Crossroads 2002 A-List Award Winners

ActivCard, Inc.
Freemont, CA

Trinity
> Strong Authentication Technology

CUSTOMERS AT WORK

Every company is security-conscious in today’s world. Yet companies cannot impose security schemes in a one-size-fits-all manner. ActivCard’s customers are securing their IT environments without compromising how people work. A government agency, an IT service provider, and two leading financial institutions were among the reference customers. Common strategic objectives included:

§ Combining biometrics, strong authentication, and single sign-on strategies

§ Establishing access histories ready for short-notice audits

§ Lowering password-related support costs

WHY ACTIVCARD?

Companies work with ActivCard to manage diverse user audiences and a range of strong authentication strategies. ActivCard’s customers leverage the combination of the company’s biometric technology with the Trinity software framework. End users are authenticated through multiple methods (passwords, biometrics, smart cards, or tokens) via a single login. The Trinity administration console can be used in conjunction with enterprise LDAP frameworks or its own secure database. The open architecture of the Trinity product allows companies to implement strong authentication and single sign-on enterprise-wide.

BUSINESS IMPACT

Near-term value: ActivCard’s customers’ foremost concern is enhancing the security of their business-critical infrastructure. Additionally, customers have recouped their investment via double-digit reductions in help desk support costs.

Enterprise innovation: With tens of thousands of users and hundreds of applications, businesses burn execution time managing diverse security schemes. Companies simplify operations by migrating employees to a firm-wide access platform. A number of ActivCard’s customers are considering extending their use of Trinity beyond traditional desktop access to facility access management.

Technology gains: The creation of a credential database simplifies user access and long-term application provisioning. Adding a user becomes a function of configuring a profile that is matched with the user’s unique ID. Companies may continue to support a wide range of additional security measures, such as automated changes to passwords. At the same time, the system establishes a clear audit trail for outside verification. In the past, when faced with regulatory scrutiny, Trinity customers risked a huge interruption to their IT operations and even the business itself.

SUCCESS FACTORS

Project strategy: ActivCard’s customers emphasize the need for a thorough pilot, preferably with the most challenging desktop user population. Biometric technology continues to advance, and ActivCard’s customers report that only between 2 and 5 percent of users’ fingerprints may not register well with current technology.

Learning: Companies have addressed user concern over privacy by doing the following: 1. Providing full details about how the technology works; 2. Highlighting the operational benefits; 3. Maintaining an alternative login method. One company sweetened the prospects for single sign-on by allowing users to profile their access credentials for third-party Web application IDs as well as internal applications.

Resources: Companies should consider timing the introduction of ActivCard’s technology with major changes or upgrades to their desktop infrastructure.

Fit: Global companies wanting to secure high-value transactions or lower the cost of supporting a dynamic, distributed workforce should investigate ActivCard’s Trinity solution.

Published: January 2002

Note: In December 2001, ActivCard acquired Ankari Inc. under which Trinity was previously marketed and sold.

COMPANY INFO

ActivCard (NASDAQ: ACTI) is a public company with over 350 employees.
613.736.5100
www. activcard.com