Web Helpdesk

 WHD

To smooth the workflow in an enterprise environment and to reduce helpdesk cost, SafeGuard Enterprise provides a web-based recovery solution for managed clients. Web Helpdesk offers help to users who fail to log on or to access SafeGuard Enterprise encrypted data by providing a user-friendly Challenge/Response mechanism.

Benefits of Challenge/Response

The challenge/response mechanism is a secure and efficient emergency system.

  • No confidential data is exchanged in unencrypted form throughout the entire process since the Web Helpdesk is only accessible via HTTPS. HTTP connections are redirected to HTTPS automatically.
  • There is no point in third parties eavesdropping on this procedure because the data cannot be used at a later stage or on any other devices.
  • The endpoint that is to be accessed does not need an online network connection.
  • The user can start working again quickly. No encrypted data is lost just because the password has been forgotten.

Challenge/Response workflow

During the Challenge/Response procedure, a challenge code (ASCII character string) is generated on the endpoint and the user communicates this code to a helpdesk officer. Based on the challenge code, the helpdesk officer then generates a response code which authorizes the user to perform a specific action on the endpoint.

Typical emergency situations requiring helpdesk assistance

  • A user has forgotten the password for logging on and the endpoint has been locked.
  • A user has forgotten or lost their token/smartcard.
  • The Power-on Authentication local cache is partly damaged.
  • A user is not available at the moment due to illness or vacation but the data on the endpoint must be accessible to a colleague.
  • A user wants to access a volume encrypted with a key that is not available on that endpoint.

SafeGuard Enterprise Web Helpdesk offers different recovery workflows for these typical emergency scenarios, enabling the users to access their endpoints again.