2003 Archive

Card Technology Magazine – October 21, 2003
Spanish Engineers Sweep Away Paper With Smart Cards
The Spanish association of civil engineers is issuing its 20,000 members smart cards carrying digital certificates so they can send blueprints electronically instead of in paper form. "The problem for us is we receive more than 20 million documents per year to review and approve," says Emilio Marin, chief technology officer at the Colegio De Ingenieros De Caminos, Canales, Y Puertos. He says the association invested $1.2 million to provide every engineer with a smart card, a cardreader and the software they need to digitally sign documents. When an engineer wants to sign a document, he or she inserts a card into a smart card reader attached to their personal computer, enters a personal identification number and the system creates a PDF file containing the engineer's digital signatures. A Spanish company, ipsCA integrated the digital signature feature into the Adobe Acrobat software that creates PDF files, and U.S.-based ActivCard provided the smart cards and software for the engineers' PCs.
For the complete article, visit Card Technology Magazine.

Computerworld – June 2, 2003
2003 Computerworld Honors Finalists
Each June for the past 15 years, organizations around the world have been recognized at the annual Computerworld Honors award ceremony at the National Building Museum in Washington. There were 60 finalists for this year's Computerworld 21st Century Achievement Awards – including ActivCard finalist award in the Business and Related Services category. A single multiapplication smart card implements highly secure authentication using techniques originally developed for the military, consolidating multiple building and computer-system access technologies into a system as simple as an ATM.
For the complete article, visit http://www.computerworld.com.

VARBusiness – April 30, 2003
Government VAR Access Makes Headway
It's all about access,the access federal government customers seek to both provide and exclude: allowing legitimate parties inside critical data systems and excluding those who'd abuse that privilege. And it's all about another kind of access: the key access VARs provide to vendors to deliver to those federal customers the very latest innovations in authentication-security solutions,one of the fastest-growing, in-demand IT industry niches in the government.

"The U.S. government is making an enormous investment in smart card-based ID badges for military and civilian personnel," says Ed MacBeth, senior vice president of marketing and corporate development at ActivCard, "and it's only a matter of time before that momentum rolls into commercial spaces. Industry leaders are demanding better security as part of business-process improvements and greater user convenience."
For the complete article, visit http://www.varbusiness.com.

Washington Technology – April 24, 2003
TSA Picks Maximus For ID Card Testing
Maximus Inc. has been chosen by the Transportation Security Administration to develop technologies leading to a national Transportation Workers Identification Credential card for workers needing unescorted access to secure transportation areas.

Maximus will work with several subcontractors, including EDS Corp., Plano, Texas; ActivCard Corp., Fremont, Calif.; Data Trac/SEI Technology Inc., Harrisonburg, Va.; Information Spectrum Inc., Annandale, Va., the acquisition of which was announced April 23 by Anteon International Inc., Fairfax, Va.; and ActCom Inc., Virginia Beach, Va.
For the complete article, visit http://www.washingtontechnology.com.

Federal Computer Week – April 24, 2003
TSA Awards Smart Card Contract
The Transportation Security Administration awarded a $3.8 million contract April 23 to Maximus Inc. to help develop a universal smart card for transportation workers.

The company will be working with several subcontractors, including EDS, ActivCard Inc., Data-Trac, SEI Technology Inc., Information Spectrum Inc. and Actcom Inc.
For the complete article, visit http://www.fcw.com.

SC Magazine: Products Section – April 2003
Smartcards and tokens may ease the user experience and tighten security on today’s distributed and complex networks
SC Magazine performed a group test to look at some smart card and token technology, from dynamic passwords to chip cards, USB tokens and even biometrics, with a broad spectrum of functionality and deployment flexibility. Some of this functionality might appeal to the individual user wishing to bring some automation to the drudgery of multiple passwords for different applications, while some will appeal to the busy system administrator seeking to simplify the logon process and reduce the password-related burden upon help desks. The ActivCard products are Recommended, due to the inherent flexibility and scalability offered by the range.

Card Technology & ID Newswire – March 19, 2003
Alstom shaves costs with smart ID cards
International power equipment manufacturer Alstom says it has cut 75% off the cost of administering remote network access through the use of smart ID cards supplied by ActivCard. The new software also makes the firm's staff much more mobile, as they can access the corporate network from any of the its 700 sites around the world.

Internet Week – March 18, 2003
ActivCard To Introduce Authentication Systems
ActivCard is introducing remote-access servers designed to cut costs and provide access through channels including terminal services and wireless networks. ActivPack AAA Server 5.2 and ActivPack for Windows 4.5, available now, provides secure authentication for Web access for terminal server login including Citrix MetaFrame and Microsoft Termian Services, secure wireless LAN access, and a secure Windows login that replaces standard Windows login with one-time passwords. The technology can use two-factor authentication devices including keypad tokens, soft tokens, USB keys, and smart cards.

CardTechnology.com – January 31, 2003
Hospital Strengthens Network Security With Smart Cards And Biometrics
Employees of the University of Connecticut Health Center used to carry up to six cards while at work, says Rob Bradner, the hospital's deputy CIO. "One card gets them into the parking lot, another gets them onto the computer network, and another is used for time and attendance," he says. "Some employees look like a tile salesman with flooring samples." The hospital wanted to integrate these card programs into one. It also wanted to test using a smart card that employees use with a personal identification number to access software applications on the computer network. It is using Datacard's ID Works software to issue the new ID cards to its 4,200 employees. The cards also may have a magnetic stripe or bar code to enable certain employees access to various parts of the hospital. Employees who need access to the hospital's computer network receive a Java Card-based ID card with a 16-kilobyte chip, says Bradner.
For the complete article, visit http://www.cardtechnology.com.

