News

Vista to support Gemalto smart cards

November 28, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. - Gemalto, a leader in digital security, and Microsoft Corp. have announced that Windows Vista will support Gemalto .NET devices.

According to a news release, enterprises can now replace weak username and password-based security with Gemalto smart cards and tokens, as well as deploy additional digital-security applications such as document-signature, physical-access control and employee e-purse services.

"Customers are asking Microsoft for ways to simplify deployment of strong authentication to enhance network and information security," said Sanjay Parthasarathy, a Microsoft corporate vice president. "We're pleased to be partnering with Gemalto to deliver .NET-based solutions that make it easier to deploy and manage smartcards for two-factor authentication, and certificate-based services such as digital signatures and file encryption."

Support for Gemalto's .NET technology is built into Windows Vista, allowing organizations to deploy and use these secure personal devices without any additional software or middleware. The microprocessor-based Gemalto .NET device runs a streamlined version of the .NET framework. It provides full cryptographic capabilities, customizable two-factor authentication as well as support for on-device services within the Windows environment.