Following on from the bunch of keys meme, here is my technocluster™.
For the non-technical, have a guess what the three items are then unfurl for the answer. (You can click on it for a closer look).
Top item. Is it a:
- Holographic projection unit
- Car alarm remote control
- Photonic emission unit
The left item. Is it:-
- Phone number storage device
- Credit card one time PIN generator
- A Firewall hole poker
The right item. Is it:-
- A medication dispenser
- A torch
- A storage device
The answers are all 3. The top gizmo is an LED torch that I bought from ASDA, so useful that it is clipped onto my ID card strap most of the time.
The thing on the left is a two factor authentication device known as a token, the two factors being something I know ( a password) and something I have (the device). When I press the button, it generates a 6 digit number that appears totally random (but the box at the other end knows what to expect),
Two factor authentication is also known as “something I forgot and something I lost” on IT Service Desks worldwide.
The third item is a simple Memory stick, although a rather shiny one. The end cap slides off and this exposes a USB plug.
The background is just a freebie mousemat, a rather good one as it happens. I thought it was slightly more interesting than the sofa!
Well I did recognize the flash memory stick since I have one myself, although not a posh metal one like that. Mine’s a nasty plastic one, white and fluorescent green with a cap which I will not doubt lose very soon.
I still don’t exactly understand what number 2 is or what you use it for.
JMB- it gives me access to the Office Network from home, so that I can do the email stuff (and manage systems remotely when necessary).
It is the next level up from password access in the proving who you are stakes.
Passwords can be cracked by brute force, these things can’t.