Centrify: Providing the Next Dimension Security in the Age of Access with Next-Gen Access

The cyberspace was never safe to begin with. But today, whatever precaution you take, you’re never completely assured of being secure in the cyber network. Moving to a bigger enterprise, large business companies require security at a high level. Protection of sensitive data, valuable architecture and top security against cyber attacks like Ransomware, malware, etc. are a necessity today. Threats are always lurking in corners least expected, so it’s always best to stay aware and protected with the best line of defense.

Then, there comes the next question: What’s the best line of defense? What’s the best security measure for my firm? The list of questions concerning security is never-ending. And so are the answers. However, choosing the right security solution that suits your organization is a necessity. And here comes Zero Trust security. Zero Trust security was first introduced by a principal security researcher by the analysis firm Forrester Research.

It’s a relatively new concept of alternative security against the traditional IT security. If you implement Zero Trust security, it means your organizational infrastructure doesn’t automatically trust anything inside or outside its ecosystem. Instead, everyone and everything undergoes a strong verification process. Be it a person entering the physical infrastructure, or anything trying to connect to the cyber infrastructure, it requires verification and authentication before access is granted. Those businesses who wish to reliably prevent and block the entry points for any modern cyber threat can easily rely on Zero Trust security.

We have with us Centrify, a pioneer in delivering Zero Trust security with its powerful solution: Next-Gen Access. Founded in 2004, Centrify was established by the trio: Tom Kemp, Adam Au, and Paul Moore. Headquartered in the sunny Santa Clara, California, Centrify has regional offices within the US and worldwide including Seattle, Salt Lake City, Hong Kong, London, Munich, Brisbane, and São Paulo.

Zero Trust redefined with Centrify

The basic idea behind the Zero Trust security is that you can’t trust anyone. The security model assumes that the users inside a network and outside simply cannot be trusted. This is why Centrify has developed and designed solutions and products that verify every single user of the network. Centrify even validates the user’s device and also creates limitations on their accesses and privileges. 

What’s the secret recipe? It’s the utilization of machine learning for its star product: Next-Gen Access. With machine learning, Centrify is able to discover any tacky or risky user behavior. Next, the company can apply for conditional access without interfering with or impacting the overall user experience. The Next-Gen Access is so unique, that it’s the only solution that’s industry-recognized.

The solution is a distinctive amalgamation of privileged access management (PAM), Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS), and enterprise mobility management (EMM). Today, the Next-Gen Access is so popular that nearly half of the Fortune 100 companies and more than 5,000 organizations worldwide use the identity and access management service. They rely on Centrify to proactively secure their businesses.

Centrify’s Zero Trust is synonymous with Never Trust and Always Verify!

The modern cyberspace isn’t what it was when it was first introduced to mankind. The threats are numerous and can cause serious damage to a firm, with millions of dollars at stake. So what’s the solution? Never trust anyone and always verify with Zero Trust security. With this solution, there’s an already existing assumption that there are un-trustable and bad actors present inside and outside the network. “Trust must therefore be entirely removed from the equation,” explains the co-founder and CEO, Tom Kemp.

This is why Centrify defines cybersecurity with Zero Trust. With its machine learning capabilities, Centrify can learn and adapt to every changing situation. The process is a simple one: Verify the user; Validate the device, and Limit the access and privilege. Let’s take a look at each of these in detail:

Verify the User

“Never Trust, Always Verify” that’s the mantra that everyone follows at Centrify. The security firm verifies every single employee before they are allowed access. Let’s take for instance, an employee John. Centrify ensures that John’s identity is confirmed. Authorities ask John to show or provide authentication that he has, something that he knows or even something that he is familiar with. That could be the easy part. Centrify takes verification a step further and also leverages the user behavior. The company believes that John (like everyone else) has a unique trait or behavior that could be monitored. Additionally, day and time of login, location, and other additional factors are verified for authenticity. 

Validate the Device

Centrify authenticates every endpoint. It makes sure that John is always using a trusted endpoint before granting access to resources. In any case, if he logs into any resource network from an untrusted endpoint, Centrify immediately challenges John with MFA. It even goes to the point of blocking John’s access, to ensure that his resource should only be accessible from a secure trusted endpoint.

