NSA chooses an alternate to Fortezza card

The National Security Agency has chosen a smart card from Spyrus as an alternate to Fortezza cards to use as the basis for personal identification, authentication and encryption within the Defense Message System.

NSA will purchase 20,000 Rosetta smart cards for DMS users, the San Jose, Calif.-based company announced today.

While Spyrus' Fortezza cards are designed to meet the most demanding security requirements, the Rosetta card is designed for cost-sensitive applications that still require the high assurance of a hardware token, according to a company statement. Spyrus has been contracted to supply more than 361,000 Fortezza cards since the company was founded in 1992.

Although all cryptography functions for DMS users are now performed with Fortezza cards, the Rosetta smart card will be an alternate hardware token in the future for DMS users, according to the statement.

NSA officials chose the Rosetta smart card because it combines both the high-assurance capabilities of Spyrus' Internet security solutions with a cost-effective alternative, according to Sue Pontius, president and chief executive officer of Spyrus.