Anon.com is a new access delegation product that lets VAs or EAs access client accounts with minimal friction and without sharing sensitive information like passwords or credit card numbers.
The importance of identity sharing
Most online activities require personal accounts accessible via a login page.
Therefore, it is not surprising that a successful virtual assistant (VA) or executive assistant (EA) relationship requires being able to access the dozens of accounts a client uses on a regular basis.
Exchanging account credentials is necessary but also a common source of friction and security/compliance issues for EA/VA agencies. While no dedicated tools exist for managing authentication of VAs, many agencies use password managers like 1Password to assist in the process.
This document outlines issues with the current approach and why the new technology being developed at Anon.com can reduce friction and improve client security.
Why password managers fall short
Tools like 1Password or LastPass are originally designed for a single user to store passwords, but they have been repurposed to handle credential sharing between clients and virtual assistants (VAs). This creates security challenges and friction in accessing the accounts of your clients.
⛔ Password sharing presents security risk
Link sharing in 1Password is intended for sharing passwords with friends and family, not for commercial relationships with clients. The tool offers basic security features such as encryption and link expiration but only provides a slight improvement over texting or emailing passwords.
As a result, passwords can still be compromised and may be shared or used maliciously if a VA irresponsibly stores or reveals the password, or if they resign or get fired. Additionally, there is no way to revoke access, so a client would need to change the password for each service on every device if they are assigned a new EA or experience any "compromise" event.
😵💫 Client friction with authentication
Additionally, issues with two-factor authentication (2FA) can create friction between clients and virtual assistants.
While 2FA is an essential safety measure for nearly every service, coordinating the delivery of codes through email or SMS can result in frustrating back-and-forth exchanges. This problem is compounded by differences in time zones, schedule changes, and the need to repeat the process every time a new service is added, a VA is fired or quits or a client is reassigned to a new VA.
A simple, secure solution for sharing client credentials
Anon.com is a fundamentally new way for VAs to access client accounts. Instead of providing access credentials, clients provide authenticated sessions to VAs, eliminating significant security risk and reducing the friction required to authenticate client accounts.
How our product helps your business
🎯 Improve sales conversion rate with better compliance and security.
- Clients care about security. Anecdotal evidence suggests many are dropping out of the sales funnel before they ever get to try your EA/VA product. Additionally, industries that require HIPAA, SOC 2, or PCI compliance are difficult to address today and represent future revenue opportunities for you.
- Anon.com helps you embed security into your core brand — “We keep passwords, credit cards, and other sensitive data safe with the leading secure access-sharing platform, Anon.com”
😀 You can reduce client churn at onboarding and during transitions.
- Critical moments of client interaction like (A) New client onboarding or (B) Transitioning a client to a new EA/VA may introduce heightened friction and create frustration for clients.
- Anon.com helps you create a frictionless and secure onboarding flow and offers the ability to fully “transfer” account access to new VAs which saves time and prevents client churn each time a client needs to be re-matched to a new VA.
🤖 You can safely utilize AI technology to improve processes.
- Some VA firms have already begun adopting AI technology into their practices. Our security model solves many of the security and identity challenges presented by AI technology and enables firms to safely experiment with AI without risking client credentials.
Other benefits include:
- Clients complete 2FA on their own devices, greatly reducing back-and-forth.
- Passwords and credit card numbers can’t be lost or stolen because they’re never sent.
- Authentication can be “revoked” from a VA without a client changing all account passwords.
How the solution works
The following example uses a fictional service called Assistant.ai to demonstrate how Anon.com can improve security and reduce friction in client interactions.
Who is behind Anon.com?
Anon.com was founded by three co-founders — Daniel, Peter, and Kai — with deep backgrounds building companies in the security, AI, and financial services sectors. Collectively, our prior companies have raised >$100mm, own 8 patents in the cryptography and security space, and have built security solutions for companies like TransUnion, Medicaid, American Express, GM Financial, and more.
Daniel Mason
CEO
- Previously was Partner at Framework Ventures, a $1.1B venture capital fund based in San Francisco.
- Before that co-founded Spring Labs, a security startup with $68mm in funding that provides security solutions to large institutions like TransUnion, GM Financial, Amount, and more.
Peter Nesbitt
President/COO
- Previously COO at TeamPay, a $175mm payments startup based in New York.
- Before that served on the executive team at Bit.ly, worked in Private Equity at Carlyle Group, and served as an Intelligence Officer in the US Army.
Kai Aichholz
CTO
- Previously was Chief Technology and HIPAA Security Officer at Alaffia, a Series A AI/ML Healthtech startup in New York.
- Before that worked in engineering at Goldman Sachs and Amazon after graduating from MIT.