First NSTIC Pilot Goes Live with Secure Online Identity Verification via Smartphone

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Daon®, a leading provider of identity management and authentication solutions worldwide, and the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), today announced that AAAE is the initial pilot participant to "go live" as part of the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) initiative. Enrollment of AAAE airport executive members taking part in the Daon-led pilot began today.

“The NSTIC pilot is another example of how we continue to serve our members with innovative and essential security-solutions.”

The NSTIC initiative focuses on a key issue facing consumers and businesses today: How do you prove you are who you say you are online? Passwords alone are no longer sufficient. Hackers are sophisticated and identity theft continues to rise. A way to strongly authenticate identity online has become essential, particularly with the breadth, convenience and significance of services available on the Internet today.

Participating AAAE members are using credentials based on patented IdentityX® risk-based, multi-factor, mobile authentication technology to access restricted, member-only areas of the association’s website. They will utilize their smartphones or tablets to verify their identity each time they access the website sections that house sensitive data. The identity management services are hosted in the cloud by TrustX™, a Daon affiliate.

This is the first relying party participating in a NSTIC pilot to go live and represents a major milestone for the program. In addition to piloting the use of strong authentication credentials, Daon's pilot also focuses on the movement of relying party partners to external identity providers and trust frameworks as well as cross-sector credential interoperability. Following AAAE, other partners scheduled to go live include AARP, PayPal, Purdue University and a major bank.

With the inaugural NSTIC pilot underway, the Daon team including researchers at Purdue University will be providing the initiative with important feedback about how identity verification via smartphone or tablet works in a real-world environment.

“AAAE has a history of being at the forefront of technological innovation in the aviation/airport space,” said Charles Barclay, Chief Executive Officer, AAAE. “The NSTIC pilot is another example of how we continue to serve our members with innovative and essential security-solutions.”

“We’re excited the first of the five NSTIC pilots has reached a “go live” milestone – and expect to see more of these in the months to come,” said Jeremy Grant, Senior Executive Advisor for Identity Management at NIST and leader of the NSTIC National Program Office. “It’s an important step toward the creation of an Identity Ecosystem where all Americans can choose from a marketplace of more privacy-enhancing, convenient and secure solutions to use in lieu of passwords when they go online.”

"TrustX (and the IdentityX technology it uses) enable organizations to conduct transactions of consequence online with confidence in the identity of the person they are interacting with," said Tom Grissen, CEO of Daon. "It is a proven technology that allows individuals to easily and securely assert their identity using any device, anytime and anywhere. We are happy to facilitate AAAE's transition to strong and convenient online authentication."

Daon is one of five NSTIC pilot awardees engaged in cooperative agreements with NIST to advance the development and adoption of the NSTIC identity ecosystem and increase confidence in online transactions. The selected pilot proposals advance the NSTIC vision that individuals and organizations adopt secure, efficient, easy-to-use interoperable identity credentials to access online services in a way that promotes confidence, privacy, choice and innovation.

As part of the NSTIC pilot, Daon will be enhancing the TrustX identity provider service to align with existing trust frameworks, such as the Kantara initiative and OpenID, as well as the identity ecosystem as it evolves. Daon is an active participant in the private sector-led Identity Ecosystem Steering Group (IDESG) chartered to administer the development and adoption of the Identity Ecosystem Framework.

About AAAE

Founded in 1928, AAAE (www.aaae.org) is the world's largest professional organization representing the men and women who work at public-use commercial and general aviation airports. AAAE's 5,000-plus members represent some 850 airports and hundreds of companies and organizations that support the airport industry. Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., AAAE serves its membership through results-oriented representation in Washington, D.C., and delivers a wide range of industry services and professional development opportunities, including training, conferences, and a highly respected accreditation program.

About Daon

Daon is a leading provider of identity assurance software products focused on meeting the needs of governments and commercial organizations worldwide. Daon products have been selected to secure hundreds of millions of identities around the globe including programs in the United States, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union and Mexico. Commercial customers include two of the 5 largest banks in the world. www.daon.com