Limit Access and Privilege

Centrify ensures that the people get just enough access, just the right amount! Let’s continue to examine the instance of John here. Once John has confirmed his identity and surely is connecting from a trusted endpoint at a verified location, he is granted enough access. The right amount of access is guaranteed for John to perform his job at any given time.

Learn and Adapt

The main ingredient of Centrify’s security solution is machine learning. Even after all the above-mentioned processes are completed, Centrify continues to leverage data about John. These include his device or devices, his behavior to allow access or even block it, and additional authentication procedures. The benefit of machine learning is that these policies can anytime be adjusted automatically and also in real-time.

The Endgame

So, with all these policies and security procedures, what’s the end result? Firstly, there’s a 50% reduction in breaches, complexity, and the over expenditure of the company. Did you know that implementing identity best practices can cut breaches by 50%? And speaking of the costs, nearly $5 million can be saved by a company by applying Zero Trust security. That’s the amount you save in breach-related costs.  And the overall reduction is 40%. You’d be spending 40% less on your technology!

Security at its best

While Centrify is providing Zero Trust security solutions, its stronghold of employees and people has supported the company to taste sweet success. Recently, Centrify was voted on Glassdoor as one of the best places to work. “Our value is ‘Great People, Powerful Technology’,” says the CEO. “Passion, Motivation. Energy. If you have what it takes to build world-class technology and make a difference, then Centrify is the place to be,” he adds. Everyone at Centrify works on a mission to ‘Protect Against Compromised Credentials with Next-Gen Access.’

Today, there are over 5,000 organizations that depend on Centrify. It may be any sort of cyber threat like identity issues, data breaches, etc. Centrify is there to solve any of your problems. These companies include 53 of the Fortune 100; 6 of the best and top telecom companies worldwide; 7 out of the top 10 companies in pharmaceuticals; 6 out of the top 10 financial institutes in the US; 6 of the top 10 American retailers; and more than a hundred Federal Agencies in the US.

The Wall of Fame

For its immense contribution, Centrify has been recognized and awarded for its strong security solutions. Some of the awards are listed below:

• The Stevie Awards for Great Employers. Centrify came out as the finalist as the ‘Employer of the Year-Computer Software’
• One World Identity. Centrify was ranked as the Top Ten Identity & Access Management Vendor
• Tom Kemp was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 Award by EY and came out as the Finalist
• 5-Star Rating for 2018 Program Partner Guide by CRN
• Centrify received the Frost & Sullivan North American Product Leadership Award
• CRN 2018 Security 100: 20 Coolest Identity Management and Data Protection Vendors
• Tom Kemp is identified as a Top Identity Influencer by One World Identity
• Centrify is recognized as the Best Cybersecurity Company and makes it to the finalist in the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards

Introducing the Spearhead of Centrify

Tom Kemp is co-founder and chief executive officer at Centrify. Under his leadership, the company has become one of the fastest growing security vendors in the industry with over 5,000 customers, including more than half of the Fortune 100. 

Tom is one of the industry’s most authoritative experts in identity security and was recently selected as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2018 Award Finalist in Northern California. He was also recognized as one of the top 100 influencers in identity. He’s regularly featured in Forbes, HuffPost, VentureBeat, and other influential publications, and was recently accepted as a member of the Forbes Tech Council.

Prior to founding Centrify in 2004, Kemp held various executive, technical and marketing roles at NetIQ Corporation, Compuware Corporation, EcoSystems Software, and Oracle Corporation. He was also an Entrepreneur in Residence at leading venture capital firm Mayfield and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and History from the University of Michigan.

“Think Zero Trust Security. Think Centrify.”

“Centrify’s Next-Gen Access is the only industry-recognized identity & access management solution that uniquely converges Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS), enterprise mobility management (EMM) and privileged access management (PAM).”

“We welcome talented and motivated individuals to help us design, build, sell and support the next generation of an integrated software solution.”