Java based integrated smart card solution

BANGALORE: Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced early access to the new Sun Java Card Enterprise Software, an integrated smart-card solution for enhanced network security. By bringing together key elements necessary to quickly deploy a Java Card infrastructure, Sun is dramatically lowering the costs and time required for smart card implementations. Underscoring its success in secure identity technologies, Sun also announced it has received the Frost & Sullivan Award for Market Leadership. With more than 600 million units deployed worldwide, Java Card technology is the platform of choice for ensuring privacy, trust and security on the network and is helping drive the expansion of the $120 billion Java economy.

"Java as a computing platform has gained the trust of the IT community and is fast growing in popularity as the preferred computing environment," said Karthik Nagarajan, senior smart cards research analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Sun Microsystems has been consistent in capitalizing on this development to promote Java Card technology. This enables the company's licensees to provide its customers not just with a smart card solution, but also an integrated larger solution to their authentication needs."

Java technology-based smart cards are increasingly being integrated into IT systems to improve physical and network security and to provide secure digital identity. Java Card Enterprise Software will allow interoperability of the Java technology smart card (Java Card) platform with different computing environments, helping reduce integration costs. This preserves the security and interoperability benefits of Java-technology based smart cards while radically reducing the cost and complexity of adding strong authentication to existing identity management solutions. Java Card Enterprise Software will provide application developers and integrators with helpful tools to easily integrate the Java technology smart card platform with the Sun Java Enterprise System and the Sun Java Desktop System, as well as with other legacy or optional identity management software.

Early access to Java Card Enterprise Software is available immediately, with general availability planned for Fall 2004.