Chief Marketing Officer at AerPass David Morgan shares an overview of their session at the recent MEF Connects Perosnal Data and Identity where they hosted an interview with a programme that connects brands and retailers directly to 35 million U.S. retired and active-duty military personnel and their families.
Recently I was honored to present at the MEF Connects Personal Data & Identity conference in London; “Reinventing Identity for Tomorrow’s Internet: Managing New & Unique Connections Between People & Organizations” along with Kevin Sullivan, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.) and Founder and CEO of Leading Points, creators of the Military Connect program.
During our fireside chat, we examined how businesses need to reframe their relationship with personal data and identity. That is, they should see it as a tool for consumer empowerment rather than a security and infrastructure function. We discussed how personal data and identity, used right, can improve the user experience, foster loyalty, and accelerate an organization’s competitive advantage. We examined the evolution of user demands and expectations surrounding convenience, security, and respect, and how passwordless authentication solutions (“zeroPassword” technology), like AerPass, can help brands like Leading Points and Military Connect meet these expectations.
The Expectation Economy: Get People-Obsessed and Kill the Password
Identifying competitive advantage in the battlefield of business is one of the most important strategic objectives for businesses.
The post-pandemic economy is now referred to as the “Expectation Economy”, people expect businesses to provide quality, make a positive impact on society, and give them opportunities for personal expression. Moreover, they expect tailored, personalized experiences, without having to forgo their privacy and security.
To meet these expectations, businesses must become, people-obsessed. A key component of being people-obsessed is removing friction from people’s lives without putting them or the business at risk, e.g, at risk of hackers, spammers, and leakers. One simple step that businesses can take to achieve this is to refactor their approach to how people identify, log into and authenticate themselves with their products and services.
In our chat, Kevin and I discussed how Military Connect is integrating AerPass’s standard-based, secure, zeroPassword user authentication service to meet the needs of tomorrow’s Internet. Military Connect customers will be able to use their cryptographically secure AerPass login to gain access to all Military Connect Programs including—Military Tee Times, Military Travelers, SkiMilitary, as well as special programs with Uber, Golf Channel, TivO, Gamefly, eBags, Rhaspsody, Costco, 1-800-Flowers, Untuckit, Monster, Audible, LifeLock, Restaruant.com, Wiffle, Winter Park, and Build.com. With AerPass and just a few lines of code brands can dump the password, multi-factor authentication and related customer friction and infrastructure costs, as well as the risk of hacks, phishing attacks, and more.
A Unique Opportunity for Brands: Serving People That Have Served Society
Driving revenues by enabling serving military personnel and veterans, Military Connect enables access to brand rewards and discounts in expectation of increased sales conversion, repeat business and consumer advocacy.
Serving military personnel, veterans and families account for 35 million qualifying users in the U.S., Military Connect enables brands to establish long-lasting relationships with current and former military personnel and their family. It offers unprecedented access to this niche populous, while giving business the opportunity to make a difference. For example, One Military Connect Program with Vail Resorts raised $1.7 million in donations for two military charities, including the Wounded Warriors Project. Program participants received a quality service (substantially discounted annual pass to all Vail resorts), that contributed to society, and with a program tailored specifically for them.
Fundamental to the Military Connect digital identity challenge was to engage a partner to meet the needs of the user base’s privacy, service, and unique user experience expectations, while ensuring the business had a secure means to verify and handle people’s personal data and identity details.
HOW AERPASS DOES IT
Prior to AerPass the Military Connect digital verification process required people to have a username and password for every service and incur fees to validate the identity of the individual across each service and maintain a complex identity and access management system.
With AerPass user identities are valued from a source of truth one time only during the onboarding process. They are then provided with a secure verified credential (e.g. token) and mobile wallet that they can use to securely login to all Military Connect programs; they never leave behind a digital footprint without giving their expressed consent. Their tokenised credentials ensure that their data is never transferred or stored in any device.
Logging in with AerPass is frictionless, virtually instant, and eliminates the need for additional traditional multi-factor authentication. Furthermore the AerPass ZeroPassword eliminates passwords as a hackers attack surface. Multi Party Authentication secure access keys assure that transactions occur between genuine parties to enable frictionless Know your Customer and Know your Business cyber security benefits.
The AerPass controlled access and tokenized data system goes above and beyond Military Connect’s expectations. It reduced cyber security concerns of the user base guaranteeing personal data privacy and security, all while helping the organization realize significant savings—it removed the need for access management software, reduces data storage liabilities and password reset administration, support and management costs, etc.—savings that ban be giving back to program participants in the form of reduced costs and special services. It’s a win-win-win for everyone.
You can check out our MEF CONNECTS Personal Data & Identity session at ; “Reinventing Identity for Tomorrow’s Internet: Managing New & Unique Connections Between People & Organizations”. Go to www.aerpass.com to learn about AERPASS or contact me david@aerpass.com. Go to www.leadingpoints.com to learn more about Leading Points and the Military Connect programs.
MEF Connects Personal Data & Identity
MEF CONNECTS Personal Data & Identity: dive into all things PD&I and how PD&I is transforming every industry and society–from the ground up, from the outside in, and inside out.
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