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Grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, Indiana University is a major,
multi-campus public research institution and a world leader in professional,
medical, and technological education. Over 107,000 students are currently
enrolled in a wide variety of academic programs on eight campuses across the
state, with large, core campuses in Bloomington and Indianapolis. Faculty
and staff at the University number around 19,000.

Indiana University already had a two-factor authentication solution in
place, providing real time access to academic, financial, and HR records in
the University’s administrative database. Authorized faculty and staff
manage records for Indiana University students from admission through
graduation, as well as payroll processing tasks, financial and HR
information, and various purchasing and accounts processes. To maintain data
integrity and confidentiality of student records and financial data, the
University mandates the use of two-factor authentication to access
centralized administrative systems.

While a device-based, two-factor authentication solution had been in place
for many years, Indiana University chose VASCO’s DIGIPASS technology in
modernizing its authentication infrastructure. In contrast to many corporate
environments, Indiana University has a heterogeneous desktop computing
environment which includes university and personally-owned Windows- and
Macintosh- based computers located on its eight campuses, in residence
halls, and at home. Indiana University needed an authentication solution
that could be natively integrated into its infrastructure without requiring
the installation of software.

"We were looking for a proven security solution to authenticate users with
different roles to varying applications," said Alan Walsh, manager of
Identity Management Systems at Indiana University. "VASCO’s DIGIPASS
technology offered us the opportunity to utilize two-factor authentication
in many areas, maintaining the privacy and security of sensitive information
without impeding legitimate use. Further, VASCO’s authentication devices
offer a reduced total cost of ownership, and they’re durable and
waterproof."

DIGIPASS technology adds an additional security layer to traditional
password-based security. At the push of a button, DIGIPASS generates a
dynamic one-time password. When requested during the log-in procedure,
University faculty and staff members enter the one-time password into the
interface, providing positive proof of identity.