British Medical Association Prescribes Imprivata for Painful Password Problems
Single sign-on appliance increases security while helping to meet use needs in clinical setting.
Watford, U. K. (PRWEB) August 18, 2006 -–
Imprivata®, Inc., the enterprise authentication and access management appliance company, today announced that The British Medical Association (BMA), the professional association for doctors across the UK, is implementing OneSign enterprise single sign-on (ESSO) to increase password security and make IT systems easier to access for its 800 member staff. The implementation is also part of an ongoing drive to reduce the workload that password resets place on the organisation’s IT department.
Shortly prior to the installation of the OneSign ESSO appliance, the BMA had moved to an Active Directory. The organisation wanted to find a way to manage user credentials while securing network access and allowing easier access for users to sensitive applications such as Lotus Notes. The Imprivata appliance was initially piloted within the BMA’s IT department and, after a successful trial, OneSign ESSO is now being rolled out to users in key departments across its four main locations.
“Our staff have access to very sensitive information on a daily basis, and making sure that this data is kept secure is one of the key goals for the IT team. As result of our security policy, workers had to remember an increasing amount of passwords. We felt there was a genuine need for single sign-on. We really wanted to find a solution that was simple to implement and that would cause little or no disruption to end-users,” said Frank Edwards, Infrastructure Services Manager at the BMA. “We looked at software-based approaches, but the appliance from Imprivata was a better fit with our requirements. It was far easier to install, supported our applications almost immediately and requires very little training for end-users, who now no longer have the headache of trying to remember a variety of passwords.”
Currently four key applications are enabled for single sign-on, with more to be added as and when demand dictates. The BMA is now looking at widening the scope of the project to include more of the organisation’s most frequently used applications, including those specifically used by its large publishing division.
“The BMA wanted to make it easier for users to access their everyday applications and to increase the security of sensitive documents and information,” said Wayne Parslow, VP European Operations, Imprivata. “By using OneSign ESSO, the BMA is seeing an increase in security across the organisation, along with a significant decrease in the volume of calls to the helpdesk. Most of all, user satisfaction is higher as they don’t have the frustration caused by forgotten passwords.”
About the BMA
The British Medical Association represents doctors from all branches of medicine all over the UK. It has a total membership of over 138,000, rising steadily, including more than 3,000 members overseas and over 19,000 medical student members.
The BMA is a voluntary professional association of doctors that speaks for doctors at home and abroad and provides services for its members. It is an independent trade union, a scientific and educational body and is a limited company, funded largely by its members. For more information, visit http://www. bma. org. uk/ (http://www. bma. org. uk/)
About Imprivata, Inc.
Based in Lexington, Mass., Imprivata develops enterprise authentication and access management solutions. The company is privately held with venture funding from Polaris Venture Partners, Highland Capital Partners and General Catalyst Partners. Imprivata OneSign is an authentication and access management platform that is changing the way organizations secure their networks and applications. Imprivata’s OneSign solutions are packaged in an affordable, easy-to-implement and maintain appliance and are distributed through an established worldwide network of channel, ISV and technology partners. For more information, visit http://www. imprivata. com (http://www. imprivata. com).
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