Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Identix (IDNX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hockeyfan who wrote (14170)	7/6/1999 4:55:00 PM
From: David	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 26039

Zeroing in on the potential Novell connection . . . On May 13, IDX released an information-laden "press advisory" that mentioned that its IDT software worked with Novell Netware. It also noted: "The BioLogon 2.0 Software Developer's Kit employed to demonstrate: . . . "Fingerprint/Smartcard logon to Entrust PKI network - replaces PIN access and enhances security with biometric solution" We wondered why IDX would be using Entrust rather than Verisign, the industry leader. Well, here's a clue from the May 15 issue of LAN Magazine, which discusses Novell Netware 5 security features: "Everybody's talking about it. Security is the topic that appeals to people's apocalyptic sides, yet its importance can't be underestimated. Novell has joined the discussion by introducing a slew of new security features and products with NetWare 5, creating a new security infrastructure based on Novell Directory Services (NDS). "This new security package includes everything from PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) integration to single sign-on, from partnerships with Entrust Technologies to algorithm policy managers. . . . However, Novell does face obstacles. For one, support for Entrust Technologies in the software development community is still fairly limited." I.e., Novell is Entrust-compatible and therefore IDX is Entrust-compatible. The story, however, also notes that "Novell is working on supporting several other vendors' PKIs in addition to Entrust's." So Verisign may be next. Here's some more on single sign-on as part of Novell Netware 5's Secure Authentication Services, from the same story: "Novell has also promised two significant enhancements for future versions of SAS. First, in the second half of 1999, developers will be able to use SAS to SSL-enable server-based applications, such as Web servers. (Today, SAS works only with NDS.) "Second, in the second quarter of 1999, a modular authentication framework is expected that will support multiple authentication methods and technologies, such as SOCKS, Kerberos, tokens, smart cards, and biometrics. Today, SAS only supports SSL . . . . Strong authentication technologies can already be implemented at Novell clients, but the NetWare server (or, more precisely, NDS) is not aware that they are being used. Presently, NDS understands only NDS authentication. The new framework allows NDS to be aware of other forms of authentication. This could make it possible, for instance, to give an employee different levels of access depending on whether the employee used a token or just a password to log in. "Also in the second quarter of 1999, Novell will add support for client-side authentication in SSL, so that the LDAP server can also confirm the identities of users. This is important, for instance, for Extranet applications, in which a company may wish to make sure that the person coming in to the corporate network over the Internet is really the partner or supplier he claims to be." ======================= This story is beginning to come together.