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ATLANTA, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX), a global leader in information solutions, announced today that it has chosen Anakam, Inc. (www.Anakam.com) to provide the electronic authenticator for the Equifax I-Card.  Anakam will implement its Anakam.TFA® Two Factor Authentication service, making the Equifax I-Card the first to have the maximum ease of use as well as the highest level of authentication security (Level 3) in the marketplace.  

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The Anakam platform will be incorporated into the Equifax I-Card offering to provide on-going two-factor authentication without the need for distribution of smart cards and hard tokens to end users while still complying with the standards established around these devices.  With Level 3 authentication, there is high confidence in the validity of the user's asserted identity as determined by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines and the technical recommendations of the National Institutes of Standards and Technologies (NIST).  This standard is commonly applied for the protection of remote or Web access to sensitive or private information, and it is typically used in government, healthcare, financial, and education transactions.  It also complies with international privacy and security requirements.

"As a leader in I-Card technology and products, Equifax is ensuring the highest levels of security and simplicity with our I-Card service.  Anakam's expertise in the electronic authentication process is unmatched in the industry and will result in a more secure and satisfying experience for Equifax I-Card users and customers," said Ron Carpinella, Equifax's Vice President of Identity Management.

Anakam.TFA Two-Factor Authentication uses flexible authentication channels to offer a variety of solutions for the secure authentication of users and customers.  The company leverages existing devices such as cell phones, home phones, office phones, and voice biometrics to deliver a secure, expiring one-time pass code (OTP) that confirms that the person possessing the device is the one attempting to access the systems.  "The fusion of the existing Equifax I-Card solution with Anakam's ability to deliver two-factor authentication to extremely large scale audiences will fundamentally change the identity federation marketplace," according to Brent Williams, Anakam CTO.  "Equifax is taking a critical step to stay at the forefront of the rapidly expanding consumer authentication market, and we are pleased to have been selected to work with them on the next generation of identity solutions."

Launched in 2008, the Equifax I-Card is a digital identity management solution containing information that consumers and businesses need to conduct online transactions or verify identity.  For Websites that accept I-Cards, consumers can click-in without the need to type in a user name, password, or other personal information.  The Equifax I-Card is designed to verify that a consumer's identity is true, which can reduce fraud for online merchants, services and destinations.  In addition, because the I-Card only works with trusted Websites, it diminishes the danger of phishing.

The Equifax I-Card is part of the growing trend to provide increased anonymity and security for a consumer's financial and credit information online.  Equifax is working with multiple data sources for identity verification, along with open source technology that is endorsed by The Information Card Foundation (ICF), an industry consortium of consumer, data, and technology companies.

About Equifax (www.equifax.com)

Equifax empowers businesses and consumers with information they can trust.  A global leader in information solutions, we leverage one of the largest sources of consumer and commercial data, along with advanced analytics and proprietary technology, to create customized insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers.

With a strong heritage of innovation and leadership, Equifax continuously delivers innovative solutions with the highest integrity and reliability.  Businesses – large and small – rely on us for consumer and business credit intelligence, portfolio management, fraud detection, decisioning technology, marketing tools, and much more.  We empower individual consumers to manage their personal credit information, protect their identity, and maximize their financial well-being.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax Inc. operates in the U.S. and 14 other countries throughout North America, Latin America, and Europe.  Equifax is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500® Index.  Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EFX.

About Anakam (www.anakam.com)

Anakam enables strong authentication and identity management at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions, without encumbering your customers, partners, and employees with cards, software downloads, tokens, or fobs.  With tens of millions of end users, the Anakam Identity Suite is unique in the industry, providing end-to-end multi-channel capabilities that allow you to enable secure, trusted eBusiness to very large user-communities in a single platform.  The suite includes two-factor authentication, remote identity proofing and verification, professional credentialing, and secure collaboration.  For more information, visit www.anakam.com.

SOURCE Equifax Inc.