Porticus And Harborlight Insure FFIEC Mandate Compliance For Local, Regional And Global Financial Institutions
Voice Authentication Gateway Appliance Delivers Turn-Key Multifactor Biometric Security; Easily Integrated, Cost Effective and 'Spoof-Proof'
October 10, 2006
NEEDHAM, MASS. -- Porticus Technology, Inc., which is driving the adoption of voice biometric authentication for secure and trusted remote communication, in conjunction with Harborlight Technologies, is offering banks and financial services institutions a turn-key, multi-factor solution to insure compliance with the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC)* Guidance on Authentication in an Internet Banking Environment released in August 2006. In this recent publication, the FFIEC clarified its guidance applies to all forms of electronic banking, including call center and Interactive Voice Response (IVR).
The Guidance, originally released in October 2005, focused on the risks and risk management controls necessary to authenticate the identity of customers electronically accessing financial services. Due to the guidance, many banks and financial institutions have made strides to add ‘multi-factor' authentication to their Internet service options. However, in the revised 2006 mandate, the FFIEC indicated that strategies must apply to all forms of electronic banking.
"Using only something you know such as a PIN code or your mother's maiden name isn't as secure as each individual's unique voice print," said Chris Shepler, co-founder of Porticus Technology. "Porticus believes the time is now for a major paradigm shift in how customers secure their personal and high-value information."
Two Massachusetts Companies Join Forces To Secure the Financial Industry Using Voice Biometrics
Porticus and Harborlight can immediately furnish local, regional and global financial institutions with a hosted or managed turn-key gateway appliance combining Versona™ voice verification and Voice Compass™, a self-service Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application to automate enrollment and verification. The packaged solution enables financial service industry players to quickly implement an FFIEC-compliant solution ahead of the December 31st deadline without reprogramming their existing IVR applications or call flow.
Versona by Porticus is a comprehensive framework based on a patent-pending voice algorithm developed during the course of two decades that relies on physiological aspects of the human vocal tract--making it less susceptible to background noise, recorded playback and intra-speaker variability (cold or flu). Versona has been tested on impersonators, twins and digital recordings to prove that it is not susceptible to being 'spoofed.'
Tested Solution Insures Data Protection
For years, it has been suggested that unique measurable human traits—such as a fingerprint, voice print or retinal scan are useful in establishing greater security while automating the authentication process. When implemented correctly, biometrics protect personal privacy better than any other method. Voice is the leading option for remote authentication as it is the most natural, least invasive and least expensive biometric to integrate.
Porticus Technology has raised the bar in voice biometrics by subjecting Versona to rigorous third-party testing by highly-credible independent laboratories across the country. Studies are performed in real world situations to show how robust the technology is under noisy and stressful conditions. Results conclude that Versona is private and ‘hacker-proof' as it does not store voice recordings, and personal information cannot be reconstructed from biometric voice prints.
For organizations interested in learning more about how to integrate secure voice authentication within your business environment, please contact Porticus at +1-888-549-5556.
About Harborlight Technologies
Harborlight Technologies is a software company that offers advanced self-service solutions that enable banks and credit unions to offer personalized, human quality self-service banking to customers 24/7 via telephone, Internet and wireless devices. Incorporating industry-standards and advanced speech recognition technologies, Harborlight's solutions are quick and easy to deploy through a highly secured and reliable hosting environment, and typically pay for themselves within three to six months. A privately held company headquartered in Holliston, Massachusetts, Harborlight Technologies LLC markets its products and services directly and through third-party partners. For more information, please visit www.harborlight-tech.com or call 508-429-6300.
About Porticus Technology, Inc.
Porticus Technology™ is driving the adoption of voice biometric authentication for secure and trusted remote communication. Based on more than a decade of research and development in forensics, Porticus' patent-pending voice print technology overcomes common problems associated with voice biometric use such as background noise interference and recording playback. The company's suite of software-only solutions--Versona™ --can be customized and easily integrated or embedded for multi-factor user authentication within highly regulated markets such as banking, financial services, gaming and health care. The company is headquartered in Massachusetts and maintains research and development facilities in Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.porticusinc.com.
*The FFIEC prescribes uniform principles, standards and report forms for financial institutions. Information on the Guidance can be found at: http://www.ffiec.gov/press/pr081506.htm