RSA Security Unveils Smart Card Management System & Infrastructure for Governments and Enterprises Worldwide
RSA® Card Manager enables U.S. Federal Agencies to address HSPD-12/FIPS 201; empowers businesses to leverage Smart Card-based identity & access management strategies
BEDFORD, Mass., Nov. 21 / -- RSA Security Inc. (NASDAQ:RSAS) today announced the RSA® Card Manager solution, a card management system (CMS) that enables organizations to manage the lifecycle of authentication credentials stored on any smart chip-enabled device, including smart cards and USB-enabled two-factor authentication tokens. In the United States, the RSA Card Manager solution provides key infrastructure that allows federal agencies to meet the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) -- a mandate requiring federal employees and contractors to use a new standard (FIPS 201) for physical and logical access by October 2006. Globally, RSA Card Manager software provides a platform for businesses and governments to implement smart card-based identity and access management (IAM) solutions.
Comprehensive Smart Card-Based Identity and Access Management RSA Card Manager software enables organizations to implement smart card-based identity management, provisioning, authentication devices and policy enforcement -- increasing overall security, improving the end-user experience and addressing regulatory requirements. The solution serves the complete smart card credential lifecycle, including card and credential issuance, replacement and cancellation, as well as smart badging and applet management.
In order to further ease the credential management burden, RSA Card Manager software delivers a self-service web portal, allowing end users to perform smart card and credential management functions -- such as unlocking smart cards, requesting temporary credentials in the event that a smart card is lost, and handling digital certificate renewals -- without help desk support. RSA Card Manager software also provides a high degree of flexibility as the system integrates with either existing or future smart card or USB- based token deployments from a wide range of solution providers. Additional benefits include:
o Consolidating credentials for physical and logical access on a single card, which allows organizations to save money, ease the end-user burden and improve security; credentials consolidation also lessens the challenge of managing identities
o Connecting the process for granting and revoking physical and logical access, helping organizations adhere to regulations that require strong assurances of authentication and access control; auditing capabilities allow organizations to enforce and manage authentication and access control requirements
o Improving the end-user experience, increasing overall security and bolstering operational efficiency by linking secure, portable smart cards to other critical business applications, such as enterprise single sign-on (ESSO)
RSA Card Manager enables customers to leverage the solution within a broader IAM framework, and extend investments beyond short-term initiatives, such as regulatory compliance. Specifically, the combination of card management, ESSO and digital certificate capabilities -- available from a single vendor -- will reduce customer costs and provide tight technology integration. RSA Card Manager is integrated with RSA® Sign-On Manager ESSO software, which is undergoing development efforts to ensure FIPS 201 certification. In addition, customers leveraging RSA Card Manager software in conjunction with RSA® Certificate Manager solution will have a robust option for deploying digital certificates within a smart card environment.
U.S. Federal Government Market: Tackling the HSPD-12 Challenge
HSPD-12/FIPS 201 requires U.S. federal government employees and contractors to use a smart card -- called a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card -- for both physical and logical access. RSA Security's portfolio of solutions effectively serves government agencies striving to meet the October 27, 2006 deadline, which mandates that federal agencies must begin deploying FIPS 201 compliant technologies:
o RSA® Smart Cards provide the ability to deploy the PIV front-end subsystem that supports both physical and logical access
o RSA Card Manager serves as the PIV card issuance and management subsystem that enables customers to manage the smart card and credential lifecycles
o RSA Card Manager and RSA Certificate Manager enable organizations to implement an effective access control subsystem, including the ability to securely store credentials on a smart card, leverage digital certificates for logical access and manage ongoing digital certificate usage
RSA Security's smart card management solution is based on a strategic partnership with Intercede Group plc, a leading developer of smart card and identity management software. As part of this partnership, RSA Security acquired MyID(TM) technology from Intercede that will allow the company to provide deep product integration between RSA Card Manager and other RSA Security identity and access management solutions.
"RSA Card Manager software provides a broad-based platform for organizations seeking to effectively manage the lifecycle of smart cards and the credentials stored on them," said Bill McQuaide, senior vice president, Enterprise Products Division at RSA Security. "RSA Security is extending its position as a leader in providing the greatest flexibility and choice in technology solutions that enable customers to effectively secure their vital digital and physical assets, and we are also demonstrating our commitment to helping customers meet compliance requirements worldwide, such as HSPD-12 in the U.S."
Availability
RSA Card Manager will be available in December 2005. For more information visit rsasecurity.com/cardmanager. Further information regarding RSA Security's government solutions may be found at http://www.rsasecurity.com/governmentsolutions.
About RSA Security Inc.
RSA Security Inc. is the expert in protecting online identities and digital assets. The inventor of core security technologies for the Internet, the company leads the way in strong authentication and encryption, bringing trust to millions of user identities and the transactions that they perform. RSA Security's portfolio of award-winning identity & access management solutions helps businesses to establish who's who online -- and what they can do.
With a strong reputation built on a 20-year history of ingenuity, leadership and proven technologies, we serve approximately 19,000 customers around the globe and interoperate with more than 1,000 technology and integration partners. For more information, please visit http://www.rsasecurity.com/
Source: RSA Security Inc.
CONTACT: Courtney Hohne of OutCast Communications, +1-415-392-8282, courtney@outcastpr.com; or Dave Howell of RSA Security Inc., +1-781-515-6303, dhowell@rsasecurity.com
Web site: http://www.rsasecurity.com/
