ActivCard Extends Microsoft Relationship
ActivCard S.A. plans to extend its ActivCard Gold smart card client software and ActivPack for the Microsoft Windows operating system to fully embrace Windows 2000, Active Directory and Windows for Smart Cards platforms.
ActivCard currently ships ActivCard Gold and ActivPack for Windows NT, fully supporting Microsoft’s current smart card interfaces, enabling one-time-use passwords to authenticate users to a Windows NT-based domain server, Windows NT-based RAS, and Microsoft IIS Web pages and enabling the smart card-based use of popular PKI digital certificates and private keys with Microsoft Internet Explorer and Outlook. ActivCard Gold enables Windows login to become "smart card aware", requesting a username and PIN, rather than username and password, when a card is inserted into the smart card reader. This brings enhanced security to the overall system and provides users with the simple experience of using an ATM when logging into their Windows Workstation.
Extending on the current relationship, Microsoft and ActivCard plan further integration of their technologies directly taking advantage of the Windows2000 embedded support for smart cards, the Windows for Smart Cards and Microsoft’s Active Directory. Combining ActivCard’s digital identity and credential management technology with Microsoft’s new card platform and directory services will accelerate the deployment of new e-business services.