Intro
In today’s episode, we are talking with a special guest, Nelson Melo. We will be discussing going passwordless. Specifically, we will be discussing how, combining an authentication service like Beyond Identity, and a Single Sign-On (SSO) provider like Okta can take you and your whole company passwordless. For article clarity, the paragraphs in which Nelson Melo is speaking will have NM in the heading, and where Luis Lopez is speaking will have LL.
About Nelson Melo
Nelson Melo is a founding engineer at Beyond Identity. We met online through LinkedIn. After speaking with him, and salesman Erik Fischer, we were able to get The Freight Guru on their service to begin the transition away from passwords. He was able to walk me through what they do and how it works.
What Is Beyond Identity NM
Beyond Identity is an identity company. Our goal is to make the world passwordless. To do that, we start with companies like yours to help get rid of the major hurdles of internet security. If I had to explain what it is to your grandmother, I would tell her that, on the internet, there are systems companies that make sure you do not have to type passwords everywhere. It gives employees a single point of contact to access all applications they need for work.
My Experience With Beyond Identity LL
SSO allows you to log into one platform and use that platform to log into multiple websites. Beyond Identity connects with the SSO and those websites to avoid a 2nd validation point and connect directly without a password. I went through the whole process, and I found it fascinating how quick and efficient it was. We are currently using Okta, which we will talk about in a bit. We all hate passwords. I want to know how Beyond Identity is working to eliminate passwords in the future.
How Beyond Identity Eliminates Passwords for Companies of All Sizes NM
Most people will know that when you are accessing a website, you ought to look for the little green lock in the browser. What we at Beyond Identity have done is accessed to that same technology going in the other direction. That has always been possible in the protocol, but we are just now taking advantage of it. That allows us to use the same technology that proves the website is legitimate to show that the user is legitimate. That is even easier considering that most users now have some biometrics on their devices. Our co-founder and chairman, Jim Clark, who built Netscape Navigator, the first web browser, among other things, wanted to make sure that we had offerings for companies of all sizes.
Merging Technology With Transport LL
I agree that it makes sense for businesses of every size to make use of this tech. The transportation supply chain community, of which we are a part, has historically been outdated & fragmented. I like to say we are about 2-3 centuries behind the times, which is, of course, an exaggeration, but it is an issue. Currently, however, the transport industry is experiencing a renaissance. Mid to small businesses have gained the ability to use accounting software such as QuickBooks, message their employees via Slack, do payroll via Paylocity or ADP for payroll, and BambooHR for Human resources. However, all of these tools come with usernames and passwords.
A major frustration is that you need to keep a master spreadsheet with 50-60 usernames & passwords. Even worse is that for security, the recommendation is to rotate passwords every 35-60 days. That creates an additional security risk when onboarding employees as you have to share all of these passwords with them. That leaves you vulnerable to massive issues should a disgruntled employee decide to act maliciously. It is for that reason that an SSO with authentication eliminates a lot of liability.
Synergy Between Ease Of Use & Security NM
There has been long-standing tension between security and ease of use. While mandating passwords that use a score of mixed uppercase lowercase and special characters that change daily would undoubtedly be secure, it is wholly impractical. At the same time, a blank password that you use for everything would be massively practical that would be horribly insecure. What we do at Beyond Identity is combine the security of immense and constantly changing passwords with the ease of not having any passwords.
Eliminating Friction LL
I believe that everything is moving to less friction. Amazon has one-click buying and the ability to buy from a multitude of vendors from one account. Going passwordless would be the next step up from that. I think it is an amazing benefit that, as a small business owner, I can have complete control over who has access to what and when. I want to discuss the different options for SSO.
The Range of SSOs NM
There are many systems out there for SSO from, very easy to implement cloud-based systems to extremely powerful with all sorts of nooks and crannies to explore & configure which depending on your organization’s size and IT team, may make more sense to go with one or the other.
What SSO We Use At The Freight Guru LL
We have elected to use Okta. I Researched ForgeRock and Microsoft Azure, and with Azure, I was very close because we already use it for Office 365, among other things. However, I believe that Okta is ahead of the game, not to mention their impeccable customer service. I remember that within 20min you had me set up with authentication with Okta. In the video podcast, I show what the SSO experience looks like. You simply click on the website you need, and you are in.
What is the Long Term Goal of Beyond Identity NM
The long-term goal is to remove passwords everywhere. Right now, it starts with helping organizations of all sizes streamline their systems and remove their passwords. We would eventually want to expand to providing service to individuals so, they do not have to struggle with remembering a multitude of passwords.
Why I am excited about the future of SSO & Beyond Identity LL
I love the fact that even though our community is not tech-savvy, this relates to everyone. Whether you are a broker, shipper, or trucking company, we are all battling 15-20 usernames & passwords. This new system puts everything in one repository where every website’s info is secure, and there is no risk of former employees running off with passwords. It is also useful because you can check who and what devices have access to what.
Beyond Identity Cost Structure NM
Several enterprise-level features are on a higher tier. That tier costs $6 per month per user regardless of how many devices each user has. A free tier has also been launched and, our founder was interviewed on CNBC as to why. The business model is to maximize adoption. It is based on his history as a founder of Netscape Navigator and the idea that user adoption can drive a business. It is also based on his goal of helping the world. If you are a medium-size business, we will help set you up, and that offering will be available free forever.
Our Experience Setting it Up LL
On our end, we went with the paid version as we wanted the extra features available. The support was exceptional, and within three days, we were fully up and running with full authentication access linked to the SSO. Our sales representative through the whole process was Eric Fischer, who you can reach at (610) 724-5785. The sales team did an excellent job of getting us up and running and establishing best practices. As a small to medium-size business owner, there is a lot of red tape you have to cut through and many hats you need to wear, so having the sales team run you through best practices is invaluable.
Our Support Philosophy NM
We have dealt with many different companies, from organizations with over 20k employees with a whole IT department to smaller organizations with a single IT person. We are more than happy to spend time with them and give them all the guidance we can to help them set up the system and make the most of it.
Cybersecurity In Trucking LL
I think it makes a lot of sense that you can scale quickly by offering a free tier and keeping it backed with your world-class support. That is especially the case when your onboarding procedure is so easy. I would like to cover another area that you are excelling in. Specifically, boosting cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is a big issue in the freight industry. Many brokers have had to deal with hacks. The supply chain needs to have adequate cybersecurity, and not having SSO & authentication makes that more difficult. Getting a hold of your cybersecurity is something you should do sooner than later. It is much easier to implement as a small company and carry it with you as you grow. Once you are big, it takes longer and is more challenging.
SSO & Cybersecurity NM
I would say that by implementing an SSO, you can radically cut your cybersecurity risk, and make employees’ lives easier. It is immensely freeing not having to worry about passwords, it just works. Setting your apps up on the SSO is a good start, but you can do it to the next level and connect all of your accounts with Beyond Identity and not have to type anything to log in anywhere. Beyond Identity works with all four major SSO providers, Okta, PingIdentity, ForgeRock, and Microsoft Azure. Our solution is cloud-based, and integration usually takes under an hour.
How Long it Took for Us LL
It was incredible how quickly we were able to get it done. With the SSO, it was very frustrating because it was a 3-6week process. However, the Beyond Identity authenticator was all done in under 2hrs. It integrates well with everything, and it is easy to use. We are a fully cloud-based business, and so a cloud-based solution works perfectly for us.
Thank you for reading, and make sure to check out the full podcast available on our website! Or listen to the audio only version here.
The Freight Guru
ll@thefreightguru.io
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