Gemplus and MSFT and BIZ and BRCM?
Notice the links at the right take you to Windows Smartcard pages on Microsoft. [Gemplus in bold]
bizssp.com
click on:
"· What Windows for Smart Cards
Can Do for Your Business Today"
What Windows for Smart Cards Can Do for Your Business Today
In the past few years, telecommuting, the Internet and electronic commerce have evolved from alternative means of doing business to become increasingly mainstream consumer activities. Several years ago, a Web address on a business card was comparable to a secret handshake gaining you admittance to an exclusive club. Now, advances in software functionality and hardware speed, along with the power of word of mouth, have made the Internet and all its offshoots the "next big thing" for commerce, communication and entertainment. Unfortunately, growing in lock step with the boom in network and communication technology are the proliferation of multiple user IDs and passwords, the increasing proficiency of computer hackers and the occurrence of credit-card fraud.
The family of Microsoft® Windows® operating systems together with
Windows for Smart Cards is designed as a best-of-breed platform for the
emerging world of connected commerce and far-flung networks. By
incorporating the same widely used software development tools from the
desktop and back office, Windows scales from the smallest networks --
the smart card -- to the largest enterprise networks, enabling customers
to run their businesses complete with multiple networks, remote users,
electronic commerce, credit-card payments and Web sites.
As the newest member of the Windows operating system family, Windows
for Smart Cards extends the benefits of the Windows environment to the
smart card segment. According to Gemplus, technical support calls for companies implementing smart cards have been reduced by 40 percent by automatically performing the error-prone authentication process for users. According to Michel Roux, vice president of Strategic Alliances at Gemplus, "Windows for Smart Cards-powered smart cards will rapidly become the de facto standard for network security and Internet applications. Close cooperation with smart card industry leaders such as
Gemplus will rapidly bring Microsoft technology at the highest level of performance and security to the enterprise, while taking full advantage of the seamless integration with Windows-based architectures and unsurpassed ease of application development."
Windows for Smart Cards and the Microsoft Windows family help
corporate users to obtain network assets quickly, securely and without
error. At a price of approximately $20 per card reader and a maximum
of $5 per card, Windows for Smart Cards is a smart, inexpensive way to
strengthen your corporate security. And simply by implementing Windows
for Smart Cards for security reasons, your business benefits from the
multitude of other functions that smart cards facilitate. These services
include payment functionality and storage of loyalty information, medical
and citizen information, and personal contacts. With Windows for Smart
Cards, Microsoft Windows, and Microsoft application programming
interfaces (APIs) and development tools, your business can be on its way
to success.
How the Windows for Smart Cards Platform Works
A smart card based on Windows for Smart Cards platform is really a
microcomputer without a graphical user interface. It enhances your
existing corporate network -- with Windows for Smart Cards, there is no
need to replace your existing system infrastructure. It works with the Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT® 4.0 operating systems and will be optimized for Windows 2000.
Windows for Smart Cards is often described as a key to a lock: The lock
protects your business data, and the key is customized for each user.
Windows for Smart Cards can be programmed with multiple keys. It can
be used to log on to a PC, to log on to one or more networks, and to
perform remote logons. By storing all of a user's authentication
information, one Windows for Smart Cards can gain a user admittance to
all their accounts: on the corporate network, within Internet chat rooms
or to financial institutions.
Windows for Smart Cards used with one or more of the Microsoft
Windows operating systems results in benefits known as the four Ps: It
enhances protection, improves productivity, increases profit and
facilitates promotion.
Protection
Corporate computers generally are configured to require a form of
authentication for logon purposes. Password authentication, the most
widely used logon security mechanism, is only as infallible as its users.
Users often share their personal passwords with friends and spouses.
Even the most reliable user may write a password on a slip of paper
where another can later discover it. If a user does not safeguard a
password, the network may be subject to concurrent usage of a user
account or, worse, may be unprotected against malicious break-ins.
Windows for Smart Cards can be used by only one individual at a time,
making concurrent account usage impossible. Because it is essential to
accessing the network, users are inclined to carry it with them wherever
they go, preventing malicious break-ins. The security officials at your
company determine the authentication mechanism used with Windows for
Smart Cards, whether it is as basic as a PIN or as advanced as
fingerprint recognition or retinal scanning. Windows for Smart Cards can
be configured with the appropriate security information for your network.
If the card is lost, no one else can use it to access the network because
only the owner knows the PIN or has the fingerprint or retina to match
the authentication account. Information and account balances are not lost
if the card is lost, because a user's information is replicated on each card
partner's server. When a replacement card is activated and inserted into
the card partner's network, the information is transferred back to the new card.
Like a bank or credit card, if a Smart Card is lost or stolen, an 800
number can be used to turn off the card, and a new card is issued. Unlike
a bank or credit card, a smart card can be produced at a branch office
for quicker turnaround.
Using the most secure crypto-algorithms, such as RSA, DES, 3DES and
SHA, and built on the most reliable chips, Windows for Smart Cards is
virtually inviolable.
