In the VPSCML acronym “Variable Proprietary Character Set Multi‐layered Login”  Variable refers to the ability for the keyboards to be varied for a Site, a group of users or subset of users and between authentication levels. Proprietary refers to the ability of the administrator to have defined sets of numbers and related proprietary character keys that are not in the public domain. Character refers to the character based structure. Multi‐Layered refers to the multiple levels incorporated in the design. Login refers to the overall logon process.

(Left) Random character set

VPSCML is a user authentication system that, in so far as is possible, removes the opportunity for the user to reveal their network access credentials by mistake. It will deter or prevent a user purposely revealing their credentials and limit the ability to share credentials, dependent on the level of control implemented by the administrator using the options in the design.
 
Continued lapses in network security are holding back more activities being conducted online. Poor security leads to distrust and this stifles adoption of technological change. If cyber security is better designed it will increase user certainty and result in greater use of the internet, better accumulation of skills by users and foster changes in user habits and the way commerce is undertaken.

There will be a greater adoption of new methods of communication which will greatly assist reducing the requirements for people to travel unnecessarily.  This cannot happen to soon, if climate experts are to be believed, it is a matter of urgency.

The fact is that at the current increasing rates of energy consumption and prices, projected shortages are going to eventually dictate changes if technological developments in renewable and efficient energy use are not developed fast enough. It will then be a question of whether we tackle those problems in the context of a significantly degraded environment.
 
Right: Levels of security acccess

At present armies of people travel each day from their homes to various places of work in metropolitan regions all over the world many in private motor vehicles. Governments have been ploughing huge investments into infrastructure to cope with this traffic demand that could have been used to invest in the infrastructure required of the future, for example better communications and public transport.

Many of the daily travellers are white collar workers doing jobs on computers or using paper based systems or a combination of both that could well be done from their own residence without the need for an office or meeting venue, but occur in this manner because organisations have yet to come to terms with controlling processes and protecting information in an online working environment.
 
Secure remote access is critical to the process yet most remote access to information systems, processes, networks and applications are controlled by an unmasked user name, a password that has insufficient controls and with no lockouts to prevent hacking attempts because to do so results in users being locked out when hacking attempts are made.

Many organisations inadvertently publicise where their most valuable asset, their customers, logon and may unintentionally inconvenience and  confuse their existing customers when running promotions to attract new customers and vice versa.  There are many client side solutions that purport to secure client computers for authentication, but most of these will not detect a compromised client device.

Strength must come from a properly constructed set of routines that test the veracity of the person seeking to gain entry to the network the solution provided by Armorlog is a major solution for networks, computers and intelligent devices with a graphical user interface capability that does this. 
 
If required tokens or certificates can be an additional level of security, however these are not practical in many circumstances  and lead to additional costs of maintenance and device capability to cater for the additional system requirements. There is an increasing variety of operating systems on client equipment for which to cater. Combined with increasing numbers of updates, it becomes unwieldy for system administrators. Armorlogs’ solution that is server side based alleviates this demand and is of significant value to network administrators.
 
Secure authentication access will become paramount as more organisations move to virtualised computer services and hosted applications i.e. cloud computing.  The challenge will be to operate systems that allow for memorable sets of access credentials that users can easily remember, while having a system that is designed to deploy sufficient complexity and sophistication to deter hacking attacks.

In doing this security will improve, users and organisations have more confidence to allow remote computing to be undertaken by more of the work force. Security properly developed in authentication methods will result in more purchasing occuring online, reducing the need for travel. This may also facilitate more efficient goods transfer systems as transport logistics specialists benefit from increasing outsourced volumes.
 
Collaboration for freight distribution by organisations no longer acting alone will be important and outsourcing for goods transportation encouraged to facilitate maximum efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Facilitating online commerce will assist this process as businesses customer bases become more disparate and it will necessitate the outsourcing of goods movements by more and more organisations which in turn will facilitate development of transport logistics.

This too will occur more quickly when online security is properly deployed and organisations can feel safe in decentralising information management processes & procedures and user more confident in dealing with online merchants.
 
Improving computer, network and internet security will facilitate this and consequently will indirectly help to reduce pollution by creating a safer environment to encourage more commerce to be conducted online, resulting in more efficient use of transport.

Inventor, director, author, Louis Leahy
Louis Leahy is an accountant with 35 years working in commerce in organisations with turnovers up to 30m and 300 employees. He operates his own Public Accounting Practice with a technology emphasis for the last 15 years, a vehicle for him to indulge his passion for computers. An avid computer enthusiast, his long suffering partner continues to indulge a house bristling with IT equipment.  Inventor of VPCSML and through the Armorlog Group owner of the IP, his practice Advanced Systems Accounting, known as NumberWorld funded development costs for the proof of concept software release.