RSA SecurID Gets Smart

The vendor's SecurID ComboReader functions as a SecurID token for two-factor user authentication. But it also works as a standards-compliant smart-card reader.

The device gives customers an easy avenue for future deployment of smart cards for user authentication, said Ted Kamionek, SecurID senior product manager. The biggest objection businesses have to implementing smart cards is the need for separate readers, he said.

The ComboReader can be configured to work as a card or pinpad-type token and works with RSA's authentication server, ACE/Server. The product comes with a USB or serial cable to connect it to a Windows 98/NT or Windows 2000 workstation and a CD-ROM with software drivers to use it as a smart-card reader.

"It's going to be a great upgrade path for our customers," said Steve Stasiukonis, president of Secure Network Technologies, a security solution provider and RSA partner in Syracuse, N.Y.

"This will allow them to migrate to smart-card technology cost-efficiently," he said. "The way this product is being leveraged, it gives customers a perfect opportunity to go from one technology to another without a huge investment."

Pricing for the ComboReader is about $66 for each token in 1,000-volume quantities.