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Why Signal Identity Manager™?
Why PKI?
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a system of digital certificates, certification authorities (CAs), and registration authorities (RAs) that verify and authenticate the validity of each user involved in an Internet transaction. This is achieved through the use of key pairs, called public and private keys.
A personal digital certificate:
- Makes your personal public key available to other people, so they can send you encrypted messages that only you can read using your private key; other people can't read these encrypted messages.
- Certifies your identity when you send messages to others or interact with other applications; in other words, certificates offer proof that you are who you say you are.
PKI complements the Microsoft Windows secret key infrastructure and integrates with more security services across distributed environments.
Why Microsoft PKI?
The Microsoft PKI—Windows Server 2003 Certificate Services, Enterprise Edition—operates in Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 domains, where many Microsoft Windows products already make use of certificates natively for:- Virtual Private Network (VPN) authentication
- Encrypted File System (EFS)
- Network authentication of users and machines
- Internet protocol security (IPSec)
- Web authentication
- Smart card logon
- Secure email
- Code signing
- User signatures
The Windows Server 2003 Certificate Services, Enterprise Edition:
- Enables custom PKI implementation
- Includes extensive PKI support for Windows Server 2003 and Windows 200 Server domains
- Provides increased availability as a result of reduced cost and ease of use
Why Signal Identity Manager?
While Windows Server 2003 Certificate Services allows enterprises to create custom policy certificates that address specific business needs, it lacks scalability, flexibility, smart token management, and requisite audit mechanisms that are essential for corporate governance. Signal Identity Manager:- Is a high assurance alternative to the MMC console of the Windows Server 2003 CA; enabling installation onto the desktops of the people responsible for registering or administrating certificates.
- Provides a scaleable infrastructure; Signal Operators are assigned permissions for those certificate operations they can perform and for which groups (departments or communities).
- Extends the registration process by integrating the concept of evidence capture; similar to the process of obtaining a valid passport.
- Natively supports the personalization and issuance of certificates onto smart tokens; these provide strong multi-factor authentication to better secure data and network access.
- Offers certificate management options to customize life cycle support; meeting corporate policies and procedures from registration through to termination.
Signal Identity Manager is the SPYRUS solution that offers complete integration with Windows Server 2003 Certificate Services. Choosing Signal Identity Manager for your smart token and PKI management system will help you take full advantage of existing Microsoft Windows enterprise functionality.
The dual functionality of a registration authority and Token Management application combined with the latest in Microsoft technology makes SPYRUS Signal Identity Manager the most integrated and functional identity management solution available.
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