CA launches trade-in scheme for RSA customers

Vendor launches one-for-one swap scheme in wake of attack on rival's systems

CA Technologies is targeting customers of recently hacked rival RSA with a one-for-one competitive swap-out scheme running until 30 September.

The software giant is offering end users the chance to trade in each of their RSA SecurID tokens for its software-based alternative, ArcotID.

CA will provide a three-year enterprise licence for the CA ArcotID software credential, including the CA Arcot WebFort authentication server. Customers making the switch need only pay the maintenance.

Ram Varadarajan, general manager for CA Arcot Security Solutions, claimed that ArcotID has nearly 30 million users globally as he panned RSA's hardware alternative.

"Hardware tokens are a security mechanism whose time has expired. The
inconvenience of carrying an additional key fob or device for today's increasingly mobile workforce is not practical, and the difficulty of remediation in case of a hardware token breach can be overwhelming," he said.