The concept of using a mobile phone as an authentication device is not new. However, adding functionality that goes beyond simply calling a cell number is a new twist on what may seem like a simplistic approach. Multifactor authentication is the right way to authenticate something sensitive, such as a bank transaction, but multifactor can get pretty expensive - what with the cost of tokens, provisioning and other associated functions. If one could get the cost, ease of use and provisioning into a practical range - both financially and from the user perspective - one could offer multifactor authentication to all users. That is exactly what Telesign does.
TeleSign services include a good range of authentication and forensic functions at a reasonable price. First, the simplest approach is the automated authentication call that goes out to the user's cell phone as a voice call or SMS text. But there is a lot more to Telesign than that. We looked at a suite of four products with Verify and PhoneID Standard being the flagships.
The whole idea behind this suite is knowing as much about the phone calling as possible. Verify can be used to secure e-business transactions, prevent bulk registrations and validate sales leads. Basically, Verify answers the question, "Is the entity performing a function on my e-commerce site a real person or a bot?" This is the classic phone authentication scheme. Verify captures as much traceable information as is available for future investigation if that becomes necessary.
The TeleSign products offer a complete multifactor authentication kit complete with the ability to monitor potential fraud activity and investigate attempts. This is a powerful weapon in the online fraud fight and worth your consideration.
At a glance
Product TeleSign Verify & PhoneID Standard
Price Pennies per transaction.
What it does Intelligent authentication
What we liked Creative ways to apply multifactor authentication that is both secure and inexpensive.
