Secured Computing

Sun Microsystems,as part of a general plea for mass industry change centered on its integrated Project Orion architecture,took every opportunity to highlight its Java card technology during its SunNetwork conference last week. A Java card is essentially a smart card,a credit card with a chip on it,that you insert into a networked workstation. The card then authenticates you to a server, and your entire desktop environment is then downloaded to that desktop.

It sounds pretty neat, but the technology assumes that there is a Java card reader everywhere and that wireless networks are prevalent enough to let anyone securely and efficiently download his or her desktop environment anywhere in the world. That's a big assumption. For the moment, the Java card is handy for specific applications, such as giving consumers an intelligent credit card or patients an identity card to make sure they get the right medications in a hospital.

A more practical approach to the problem may debut this week from a startup company called Forward Solutions, a unit of PowerHouse Technologies Group. The company's approach is to give users a key-sized flash memory device that plugs into the ubiquitous USB port. Called Migo, the device is available in 128-Mbyte and 256-Mbyte versions and essentially stores a subset of a user's desktop.

When Migo is plugged into a system, it authenticates the user and loads that desktop subset so the user can work on those files on any Windows machine with a USB port. When the user returns to his or her machine, Migo synchronizes any file changes with the original system. Because it hangs on a key chain, Migo is only mildly intrusive and doesn't require a complete overhaul of a system infrastructure.

As we make computing resources more widely available across networks, authentication of users is going to be a huge requirement. But whatever the ultimate solution proves to be, the winning approach will most likely be the one that builds on what came before.

Are you listening? Do you agree? I can be reached at (516) 562-7477 or via e-mail at mvizard@cmp.com.