PhoneFactor, a provider of multi-factor authentication, has been acquired by Microsoft.
The firm offers businesses with different ways for their employees to access vital software and services without having the need to rely solely on passwords or security tokens. They also focus on delivering services relating to phone authentication, as well as offering authentication through text messages.
Timothy Sutton, PhoneFactor CEO, said "when we initially launched PhoneFactor, we had a vision to deliver strong authentication as a seamless part of almost every process where an individual needs to access confidential or proprietary data." He then added that "phones provided the ideal platform."
"The acquisition of PhoneFactor will help Microsoft bring effective and easy-to-use multifactor authentication to our cloud services and on-premises applications," corporate vice president of Microsoft's server and tools division, Bharat Shah, said in a statement. "In addition, PhoneFactor's solutions will help Microsoft customers, partners, and developers enhance the security of almost any authentication scenario."
The purchase by Microsoft was ideal for the software giant as PhoneFactor's product already works with several services belonging to the former, including Outlook Web Access, Active Directory and Internet Information Services.
PhoneFactor's existing customers were given reassurance on the acquisition via an FAQ explaining how the purchase will affect them.
