The project, implemented for the company by Somerford Associates, was started in April 2008, and fully rolled out to the initial 300 users by July 2008.
Simple compliance
He said: “We decided on Imprivata OneSign as it provided us with a simple way to ensure that users were compliant with the company’s password policy, while also making it easier and faster for them to gain access and carry out work on behalf of the company.” Meggitt also found that OneSign’s auditing and reporting capabilities were easy to use and very powerful. Finally, the self-service password reset feature was one of the key reasons for choosing OneSign – “users can reset their password outside of normal helpdesk hours, which ensures that they can work more flexibly and meet the needs of a global business operating in different time zones,” said Gale.
Imprivata OneSign is an authentication and access management appliance. For Meggitt Avionics, OneSign provides automated access to the company’s business critical applications.
Meggitt also uses OneSign to manage the use of biometric fingerprint readers embedded in laptops that their mobile employees use to gain secure access. “These employees simply swipe their fingerprint on the reader, and they automatically get access to their applications without having to remember additional passwords. The feedback we have received is that it makes life much simpler for them,” Gale said.
Productivity
“People underestimate how much time and productivity can be lost due to password resets,” said Omar Hussain, CEO, Imprivata.
“Password management and strong authentication combined can enable organisations to solve this problem. Businesses are evolving their IT strategies all the time and OneSign provides a smart, simple method for ensuring that the organisation is compliant with its own security policies whatever developments in IT take place, as well as any relevant industry legislation.”