Last year, my Directory Services newsletter highlighted both Novell's Modular Authentication Service and products from Biometric Access Corp. Now the two have been brought together with the promise of increased security for your network.
At the recent RSA security conference, the companies announced that Biometric Access would immediately support NMAS for its SecureTouch Login Method, a fingerprint authentication technology. Biometric Access joins a growing list of NMAS partners (ActivCard, Applied Biometrics, Arcot Systems, BioID, Cherry Corp., Compaq, Identix, RSA Security, SAFLINK, SecuGen, VASCO, Entrust Technologies, Smart Trust, Systemneeds and VisionSphere) supporting NMAS. This provides you with a rich selection of choices to improve the security of access to your network and its resources.
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At the same conference, Novell revealed details of NMAS 2.0, due out late next month. The major new feature for NMAS is the inclusion of public-key infrastructure (PKI) certificates as an authentication method (in addition to the password, smart card and biometric methods in NMAS 1.0). NMAS will enable PKI through the use of X.509 digital certificates from vendors such as Entrust, VeriSign, RSA, and Baltimore Technologies. Since Novell's eDirectory products also include a certificate server, the new NMAS will include a built-in service that validates user certificates, providing more enhanced security.
If you haven't evaluated NMAS for your network, you should. And if you're looking for biometric authentication, the products from Biometric Access are well worth a trial.
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Dave Kearns is a writer and consultant in Silicon Valley. His most recent book is "Peter Norton's Complete Guide to Networks" published by SAMS. Dave's company, Virtual Quill, provides content services to network vendors: books, manuals, white papers, lectures and seminars, marketing, technical marketing and support documents. Virtual Quill provides "words to sell by..." Find out more at Virtual Quill or by e-mail at info@vquill.com
NetWare archive
Past newsletters.
Network World Directories Newsletter,01/24/01
Novell's Modular Authentication Service
Network World Directories Newsletter,01/24/01
Facial scanning
Network World Directories Newsletter,06/05/00
Biometrics and privacy
Network World Directories Newsletter,06/05/00
