VoiceTrust Whitepaper

Employee Password Reset for

the Enterprise IT Helpdesk

Top 10 CallReset
Password
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the Enterprise
for 2014 IT Helpdesk

Table of Contents
Introduction: The State of the IT Helpdesk........................................................... 3
Challenge #1: Password-Related Helpdesk Costs are Out of Control................. 4
Challenge #2: Knowledge-Based Authentication Threatens Security.................. 5
Challenge #3: Service Expectations are Rising................................................... 5
The Solution: Self-Service Password Reset with Voice Biometrics...................... 7
The Benefits: Self-Service Password Reset with Voice Biometrics...................... 8
About VoiceTrust................................................................................................ 10

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Introduction: The State of the Enterprise IT Helpdesk

Enterprise IT helpdesks are evolving to meet mounting cost pressures,
growing security threats, and rising service expectations from employees and
management.
Budgets are being stretched despite the demand for faster and more
responsive service. Bring your own device programs (BYOD) are driving more
inbound requests that create a burden and force support organizations to
become more efficient.
Security is threatened by a record number of data breaches, social engineering attacks, and
credential sharing among employees, compromising millions of personal records each year. These
records are being used to beat common authentication methods with stolen usernames, passwords,
security questions, and PINs, making the IT environment vulnerable to attack.
Employees expect faster and more effective issue resolution, and an increased dependence on
technology means major productivity losses in the case of downtime. Self-service has become the
preferred method of support in the office for a simple task like resetting a password because of its
speed and convenience.
This whitepaper examines three major password-related challenges that helpdesks face and how
VoiceTrusts automated password reset solution addresses them with voice authentication.

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Challenge #1: Password-Related Helpdesk Costs are Too High

Organizations are strengthening their password policies to secure their environments, making it more
difficult for employees to remember increasingly complex passwords that must be changed multiple
times per year.
As a result, research shows that 30 percent or more of IT helpdesk calls are a result of forgotten
passwords, flooding support staff with repetitive reset requests. The high volume of such calls
prevents the helpdesk from focusing on more complex issues, and leads to less effective support.
This productivity decrease is compounded by programs such as BYOD that increase calls to the
helpdesk and create a further burden. Agent-assisted password resets cost an average of $5-$15 per
request, and combined with their high volume, can be one of the biggest expenses to your helpdesk
and your easiest opportunity to cut costs.
Password-related helpdesk costs keep increasing because:
The cost of live support agents is increasing
High agent turnover rates require more training
There is a greater demand for 24/7 helpdesk availability
Using an estimate of an organization experiencing four password reset requests per year at $7
per helpdesk call, a 10,000 person organization spends about $280,000 annually; an expensive
proposition for a relatively simple task.

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Challenge #2: Knowledge-Based Authentication Threatens Security

IT organizations authenticate their employees to ensure only the right people have access to
applications, networks, and systems. The employee has to present at least one of the following:
Something they know (typically a password, security question, or PIN)
Something they have (a token such as a mobile device)
Something they are (biometrics such as a voice or fingerprint)
Biometrics is the strongest form of authentication, yet most helpdesks still rely on security questions
and PINs to verify their employees. This knowledge-based authentication (KBA) approach is one of
the weakest links in IT security today, and is a problem VoiceTrust solves with voice biometrics.
IT organizations that KBA factors such as PINs for password resets and other processes face a
variety of risks to their security operations:
Data Breaches and Social Engineering Attacks
There were over 44 million compromised personal records from 600 data breaches in 2012 according
to a recent Verizon report. Social engineering attacks and phishing schemes expose millions more
pieces of information that an intruder can use to successfully pose as an employee. The intruder then
receives a new password from the helpdesk that is used to enter protected applications and systems,
putting the entire IT organization at risk.
Storing PINs Security Questions in Unsafe Places
The number of passwords employees use is growing, and stricter policies such as the use of multiple
special characters and frequent changes makes them harder to remember. To get around this
challenge, employees are writing down passwords on sticky notes or papers they leave in highly
visible places in the office. This makes it too easy for an unauthorized user walking by to gain access
to their credentials used in the password reset process. This is further compounded by the fact that
people are reusing passwords across work and personal accounts, exposing more systems for
unauthorized logins.

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Sharing Credentials with Colleagues

Employees often share knowledge-based factors such as PINs with family members, friends, and
work colleagues. Over half of the respondents in a recent McAfee survey admitted to credential
sharing. In the office, this arises from the need to access certain files or systems. A malicious
individual armed with this information can use it to get a new password from the helpdesk while
posing as another employee and compromise enterprise security.
Helpdesk Staff Know the Password
When helpdesk staff resets an employees password, they usually have access to the new one, which
adds an additional element of risk for applications and systems that require military-grade security.

