RSA to release smart card management system

RSA Security is introducing a new product, which will be available next month, to help its customers manage their chip-enabled identity-authentication credentials, the company announced today.

RSA Card Manager handles the entire life cycle of smart card credentials, from issuance to replacement to cancellation, RSA officials said.

The product also includes a self-service Web portal that allows users to perform functions, such as requesting a temporary smart card if an original is lost, without needing to contact the help desk.

RSA Card Manager allows customers to combine physical and logical access information in one card, company officials said. This improves security, saves organizations money and helps them follow federal requirements for credentialing and auditing, according to the company.

RSA Card Manager will help federal agencies meet the requirements of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), a mandate from President Bush that all federal employees and contractors have secure credentials for physical and logical access to federal facilities, RSA officials said.

HSPD-12 requires all identity credentials for federal employees and contractors to begin deploying smart card credentials that follow the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201 by Oct. 27, 2006.

FIPS 201 requires agencies to conduct background checks on all new federal employees and a potentially large number of federal contractors before issuing identity credentials.