Computer Reseller News – January 31, 2003
New Products Section
ActivCard, a maker of identity management software based in Fremont, Calif., unveiled Trinity, single sign-on software with native multi-factor authentication, including biometrics, smart cards, and tokens. CRN’s Marcia Savage interviewed ActivCard’s David McNeely about Trinity. She observed that the product can manage multiple methods of authentication and that ActivCard is targeting Trinity at large U.S. federal agencies, financial-services firms, and other large enterprises.
For the complete article, visit http://www.crn.com.

SC Magazine Online – January 30, 2003
ActivCard Offers Multiple Authentication Management
Identity management developer ActivCard has introduced a new secure sign-on software solution called Trinity that integrates multi-factor authentication. The Fremont, California-headquartered company says the software can centrally manage user authentication policies including smartcards, fingerprint biometrics, hardware tokens and passwords. The technology, the firm says, has been designed so that authentication can be given at the initial sign-on or on an application-by-application basis. SC Magazine reporter Ileana Armstrong interviewed Senior Product Marketing Manager David McNeely for this story.

eSecurity Planet.com – January 28, 2003
ActivCard Aims to Simplify Single Sign-on
ActivCard on Monday announced software that integrates multiple authentication techniques to simplify the process of providing secure, single sign-on access to enterprise systems and applications, as well as to Web sites and resources outside the control of IT.
For the complete article, visit http://www.esecurityplanet.com.

Channel Business – January 28, 2003
ActivCard Unveils SSO with Biometrics
Channel Business covered ActivCard’s recent Trinity announcement: ActivCard has launched what it claims is the first complete secure sign-on solution with biometrics. The identity management software (IDM) provider said that the solution – called Trinity – integrates advanced authentication techniques including smart cards, fingerprint biometrics, hardware tokens, passwords, or combinations of these methods… Eric Ogren, senior analyst at researchers Yankee Group, says: "Single sign-on (SSO) has been the security elixir for curing users of having to remember multiple passwords and offering relief to IT help desks from synchronizing passwords. Trinity's portable multi-factor authentication strengthens the security features of SSO…"

ComputerWire Breaking News – January 27, 2003
ActivCard Releases Trinity Single Sign-On
ActivCard Inc will today unveil Trinity, a single sign-on system that the company says is the first to incorporate biometric authentication, password management and single sign-on into one client-server system. Ed MacBeth, senior VP at ActivCard, said Trinity is "right in line with the requirements we're seeing in a lot of the RFPs [requests for proposals] we're seeing" from companies that want to simplify their employee identification systems. The client software stores centrally administered passwords for local and remote applications and sites, allowing the user to authenticate just once for access to all and helping to reduce help desk costs associated with forgotten passwords.

ANG Newspapers – January 20, 2003
Smart Cards Joining Army
SMART CARDS, identity cards powered by computer chips, have been hanging from the necks of G.I. Joes along with dog tags for the last couple of years now, supported by software developed by ActivCard in Fremont. In fact, the federal government is deploying smart cards to organize the ranks of the whole military and the civil service. With increased emphasis on homeland security not only for the government but for the private sector as well, ActivCard will be an active bidder for such business, the company's executives said. Francine Brevetti interviews Ed MacBeth, senior vice president of marketing, ActivCard and Defense Manpower Data Center Deputy Director Rob Brandewie, and writes about ActivCard’s government business, reincorporation as a US company and how smart cards will roll-out to broader segments of the population.

Digital ID World – January 20, 2003
CAC: Government Project Alters Identity Technology
ActivCard's pivotal role in working with the Department of Defense to develop the specifications for the Common Access Card program is highlighted in the following Digital ID World article. The article points out that ActivCard was an early player that developed new core technology based on the project design that is just now being commercialized and productized for private industry adoption.
For the complete article, visit http://digitalidworld.com/.

Washington Technology – January 13, 2003
Wanted: Solutions
Many Silicon Valley companies are hoping to sell IT security solutions to the newly formed Department of Homeland Security for its new security and e-government initiatives. ActivCard's Ed MacBeth talked with reporter Gail Emery about ActivCard's experience in selling its digital identity management software and solutions to large federal government agencies and what it takes to succeed.
For the complete article, visit http://www.washingtontechnology.com/.

IT-Reseller Magazine – January 8, 2003
ActivCard and Precise Biometrics Expand Cooperation To Meet Demand For Biometric Smart Card ID Badges
ActivCard and partner Precise Biometrics describe how ActivCard will leverage Precise Match-on-Card capabilities to add fingerprint verification as an additional security factor to strengthen the PIN-based authentication of smart ID cards managed by ActivCard Gold™ 2.2 client software. ActivCard now has the industry's first complete portfolio of biometric authentication technologies incorporated into its IDentity Management (IDM) software and digital identity card solutions portfolio. The portfolio now includes ActivCard Gold Match-on-Card in addition to Trinity™ Secure Single Sign-On Solution Match-on-Server; Trinity Match-on-PC; and the industry's first and only FIPS-validated Match-on-Card smart card applet.