News

Smart Cards Released for Windows 2000

• By Scott Bekker
• 03/10/1999

This will enable companies, integrators and developers to implement higher levels of security for Windows 2000-based applications using Schlumberger smart cards.

"Smart cards are ideal for high security applications like network logon, secure e-mail and secure remote access over the Internet," says Jason Garms, Windows security product manager at Microsoft Corp.

"Security-in-a-box just doesn't exist," says Merzad Madavi, director of information security for Schlumberger, North America. The Cryptoflex smart card has an advanced card operating system designed to ensure total integrity at the heart of any application. It offers public key cryptography combined with an expanded memory capacity for additional applications. The card provides a tool for secure access to a company's network, as well as the means to secure e-mail and Web communications over open networks via digital signatures and certificates.

The card's 8K of user-programmable memory provides space for a user's digital credentials -- such as pairs of keys and digital certificates -- to enable a high level of security for network access, as well as for important every day applications that require security, such as web browsers and e-mail.

The Cryptoflex smart card can operate in Schlumberger Reflex reader/writers, or any other PC/SC-compliant reader/writers. The PC/SC interface for smart card devices is a de-facto standard that facilitates integration of smart cards in applications developed for the Windows operating systems. -- Brian Ploskina, Assistant Editor