MicroStrategy Incorporated, a leading worldwide provider of enterprise software platforms, today announced the availability of the on-premise version of MicroStrategy Usher, a powerful platform designed to provide advanced security and analytics for business processes and systems across the enterprise.

The product replaces traditional passwords with biometric mobile identity and multi-factor authentication, and offers streamlined security administration capabilities. MicroStrategy Usher features include digital badges, geo-fenced and time-fenced access restrictions, and Touch ID access on mobile devices.

User-friendly and quick-to-deploy, MicroStrategy Usher enables an enterprise to:

  • Secure physical entryways with digital keys that can access leading PACS systems, including Lenel, Honeywell, Datawatch, Paxton, and S2 Security.
  • Provide a single Usher badge to enable users to log into enterprise, cloud, and SAML 2.0-based applications. Supported applications include Salesforce.com, Google Apps, MicroStrategy, and Microsoft applications, among others.
  • Validate user identities in-person or over the phone with numeric Usher codes, Bluetooth peer discovery, and fractal-based sight codes.
  • Enable users to conveniently access workstations by low energy Bluetooth or by scanning a QR code, eliminating the need to enter a username and password.
  • Gain a near real-time, 360-degree view into identity activities to detect anomalies and abnormal usage patterns in order to enhance enterprise risk management, streamline business processes, and reduce fraud.

The MicroStrategy Usher platform also offers a robust Software Development Kit (SDK), enabling developers to build Usher security capabilities – including any of Usher’s logical or physical access functionalities – into their existing mobile applications, web applications, and enterprise software packages. With the Usher SDK, homegrown applications can implement sophisticated functionalities like step-up authentication to restrict sensitive information from unauthorized access or approval workflows that require biometric validation to help ensure validity of the approver. The ability to perform authentication and identity verification tasks unlocks the door to making existing applications vastly more functional to user bases. In this way, MicroStrategy Usher secures enterprise assets and information, whether through the standard Usher interfaces or within any application of the enterprise. The Usher SDK is available from the Usher Developer Portal at http://developer.usher.com.

Already available in the cloud, Usher can now be installed on-premise to meet business requirements when data must live behind the corporate firewall. On-premise installation deploys the complete Usher solution to the enterprise, including the Usher Security Server, the Usher Network Manager administration app, and Usher Analytics.  End users of an on-premise Usher deployment acquire applications from the public app stores. To get started with MicroStrategy Usher and set up Usher identities for your organization, visit: http://www.microstrategy.com/us/security.

Leading organizations that have chosen MicroStrategy Usher include SenHeng Electric subsidiary Blackbox BI Consultancy, Georgetown University, global incubator 1776, and Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Our business at SenHeng is to create a unique customer experience with our products and services and that is our key differentiator in the market,” said KH Lim, Founder of SenHeng Electric Sdn Bhd. “Based on our successful deployment of MicroStrategy’s analytics and mobile technologies as cloud-based analytics solutions, it made sense for us to select MicroStrategy Usher as an enterprise security offering for today’s security-critical environment. MicroStrategy Usher will be used to access business processes and applications across the enterprise, replacing keycards and passwords with mobile identity badges securely delivered on smartphones. An Usher badge will be used to identify both SenHeng Electric’s customers as well as SenHeng mobile service’s customers. Having a single MicroStrategy platform for analytics, mobile and identity management will help us create a new, valuable customer experience.”

“We wanted a more secure and efficient method for our students and administrators to log into university websites and web apps than the traditional user name and password,” said Marty Johnson, Senior Director of Identity, Collaboration, Mobile, and GOCard at Georgetown University.  “We have deployed Usher, which integrates with our Shibboleth single sign-on system and allows our university population to securely sign in to any Georgetown website by simply scanning a QR code with their mobile phone, eliminating the need for passwords. This Spring semester, we are also working closely with MicroStrategy and the Usher product team to design a solution to address our costly password reset problem.  Once that work is completed, we expect to see a significantly reduced number of help desk requests for locked user accounts and, as a result, to reap substantial cost savings.”

“At 1776, we are in the business of identifying transformational, disruptive startups that can change the world,” said Stephanie Vidikan, Director of Operations at 1776.  “MicroStrategy’s Usher is one of those products. Startups at 1776’s Washington, D.C. location can use Usher ‘keys’ on their mobile phones to unlock doors, elevators, and gateways. We are excited to see how Usher’s features will reinvent how companies manage access to their physical spaces.”