Productivity
Windows for Smart Cards ensures a consistent experience for application
developers and end users. Application developers can use the
development and debugging tools they are already proficient with to
create applications for Windows for Smart Cards. And developers save
time by using Windows for Smart Cards. Unlike UNIX, which differs from
vendor to vendor, Windows for Smart Cards is a logical extension of the
Microsoft Windows operating systems and provides a consistent
development and run-time environment. By implementing Windows for
Smart Cards with the Microsoft Windows operating systems, developers
spend their time writing and debugging many diverse applications rather
than in the more time-consuming process of porting the same application
over and over again. And since the functionality of Windows for Smart
Cards is a logical extension of Microsoft Windows, end users need not
learn multiple techniques for employing the card. Windows for Smart
Cards is the key to interoperability in your organization.
Windows for Smart Cards used with one or more of the Microsoft
Windows operating systems can store personal contact information. By
using Windows for Smart Cards as a companion to the Microsoft
Outlook® messaging and collaboration client, you can transfer the
names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers of business associates
from a PC or network to the card. You can slip the card into your pocket
or wallet; then, miles and time zones away, you can insert it into another
computer running a Microsoft Windows operating system. Instantly, your
Outlook information is accessible.
With the appropriate hardware, Windows for Smart Cards can be used to
call a contact at the touch of a button, obtain a street address while
driving, or exchange contact information with another user of Outlook.
And, unlike e-mail attachments or floppy disks, Windows for Smart Cards
is tamper-proof, making it impervious to viruses, physical modification or
any other type of unauthorized access.
In fact, physical defenses are built into the hardware of Windows for
Smart Cards. It uses the software protection strategy of the access
control list (ACL), enabling information to be retrieved from the card only
if certain known principles (e.g., requester's identification, computer
identification, time of day) match information stored in the ACL. In
addition, Windows for Smart Cards utilizes an MS-DOS®-type
multipartition file system so that applications from different vendors are
stored separately. Vendors therefore can't obtain information from the
card that does not directly pertain to their application. ACL and file
partitioning, together with security libraries and mathematical algorithms,
collaborate to protect Windows for Smart Cards from unauthorized users
and the most invasive tampering ruses. If the card is tampered with,
either by consecutive incorrect PIN entries, electron microscope, sawing
open or any other method, it automatically implodes, rendering it useless
to meddlers.
Windows for Smart Cards also can be used to store medical information
and citizen accounts. Pharmacies could check a patient's card to verify
that the patient isn't taking medication that may interact negatively with a
new prescription. Using Windows for Smart Cards, a doctor's office could
bill a patient's insurance at the time of treatment, eliminating the need to
fill out countless forms at a later date and speeding payment of charges.
Furthermore, Windows for Smart Cards could be used to help distribute
food stamps, store traffic violations, and verify a consumer's age for
tobacco and alcohol purchases.
Using standard Windows-based APIs, vendors of Windows for Smart
Cards can customize the amount and type of information stored on a
card. For those loath to store their personal information on a card that
could be lost, the card can be configured as an identification mechanism
only. In such a case, medical and citizen information would reside on an
agency's server, and the user's Windows for Smart Cards would act as
the identity key.
Profit
With the advent of e-commerce, fraudulent behavior has increased.
Stolen credit-card numbers are used to purchase goods and services on
the Internet, where signatures are not required to prove identity.
Underage users can access information and entertainment intended for
more mature audiences. With Windows for Smart Cards, a Web site
administrator could ascertain the identity of a user signing in to a chat
room to ensure the safety of patrons. In addition, administrators of Web
sites containing adult content could ensure that only the intended
audience view material.
Internet merchants could implement Windows for Smart Cards to obtain
a digital signature when goods and services are purchased. Such a digital
signature would protect financial institutions as well, ensuring that only a
card's owner can make purchases with the card. Windows for Smart
Cards could be used in lieu of a bank or credit card in traditional
purchasing scenarios as well. By writing a financial application and storing
it on the card, a vendor can determine the payment method. Financial
institutions can write applications for Windows for Smart Cards that store
a prepaid value, deducting from it as purchases are made. Alternatively,
an application for Windows for Smart Cards could be written with the
same familiar Windows-based APIs developers already use to interact
with a server-side automatic billing program.
Promotion
Windows for Smart Cards can be used much like a credit card to
advertise your business and your corporate partners. You can also store
loyalty information such as airline miles and past purchase amounts
directly on the card. Or you can issue Windows for Smart Cards to your
customers and sell advertising space on it.
Unlike a credit card, however, Windows for Smart Cards is read-writable.
When your company's strategic alliances change, you don't need to
manufacture more cards; rather, you can change the advertisements and
loyalty information on the cards you have already issued.
Conclusion
With Windows for Smart Cards, Microsoft Windows operating systems and
Microsoft application development tools, you can better protect your
enterprise while experiencing the synergy of user productivity, corporate
profit and promotion.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, Outlook and MS-DOS are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United
States and/or other countries. Other product and company names herein
may be trademarks of their respective owners.
The information contained in this document represents the current view
of Microsoft Corp. on the issues discussed as of the date of publication.
Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should
not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and
Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented
after the date of publication. This document is for informational purposes
only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN
THIS DOCUMENT. |
