ABSTRACT
Smart cards are fascinating creatures of technology. They literally hold the key to enhanced security. One of the many challenges to information security is controlling access to resources such as information, applications, services, or system devices. Today, username and password combinations are the norm for authenticating users, but this approach represents a fundamental weakness in security. Poor password usage and a myriad of potential exposures are beginning to become a significant hurdle in applying meaningful security controls in the ever-increasing complexity of information technology. As businesses place greater demands on information access and availability to a growing number of disparate entities, username and password combinations will simply not keep up. Not only do smart cards provide a mechanism to ensure long-term scalability and functionality for controlling access, but they also provide business-enabling services. It is within this context that the virtues of smart cards are discussed in this chapter, which examines some of the key benefits of smart cards and demonstrates how organizations of all types can leverage the technology to significantly improve security in many areas.
