How a major international services company
transformed engineer access
A major International Services Company, providing critical technical services to a wide range of customers, needed to securely authenticate to their customers' devices and networks. The new solution needed to integrate with devices and systems already in place, making use of existing investment and reducing business impact.
The deployment in numbers
Major International Services Company Transforms Authentication with MyID CMS
When your engineers log in to your customers' devices and networks every day, every one of those sessions has to be secure, traceable and beyond dispute. For one major international services company, providing critical technical services to a broad customer base, that responsibility sat at the heart of its operations. The company needed a stronger, better-audited way for engineers to authenticate to customer systems, with the flexibility to grant access only to the systems each engineer was currently authorised to use, and to withdraw it the moment that changed. Just as important, any new approach had to work with the smart cards and USB devices already in place, protect the investment the company had made, and cause minimal disruption to engineers and the business during roll-out.
This case study shows how MyID credential management software from Intercede met those needs, automating certificate distribution and lifecycle management directly to engineers' smart cards and giving the company a single, secure way to control who could reach what.
The successful solution needed to have stronger security and simpler device management
The right solution needed to increase security, ease the logistics of managing multiple devices, improve the user experience and provide secure, thorough auditing.
Smart cards and USB devices
The new solution must incorporate the smart cards and USB devices in place, with the ability to easily add further devices as and when required.
Engineer access
Customer systems needed to be demonstrably secure and audited to ensure non-repudiation.
Dynamic certificates
Dynamic certificate deployment and management was required to ensure engineers were only able to access customer systems to which they were currently authorised.
Minimal disruption
A key consideration was to ensure that there was minimal disruption to the business and the engineers during the implementation.
Intercede worked with the company to understand their full requirements
Intercede worked with the company to understand its full requirements and to ensure both technical and business needs were met. It soon became clear that the MyID Credential Management System was the right solution.
Manage and update their own smart cards
Engineers can manage and update their own smart cards from their own devices using MyID's Operator Client.
Distribution of certificates
Distribution of certificates is now largely automated. MyID CMS' lifecycle management includes revocation of certificates that are no longer required.
Improved user experience
User experience has been significantly improved for all involved.
Smart Cards can be updated on-site or remotely
Smart Cards can be updated on-site or remotely, reducing delays.
Existing smart cards, new flexibility
MyID CMS’ configurable options let the company keep using its existing smart cards while issuing the varied certificates different engineers need, protecting the investment already made in devices.
MyID CMS was able to administer certificate distribution and lifecycle management direct to the engineers' smart cards
By issuing certificates directly to engineers’ smart cards, MyID CMS removed the need for soft certificates and improved the experience for engineers and customers alike. Because the deployment reused the company’s existing smart cards and USB devices and integrated with systems already in place, roll-out caused minimal disruption to the business.
Enhanced security
The MyID CMS solution increased security by implementing smart card technology and automated certificate distribution, ensuring that engineers could only access systems they were currently authorised to access, thereby enhancing the security of customer devices and networks.
Improved user experience
The solution significantly improved the user experience for both engineers and customers. Engineers could manage and update their smart cards directly from their devices, facilitating smooth and efficient interactions with the system.
Efficient credential management
The introduction of the MyID CMS allowed for efficient lifecycle management of credentials, including the automatic revocation of certificates that were no longer required. This automation reduced the administrative burden and potential for human error.
Business continuity
The flexibility of the MyID CMS to integrate with existing hardware and software ensured that there was minimal disruption to the business during implementation. This was crucial in maintaining continuous service delivery and operational reliability during the transition to the new system.
The platform behind the deployment
Intercede is a cybersecurity software company and the digital identity experts. For over 25 years, Intercede has helped government agencies, defence programmes, financial institutions and enterprises deploy phishing-resistant digital identities at scale.
The MyID product family, MyID CMS, MyID MFA and MyID PSM, manages millions of credentials across more than 20 countries. Vendor-neutral architecture means MyID integrates with virtually any certificate authority, hardware security module or smart card manufacturer, without organisations replacing existing infrastructure.