Hong Kong’s Smart Government Innovation Lab has managed to sustain the release of new and relevant innovations despite a tumultuous economic landscape across the world.
Recently they announced a new solution called Authgear that is now ready to be acquired by companies and institutions.
Solution description
Authgear is an open-source auth-as-a-service solution that provides authentication, authorization, and user management services for web and mobile applications.
Authgear is developer-friendly with opinionated defaults. It includes various security features like two-factor authentication (2FA), session management, and password-less login out of the box, among other features.
The solution was designed to help businesses unify the authentication experience across multiple platforms with simple integration. It is a highly customizable solution that can be easily integrated into the application via iOS, Android, and JS software development kits (SDKs), helping manage the app’s user sessions.
Authgear can be tightly integrated with microservices and cloud functions to provide authentication and authorization over APIs.
What is Authentication as a Service?
Authentication is the weakest part of cloud security. The largest number of attacks targeting cloud services are performed by compromising user credentials.
Fortunately, single sign-on solutions for the cloud, known as Authentication as a Service, bring the benefits of SaaS to authentication management.
Authentication as a Service (AaaS) provides authentication services like multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and password management in the cloud.
With Authentication as a Service, organizations can control access to their applications and servers from various devices and networks.
Application Areas
The solution can be applied across various areas including City Management, Commerce and Industry, Development, Education, Employment and Labour, Environment, Finance, Food, Health, Housing, Infrastructure, Population, Recreation and Culture, Social Welfare as well as Transport.
Technologies Used
The solution predominantly employs the latest in Cloud Computing technology.
Use Case
Here are some of the use cases of Authgear:
- Provides consistent and unified security configuration for custom applications deployed by companies
- Helps manage roles and user permissions to software or applications
- Mitigates risks to fraud and unauthorized access by implementing identity management in service-oriented aspects of the public sector
- Alleviates password fatigue by implementing authentication and authorization mechanisms that don’t require additional passwords
- Strengthens the security of enterprise apps from credential leaks or breaches by implementing mechanisms where user passwords don’t need to cross the corporate firewall
- Secures corporate assets by enabling authentication and authorization mechanisms in BYOD devices (i.e., personal mobiles, laptops, etc.)
- Helps accelerate software development timelines and processes by baking security early into the development lifecycle
About the Smart Government Innovation Lab
In 2018, the Government established the Smart Government Innovation Lab to explore hi-tech products such as AI and relevant technologies, including machine learning, big data analytics, cognitive systems and intelligent agent, as well as blockchain and robotics from firms, especially local start-ups.
The Lab is always on the lookout for innovation and technology (I&T) solutions that are conducive to enhancing public services or their operational effectiveness.
I&T suppliers are encouraged to regularly visit the Lab’s website to check on the current business and operational needs in public service delivery and propose innovative solutions or product suggestions to address them.