IBM and four partners have announced what they call a
"major breakthrough" in identity management designed to help
business and government agencies protect assets, including IT
systems and physical facilities, from unauthorised
users.
IBM's Kent Blossom, director of the company's safety and
security services, called the new smartcard-based system a
"first-time ever" combination of a variety of physical and virtual
security measures.
The new system - using IBM's Tivoli ID management software and
products from ActivCard, Bioscrypt, ImageWare Solutions and
VeriSign - allows clients to link biometric security, such as
fingerprint scans, with applications and networks.
In a demonstration, IBM employees created a smartcard within
minutes that could be used with a fingerprint scan for a company
employee to gain access to a building and to the employee's
computer. The card can also be used as a traditional swipe card to
gain access to a lunchroom meal plan or a company parking lot. The
smartcard could contain several other applications, including
digital certificates.
Instead of an employee entering passwords to gain access, the
smartcard contained the passwords. Each smartcard can be programmed
to give individual employees access to facilities or networks they
need, Blossom said.
The new ID management suite allows customers to simplify
identity management and authentication processes, according to
IBM.
Lost employee passwords can cost up to $40 (£22.50) per
help-desk call, and password problems can take up 30% to 50% of a
company help-desk's time, Blossom said.
"There's a big cost for this whole password management issue
that we haven't been able to get our arms around, and that's lost
productivity," he added.
US government regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley are requiring
companies to adopt new security measures, Blossom said.
The White House has also required all government agencies to
issue "secure and reliable forms of identification" for their
employees and contractors, he noted.
IBM also announced a new laptop with a fingerprint scanner built
in, the new T42 model.
The ID management suite is available immediately through IBM
Government Security Consulting. Pricing depends on what products
are ordered; the suite can include security cameras, card readers
and other devices.
Grant Gross writes for IDG News Service