Challenge #3: Service Expectations are Rising

Employees are demanding faster and more effective service, reflective of a workforce with real-time
expectations. Their dependence on technology means significant productivity losses the longer they
cant access the systems they require.
Workers who wait long periods of time to reset their passwords feel frustrated, leading to higher
workplace turnover. Productivity losses can add up to many thousands of hours per year, hurting the
organization and overall employee morale.
Employees have become used to self-service options for simple tasks, such as going to a
knowledgebase to learn how to resolve an issue. They are more mobile and globally distributed than
ever before, and now expect to be able to do something as simple as a password reset themselves.

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The Solution: Self-Service Password Reset with Voice Biometrics

VoiceTrust provides a self-service password reset solution that lets your employees reset their own
passwords anytime and anywhere, without the involvement of a helpdesk agent.
Employees dial a designated number or receive an automated call-back from the web that prompts
them to repeat a passphrase such as my voice is very special and unique. Their identity is verified
using voice biometrics and their password is reset after successful authentication.
Step 1: Voice Enrollment
1. Employee calls a designated number or receives a call-back on their phone
2. Employee is prompted to repeat a configurable passphrase or random set of words
3. Employees voice is analyzed and stored as a voiceprint for future identity verification purposes
Step 2: How it Works: Automated Password Reset with Voice Authentication

Employee calls password

reset number or receives
a call-back initiated from
the web

Repeats random set of

words or a pass-phrase

Voice compared to
enrolled voiceprint

Password resets upon

successful verification

Who is Using VoiceTrust Password Reset?

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The Benefits: Self-Service Password Reset with Voice Biometrics

VoiceTrusts solution enables you to automate employee password resets in your helpdesk to save
costs, increase IT security, improve employee productivity, and deliver a more convenient user
experience with voice authentication.
Reduce Your Helpdesk Costs
About 30% of calls to the help desk involve routine password resets that are costly and
time-consuming. Save an average of $5-$15 per request by automating the process and
authenticating your employees faster. Our customers typically realize a positive return on
investment within one year from decreased inbound call volume and higher productivity.
Make Your Employees More Productive
Save your employees time by letting them reset their own passwords anytime and
anywhere using their voice without the assistance of an agent. Shorten the entire reset
process to minutes and gain thousands of hours of productivity each year.
Enhance Your IT Security and Ensure Regulatory Compliance
Millions of personal identity records are compromised each year through data breaches,
social engineering, and credential sharing, exposing email addresses, passwords, and
PINs. Protect your IT environment and employees against security threats with a voicebased password reset for stronger security and regulatory compliance.
Make Password Resets More Convenient
Empower your employees to reset their passwords without the involvement of a helpdesk
agent. Save them from having to remember security questions or PINs that are easily
lost or shared. Your employees will appreciate the speed and ease of the password reset
process, leading to better satisfaction and retention.
Remove the Burden on Your Support Staff
Automate repetitive password resets to reduce the burden on your IT helpdesk staff
so they can focus on more complex issues and deal with the need to support new
applications, devices, and environments without increasing costs.

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Flexible Deployment Options

Password reset can be deployed as an on-premise solution or in a variety of cloud settings
(private, public, hybrid) to meet the security requirements of your organization. Every
aspect of the password reset and authentication experience is configurable to achieve the
perfect balance between security and convenience.
Integrates With Your Directory Platforms and IVRs
Our solution integrates with the most popular directory platforms and IVRs out of the box for faster
setup and time to ROI, and we develop custom integrations with your in-house systems if required.
Below is a sample of our most commonly used connectors:
Directories
Windows Active Directory, LDAP
RSA SecureID, SAP R/3
Oracle, Remedy
IBM Lotus Notes
McAfee, BMC

IVRs
Cisco
Aspect / Voxeo
Avaya
Genesys
Nortel

What Our Customers Think

Password reset has allowed Allianz Managed Operations & Services to increase employee
productivity and improve the user experience.
Ute Neuschaefer, Service Manager, Allianz

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Contact Us

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About VoiceTrust
We provide voice biometrics solutions that enable highly secure and convenient authentication
to prevent identity theft, protect access to business and consumer applications, and deliver a
more enjoyable authentication experience. Fortune Global 500 clients including banks, insurance
companies, call centers, and enterprises rely on our solutions to verify the identity of millions of users.
Founded in 2000, the privately-owned company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada with additional
offices in the USA, Germany, and UAE. For the latest insights on security and user authentication
follow @VoiceTrust on Twitter, or visit www.voicetrust.com.

VoiceTrust Offices

Corporate HQ - Toronto, ON

Canada - Montreal, QC

USA - Princeton, NJ

Phone: +1 (416) 901-1333

Email: info@voicetrust.com

Phone: +1 (514) 587-2525

Email: info@voicetrust.com

Phone: +1 (609) 751-9223

Email: info@voicetrust.com

Germany - Munich

UAE - Dubai

Phone: +49 (89) 127 16 0

Email: info@voicetrust.com

Phone: +971 4 445 8238

Email: info@voicetrust.com

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