Smart Card Vendors Tout Windows Compatibility

Gemplus and Schlumberger are demonstrating this week the strides they have taken in compatibility with Microsoft Corp. operating systems.

At the Comdex computer industry exposition in Las Vegas, both smart card vendors are showing information security systems -- Gemplus' GemSafe and Schlumberger's Cryptoflex -- linked to Windows 2000.

All three companies are among the supporters of PC/SC, a specification for connecting smart card readers to personal computers. The GemSafe and Cryptoflex examples are the latest in a trend that has increased the likelihood of smart card deployments with PCs, initially for user authentication in corporate networks and potentially for consumer distribution.

Schlumberger said of its Comdex demo: "Users simply insert their Cryptoflex for Windows 2000 smart card into an industry-standard reader such as the Schlumberger Reflex 72." They then type in a personal identification number for "access to all of the Windows 2000 services. These include secure log-on, e-mail, Web access, and file encryption."

The 8K of memory in the card's chip is sufficient to hold data encryption keys and digital certificates to ensure high levels of transaction security.

In addition to showing GemSafe Enterprise Workstation, which was one of the first products of an independent software vendor to obtain Windows 2000 professional certification, Gemplus announced GemShield, a smart card interoperable with the 2000 operating platform.

-- Jeffrey Kutler

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