The primary push for acquiring strong, two-factor authentication is to satisfy the CJIS Mandate. Many state and local police departments require access to the NCIC (National Crime Information Center). In order to retain access to this information, all law enforcement agencies must comply with the CJIS Mandate’s demand for strong, two-factor authentication. The cut-off for this date is at the end 2012, meaning that all law enforcement departments who have not satisfied the requirements of the CJIS Mandate, but wish to retain access to the NCIC, shall be fined.
Authasas is a pure software vendor, who integrates closely with NetIQ (formerly Novell) products. Their software is compatible with a wide variety of strong authentication hardware, ranging from smart cards and proximity cards to biometrics. The beauty behind a vendor who specializes in nothing but the software is usually a good indicator of solid software. This instance is no exception to that.
Authasas supports three types of credential storage: Active Directory via schema extension, ADLDS (formerly ADAM), or eDirectory. The installer itself is very straightforward and a full server-client install takes no more than twenty minutes tops.
Notice the subtle changes to the login screen. In the picture above, we’ve configured the software on the client side only to allow for the traditional username and password or a card reader as login options. The picture displayed above is fully customizable during the installation process; allowing companies to place their own logos in place of the Authasas one.
The enrollment process can occur by an administrator on the server, or through the client by the user.
The picture above displays how to enroll a user through the Active Directory Users and Computers window. Notice how Authasas has its own tab, with the ability to customize functionality for each individual user. Logs are very straight forward, as well.
Authasas centralizes all of its logging within its own container in the Event Viewer. Authasas utilizes its own logging service to gather logs from all of the machines installed with the client on the network, tracking all logical access and access attempts.
The beauty behind Authasas is the incredible efficiency delivered by something seemingly simple. Deploying Authasas in your environment not only satisfies the requirements of the CJIS Mandate, but also satisfies the biennial FDLE audit for logical access.
If you are interested in an Authasas strong authentication demo, please contactus. For more information about how this specifically applies to the CJIS Mandate, CJISMandate.com.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog about Authasas and the CJIS Advanced Authentication Mandate. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below as I am more than happy to answer any questions or comments.
To learn more about Action Identity, and how we can assist in making your organization CJIS compliant, visit our website.
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