Microsoft’s Windows Server 2003 Combined with VeriSign’s Strong Authentication Services

The VeriSign exhibition space at the RSA Conference 2004

VeriSign will work with Microsoft to deliver authentication services that combine Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with VeriSign’s strong authentication services. VeriSign assures us that these services will significantly decrease the cost and complexity of deploying strong authentication across the enterprise.

“End-users will ultimately benefit from greater protection from identity
theft and other online threats and malicious activity through a more
rigorous authentication on the Microsoft platform” said to Help Net Security Judy Lin, executive vice president and general manager, VeriSign Security Sevices.

For end users, VeriSign’s strong authentication service uses and extends Microsoft protocols licensed as part of a strategic partnership announced in June 2003. This will allow for seamless provisioning of desktop PKI credentials to include additional strong credentials, such as One Time Password (OTP) tokens, PKI tokens, smart cards, and desktop PKI. These strong cedentials can be used in a variety of built-in Microsoft applications, such as secure VPN, WIFI access or secure email.

Additionally, this service will allow network administrators to use Microsoft Active Directory to manage users, and Microsoft Management Console to provision credentials. These components will then be linked to VeriSign’s highly scalable, reliable, and secure strong authentication service to validate 2-factored credentials. The combined solution will allow enterprises to deploy strong authentication in scale, leveraging their existing infrastructure, with minimal additional hardware or software.

VeriSign’s strong authentication service also includes one of the first reference implementations of the OATH architecture.