HID showcases HID on the Desktopâ„¢ logical access control solution at ISC West

HID on the Desktop, cost-effective solution supports risk-appropriate authentication for logical access

HID Global, the trusted leader in providing solutions for the delivery of secure identity, has announced the launch of HID on the Desktop™, a powerful set of logical access control solutions that can extend the reach of an organization's existing physical access infrastructure. Mirroring the secure and convenient user experience popularized by the company's physical access control platforms, HID on the Desktop delivers user-friendly convenience and improved risk management for secure access to Windows®. The solution will be showcased at ISC West 2009 as well as at international launch events.

HID on the Desktop represents a bold departure from the product positioning and value propositions offered by other strong authentication solutions on the market. Built out of a need to balance ease-of-use, cost and diverse security requirements, this economical solution allows organizations to leverage existing physical access cards, enabling physical access control integrators to use HID technology to provide customers with complementary logical access solutions.

HID on the Desktop solutions demystify strong (multi-factor) authentication for both the end-user and the administrator, enabled by the use of a single credential for both physical and logical access. A three-component solution (HID cards, OMNIKEY® readers and naviGO™ software), HID on the Desktop provides corporate enterprises with the flexibility to deploy the most "risk-appropriate" authentication method. Depending on the employee role or job function, a single system can be used to manage different methods of log-on security supporting two-factor authentication (using PIN and card).

A key innovative component of the HID on the Desktop solution is naviGO software, which extends the Windows authentication model to include HID PROX and iCLASS® contactless cards, allowing users the ability to use their existing HID access control badge to log on to Windows. In addition, naviGO allows card holders to manage their own enrollment, establish and manage their PIN and provides Emergency Access via Knowledge Based Authentication-all through a self-service application. naviGO also supports PKI based credentials including digital certificates on HID's Crescendo™ smart cards.

"Organizations implementing the HID on the Desktop solution will see significant improvements in terms of cost of ownership, ease of use and speed of deployment against other complex authentication methods on the market," said Anthony Ball, senior vice president, Identity and Access Management (IAM), HID Global. "Never before has it been so easy to have convenience meet security on the desktop."

HID Global is hosting HID on the Desktop launch tour events. The EMEA events will take place in Oslo (10 March), Prague (18-19 March), London (24-25 March), Paris (3 April), Amsterdam (5 May). Further live product demonstrations will be held at ISC West (Las Vegas, April 1-3), the Infosecurity (London, 28-30 April) and IFSEC exhibitions (Birmingham, 11-14 May).