Is our installation compromised if your source gets into the public domain or gets stolen?
Difficult as this is to believe, the answer is no. If you keep your secret token a secret no-one can gain access to your account via FiveBarGate. FiveBarGate does not use any cryptographic algorithms that depend on keys to be kept secret either. We are not publishing our code because we feel a lot of time, money and effort has gone into it - but in the unlikely event that it becomes known, it makes no difference.

We use one-way encrypted passwords. Can we still use FiveBarGate?
Most definitely. One-way encrypted passwords are to protect your application from within your company. FiveBarGate is for protecting your application outside of your company. In fact we recommend one-way encrypted implementations. To use FiveBarGate in these applications you will create a new secret token that you communicate to your customer via your normal routes. On the login screen for you application, you will still have the User Id, Password as well as a Gatekey. Even if spyware catches your customer's password, they still need the Gatekey to access the site, which they won’t have.

What platforms are you currently supporting?
On the server we support any platform that runs Microsoft .NET. Later this year will see the release of our Java server. On the client side, we support Microsoft SmartPhone, Microsoft PocketPC and various Java versions.

What are your future plans for supporting additional platforms?
As far as the server is concerned, last quarter 2007 will see the release of the Java server. We are constantly adding new clients.

What machine configuration do we require to run FiveBarGate?
FiveBarGate is very low on resource usage, so the same machine that generally handles your logins will be able to handle FiveBarGate.

We have a web farm with multiple load-sharing machines. Does FiveBarGate support this environment?
Yes, but only the Medium and Enterprise editions..

How much effort is really involved in installing FiveBarGate on a server?
You have to integrate FiveBarGate with your login page. In general, it is a really simple exercise, and should not take a developer more than a couple of days to do, if that. If you are using one-way encrypted passwords as we hope you do, you need to do a bit more work depending on your specific situation. Typically this development should take you a couple of weeks at most.

Can I specify how long the Gatekey is valid for?
Yes, this is configurable per site.

How do I configure FiveBarGate?
FiveBarGate is easy to configure via a couple of parameters in a config file. Use the FiveBarGate Test program to quickly see what your settings are.

Can we use FiveBarGate only on a sign in screen, or can we use it in other places where we require additional security?
Currently FiveBarGate is geared towards sign in screens, but you can essentially use it anywhere where you desire additional authentication. We will also be releasing FiveBarGate VPN soon.

How is FiveBarGate different to one time SMS passwords?
Conceptually they do the same thing. However, FiveBarGate does not require the mobile device to have any connectivity and can therefore be used if the client has no airtime or is in a remote area or in another country. In addition, you save the costs associated with sending SMS’s. Slow cellular networks are also not a concern as no connectivity is required for FiveBarGate. Lastly, there is no third party that can intercept or interfere with the GateKey as can be the case with SMS's; going via your third party and service providers.

How secure is FiveBarGate?
Generally it is 1 173 871 times more secu