"With this multilayer authentication deployment, Passfaces has once again proven that good security can go hand in hand with a positive user experience", said Paul Barrett, President and CEO of Passfaces Corporation. "Passfaces is based on peoples' innate ability to recognize familiar faces, so unlike passwords or answers to challenge questions, they are almost never forgotten; and unlike hardware or software tokens, there is nothing to lose or go wrong. Also, Passfaces intuitive graphical interface provides built-in anti-phishing protection that does not require user training - or vigilance."

Passfaces was chosen by the Wisconsin-based credit union following extensive research and evaluation of available strong authentication technologies. Solution Oriented Systems, a consultancy and systems integration company based in Laughlin, Nevada, was retained by the credit union to advise on the project. "Our client was very aware of the problems with user acceptance and support experienced by other financial institutions that had adopted strong authentication", said Griff Griffith, President of Solution Oriented Systems. "They were adamant from the outset that they didn't want any hardware devices or installed software for their users and that portability, ease of use and user acceptance were key requirements. From an initial shortlist of 7 companies offering strong authentication solutions that fulfilled regulatory obligations, we quickly narrowed it down to two. However, Passfaces portability and ease of use pushed it over the top."

The Credit Union's decision was fully vindicated. The combined SOS/Passfaces solution has been an overwhelming success. Not only was the software integration problem-free, but the roll-out to the 35,000 users had minimal impact on their call center. "Passfaces allowed us to easily provide a layered approach to securing our customer's internet access, while positioning their investment for future enhancements," continued Griffith.

"The Passfaces software utilizes the existing password verification system and, presents the user with an interface that's familiar and comfortable for them to use. We were all quite pleased that the flood of help desk calls that you anticipate with any new system just never materialized! Our experience has shown that the new system with Passfaces received less push back from our users than that reported with other multifactor authentication strategies, yet provides the necessary account security to meet and exceed our present and future requirements."