Chicago Bears roll out two factor authentication

National Football League (NFL) team the Chicago Bears, has bought an authentication key for its 125 staff to protect electronic play books, player contracts and scouting data.

The Bears' staff at Chicago's Halas Hall and Soldier Field are using the Aladdin eToken - a two-factor USB authentication key.

Staff will use a PIN with the key to access data on workstations and in remote offices.

"As an NFL team, we're dealing with a business that is constantly in a competitive environment," said Brian Wright, IT director for the Chicago Bears. "The Bears' coaches needed something that provided an extremely high level of security, without worrying them with difficult, inconvenient technology."

The Bears are using the token for network logon and VPN access.

"The world of sports mirrors the competitive intensity of business," said Steve Langerock, CEO of Aladdin Knowledge Systems' North American operations. "[This] helps to protect the Bears off the field, where competition isn't as visible, but the threats are just as real."

http://www.ealaddin.com/news/2004/eToken/chicago_bears.asp