SINGAPORE -- Tata Communications, a leading provider of a new world of communications, today announced the launch of its managed two-factor authentication service that adds to its portfolio of Managed Security Services (MSS). The new service helps all enterprises to further secure their networks and comply with security-specific certifications and regulations.

According to the Open Security Foundation(1), 436 security and database breaches compromising more than 218 million records have been reported in 2009. Tata Communications’ managed authentication service helps address this by providing a globally consistent solution that helps organizations secure access to internal networks and infrastructure and prevents unauthorized access within and outside an organization.

“Enterprises around the globe are leveraging mobile devices and laptops on an increasing basis, raising the risk of a security breach,” said John Landau, Senior Vice President of Global Managed Services for Tata Communications. “While two-factor authentication offers far more protection for enterprises than passwords, many enterprises have delayed the adoption because of the complexity of deployment, staffing requirements and infrastructure cost. Our hosted managed authentication service addresses these challenges for customers and reduces the cost of ownership for safeguarding the enterprise against unauthorized access.”

The new service from Tata Communications is hosted and authenticates users before they are granted access to their organization’s applications, data, services, and network devices. Users enter a personal identification number (PIN) and a six digit one-time passcode displayed on a token. Depending on their security policies and end users’ preferences, customers can choose to use software or hardware tokens. Software tokens provide increased convenience as users no longer need to carry a separate device. Instead, they can leverage everyday mobile devices that they already own and carry such as smart phones and PDAs, or their own desktop.

Tata Communications Ltd.