Yubico Shortlisted for UK Business Tech Award

How Yubico makes strong security easy and is making the internet safer for everyone, one YubiKey at a time.

As the digital world has expanded, cyber threats have grown in sophistication. Security has traditionally come at the cost of convenience, meaning many organisations around the world prioritise ease of access over greater security for their users. Yet, individuals and businesses that rely on traditional but basic username and password authentication are at significant risk of their data being compromised by cybercriminals.

Yubico was founded in 2007 to solve this issue, with the mission to make the internet safer for everyone. Since then, Yubico has become a global leader in driving improved cybersecurity and authentication standards for users, devices, and services when connected to the internet, and is a pioneer of digital authentication protocol innovation for FIDO and WebAuthn.

Yubico’s flagship product is the YubiKey – the industry’s leading security key, and recognized as the gold standard for enabling strong multi-factor, password-less and phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA) With a YubiKey, users can experience the most secure yet seamless authentication experience across hundreds of consumer and enterprise applications, services, and devices. Additionally, Yubico’s technology is used by some of the world’s largest organisations including Google, Twitter and Microsoft.

Securing critical organisations with phishing-resistant MFA

As a part of making the world more secure, Yubico plays a significant role in securing critical national infrastructure and essential organisations around the world. For example, the company recently partnered with Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy automation and management with a significant presence in the UK. The company offers safe and reliable products and power management systems for critical infrastructure organisations including oil and gas drilling operations, data centres, hospital facilities, and commercial office buildings.

Schneider Electric experienced multiple benefits of phishing-resistant MFA in the form of YubiKeys to its company. For example, Schneider Electric’s power operating system requires operators to log in multiple times throughout the day to perform tasks. Instead of having complex sign-in processes, using the YubiKey allowed them to quickly authenticate when beginning their shift and perform the required task without causing any system disruptions or delays. Considering how important the company is when it comes to providing energy to some of the country’s most critical organisations, authenticating with the YubiKey ensured that only authorised Schneider Electric employees could access and operate their critical digital systems.

Another critical organisation that authenticates with YubiKeys is the Information Management and Technology Team at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust. The facility’s IT team wanted to reinforce their Windows and Office365 authentication processes and, by using the YubiKey, the team was able to achieve this goal. In doing so, this significantly improved the end-user experience and eliminated the need for passwords.

Protecting vulnerable groups

At Yubico, we believe that vulnerable populations shouldn’t have to worry about their digital security. Whether you’re an organization or nonprofit focused on protecting human rights and freedom of speech, upholding election integrity, or furthering diversity in tech, we’re passionate about ensuring that security isn’t an obstacle standing in the way of the important work that you do. For more than a decade, Yubico has helped millions of people and thousands of businesses put an end to account takeovers, and we believe that it is our social responsibility to put our products in the hands of people that need it most.

Launched in summer 2020, Yubico’s Secure it Forward programme donates one YubiKey for every 20 sold on yubico.com to at-risk groups and individuals. Over time, the company has provided tens of thousands of YubiKeys to more than 75 organisations across 20 different countries including Freedom of the Press, the Human Rights Foundation, Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Legal Aid Society, Anti-Defamation League, and more.

The physical safety of those in need is always a priority, however, in times of crisis, online security can be just as important. By working with vulnerable populations, human rights activists, journalists, and even politicians, Yubico has learned that ensuring digital privacy can help avoid dangerous physical implications. In the years to come, Yubico looks forward to making cybersecurity more accessible to those who need it most and continuing to educate on how to stay safe online.

Making the internet more secure – one YubiKey at a time

Entering the UK Business Tech Awards furthers Yubico’s mission in spreading awareness of how to make secure authentication easy and available for everyone. This is what drives Yubico to continue innovating and working to make positive change within the cybersecurity space.

As a result, Yubico and its products are helping to provide secure authentication methods to the largest enterprises, critical infrastructure organisations, free press, and high-profile political figures – both in the UK and across the world. With its products and services, Yubico has also contributed to the global open standards community, standards which are currently built into some of today’s leading digital platforms and internet browsers.

Entering these awards also helps to promote the need for programmes such as Secure it Forward. With the ongoing work of the programme, Yubico is committed to furthering its mission by donating its security keys to important non-profit organisations in order to protect those in need.

For more information about Yubico, please visit https://www.yubico.com/ or find us on our various social media pages, including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. For more information on YubiKeys, visit https://www.yubico.com/products/. To see which YubiKey is right for you or your business, take our quiz.

If you think your organisation is a good fit for Yubico’s Secure It Forward programme, fill out the form and apply here.