MoD Disposal website, designed and secured by Commerce Media, Showcased on the one show.
A website developed by application development and information security company, Commerce Media, and used by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to sell surplus stock - ranging from socks to military vehicles - is to be featured on the BBC TV programme ‘The One Show’ tonight (Thursday 17th July).
The programme will be broadcast from 7pm on BBC1.
A spokesperson for the Disposal Services Authority (DSA) will explain on the show how the government re-uses, recycles and ultimately disposes of items it no longer requires through http://www.edisposals.com, a website designed and secured by Commerce Media.
The Carlisle-based company worked closely with the DSA and MoD to build the website to exacting specifications and to develop a critical security application that verifies pre-authorised contractors before they can access the site to list products for sale.
The security application involves the user inputting their password online to prompt the delivery of a unique password, sent by text message, to their mobile phone number which has been pre-registered with the site. The SMS password, which is received within seconds by the user, is also entered online, allowing the user access to the website’s secure pages.
This type of solution, referred to as two-factor authentication or ‘2FA’, relies on the user proving something they know – a password – plus something they have – in this case a pre-registered mobile phone.
Commerce Media’s 2FA solution has resulted in significant cost-savings and reduced admin levels for the DSA while still providing the highest levels of security and more convenience for contractors. Previously, the website used a log-in system which involved a separate authentication token being distributed to all partners to use each time they wanted to access the site.
The success of the authentication tool on the DSA website has led Commerce Media to make it commercially available, under the brand name Celo, as a standalone software package for securing web applications. Celo can be applied across sectors, such as retail, public sector and online gaming, to secure online information or applications where strict access requirements need to be enforced.
Les Taylor, Director of Business Development & Information Systems at the DSA, who was interviewed by ‘The One Show’ comments: “As an executive authority of the UK Ministry of Defence, the security of the DSA’s internet-based system is of paramount importance. In addition to the normal security expected for internet-based systems, it was important that the solution would be both effective and easy to implement, and simple for users to understand and use. Various systems were considered and Celo delivers exactly that: a simple yet highly effective solution that gives us the confidence that our systems remain safe from unwarranted intrusion.”
Michael Robertson, Managing Director at Commerce Media, added: “As an information security provider, endorsement of our two-factor authentication solution by the MoD is about as good as it gets. At Commerce Media we have always adhered to the strictest ISO security standards and the success of Celo to secure http://www.edisposals.com and the recognition of the site itself on The One Show is a fantastic testimony to our information security and website development credentials.”
Recent items listed for sale on http://www.edisposals.com include stereo headphones, an unused Life Guards red tunic, a Saxon armoured personnel carrier and a Gloster Meteor jet aircraft.
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