Microsoft Announces Hardware Logo Program For Vendors of Smart-Card Readers
REDMOND, Wash., April 27, 1998 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the creation of a hardware logo program for vendors of smart-card readers to help customers implement smart card-based security for commercial systems, virtual private networks and extranets. The logo program enables smart-card vendors to take advantage of the smart-card support in the Microsoft® Windows® and Windows NT® version 5.0 operating systems for user login as well as remote access.
Under the terms of the logo program, smart-card reader manufacturers will be able to submit their devices to the Windows Hardware Quality Laboratory, which will issue the logo after the unit has passed a suite of compatibility tests. End-user customers who purchase a reader with the approved logo would be assured that the hardware is supported by Windows.
Windows NT 5.0 provides native login support for smart cards as well as Public Key Infrastructure capabilities that incorporate smart cards.
“This logo program was created in response to the continued strong interest from our corporate customers who are interested in using smart cards for enhanced security in commercial systems, as well as for virtual private networks and other internal applications,”
said David Thompson, director of development at Microsoft.
“This logo program benefits our hardware partners as well as our customers because it provides a high level of assurance of compatibility for users of Windows NT 5.0.”
Major smart-card and reader vendors have announced support for the logo program, including Gemplus Corp., Schlumberger Electronic Transactions, Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems Inc., Litronic Inc., Bull CP8, SCM Microsystems Inc., AMMI, Giesecke & Devrient GmbH and Rainbow Technologies Inc. Details of the smart-card logo program can be found at http://www.microsoft/com/smartcard/ .
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