Introduces Triple-Factor Authentication Using Voice
Biometrics To the Banking and Financial Services Industries
Download a copy of this Press Release here :
August 7, 2006 NEEDHAM, Mass. – Porticus Technology, Inc.,
which is driving the adoption of voice biometric authentication for secure and
trusted remote communication, today announced a reseller partnership with
Harborlight Technologies, which develops and hosts advanced self-service
solutions for the financial services and banking industries. The collaboration
between Porticus and Harborlight will furnish the financial services industry
and banks with Voice Compass™, a self-service, Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
solution leveraging Porticus Technology’s Versona™ voice biometric
authentication solution.
In October 2005, the Federal Financial Institutions
Examination Council (FFIEC), which prescribes uniform principles, standards and
report forms for financial institutions, released guidance on the risks and risk
management controls necessary to authenticate the identity of customers
accessing financial services electronically (Internet or IVR). The guidance
reflected the legal and technological changes with respect to customer privacy
protection given increasing incidents of identity theft and fraud, and
introduction of improved authentication strategies. Given this mandate, many
banks and financial institutions have made strides to add two-factor
authentication to their overall service options. Both Porticus and Harborlight
believe that more can and should be done.
For years, pundits from worldwide biometrics communities
have suggested that unique measurable human traits—such as a fingerprint, iris
scan, face or hand geometry may be useful in establishing greater security while
automating the authentication process. When implemented correctly, biometrics
protect personal privacy better than any other method. Voice has become a viable
option for identification security and remote authentication for wireless
transactions as it is the most natural, least invasive and least expensive
biometric to integrate.
“With the increase in identity theft, Harborlight’s
customers are on high alert, and seeking quicker and easier advanced solutions
to authenticate a caller’s identity prior to the release of sensitive data,”
said David McGillivray, president and co-founder of Harborlight. “Porticus is
putting into place much demanded protection for personal and financial assets.”
Harborlight offers Voice Compass™, a packaged self-service solution enabling
financial service industry players to offer customized, agent-quality service to
customers 24-hours a day and 7-days a week via telephone, the Internet or
wireless devices.
Versona from Porticus, based on a patent-pending voice
algorithm developed during the course of a decade, relies on the Physiological
aspects (length, width and thickness) of the human vocal tract, making it less
susceptible to background noise, recorded playback and intra-speaker variability
(cold or flu). When used within IVR systems, Versona automates user
authentication, thus eliminating the need for a series of questions asked to
determine, verify and authenticate caller identity—ultimately adding to a
customer’s convenience and satisfaction.
Germano Di Mambro, founder and CEO of Porticus said,
“Working with Harborlight will insure that both banks and financial services
businesses are alerted to options which support the multi-factor authentication
mandate as set forth by the FFIEC so they can further protect their greatest
assets—their customers.”
To become a member of Porticus Technology’s partner
program or to learn more about how to integrate secure voice authentication
within your business environment, please contact Porticus at +1-781-444-PORT.
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 508-353-9965.
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.
Media Contacts:
Wendy Bulawa, for Porticus
617.851.3426
Harborlight Technologies
508.353.9965
Download a copy of this Press Release here :
January 23, 2006 (Boston) --Cyphermint, Inc., a leading
provider of secure electronic payment solutions, announced a partnership with
Harborlight Technologies, LLC, a provider of advanced self-service solutions for
performing financial transactions over telephone, Internet or wireless devices.
This strategic alliance of Cyphermint and Harborlight will enhance Cyphermint's
current PayCash NOW Visa® Debit Card program, serving low-income HUD and
Government Section 8 housing recipients, by offering Harborlight's telephone and
wireless based Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solutions.
The PayCash NOW™ Visa® Debit
Card, issued by BankFirst, Member FDIC, is a reloadable prepaid Visa card that
will serve as the vehicle to deliver the nationwide ATM debit card services for
the program called the PayCash Rent Card Program. Harborlight will offer voice
based telephone and wireless self-service solutions through its alliance with
Cyphermint, to approximately 16 million existing HUD and Section 8 recipients.
The PayCash NOW Visa Debit
Card provides residents who may not qualify for credit or checking accounts, a
flexible and secure cashless payment option. Recipients of the program who apply
and qualify will be able to pay their rent and utilities without the use of a
major credit card, a checking account or cash. Residents can present their
PayCash NOW Visa Debit Card wherever Visa® debit cards or Interlink® Cards are
accepted. Additionally, Harborlight's self-service IVR solutions further
enhance Cyphermint's existing program to manage debit card accounts, transfers
and cashless payments over the phone or mobile device.
"Cyphermint is pleased to
help emerging and underserved consumers gain financial independence through the
use of our PayCash prepaid Visa® card", stated Joe Barboza, President and CEO of
Cyphermint, "we are pleased to have Harborlight participate in this opportunity
and to use their IVR technology with our PayCash Rent Card Program with HUD.
"Harborlight's interactive
voice response solutions offer another option for program participants to access
their PayCash NOW Visa® Debit Card account information when using the phone or a
wireless device," stated David McGillivray, President and co-founder of
Harborlight. “We look forward to working with Cyphermint to enhance the
self-service capabilities of their PayCash Rent Card Program.”
About Cyphermint
Headquartered in Marlborough,
Mass., Cyphermint is a provider of Global Electronic Cash Payment and eCommerce
infrastructure/integration solutions. Our core technology, PayCash is used in
three major areas: (1) Internet Cash Payment Systems, for B2C eCommerce via the
Cyphermint PayCash System, (2) Kiosk Solutions - delivering Web-enabled
self-service B2C merchandising systems, and (3) The PayCash NOW Visa(R) Debit
Card. Cyphermint's Kiosk Integration Division provides solutions to online
retailers enabling full integration with kiosk networks and also sets up
existing kiosk networks with eCommerce capabilities. Cyphermint's core
technology, the PayCash System provides businesses complete turnkey solutions.
For more information about
the PayCash NOW Visa(R) Debit or other PayCash products, please contact Dennis
Bache, Director of Sales, Cyphermint at 508-787-4850 or by email at
sales@cyphermint.com. Learn more about Cyphermint at
www.cyphermint.com.
About Harborlight
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.
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