G&D Offers Middleware for the Secure Integration of Authentication Solutions Into IT Infrastructure

Munich – December 03, 2009. The new StarSign® Management Suite Client middleware offered by Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) enables various security elements such as smart cards and USB tokens for user authentication to be easily connected to company IT systems. The software acts as an interface between the security elements and IT security applications. The StarSign Management Suite supports all relevant smart card communications standards. With this middleware, G&D is one of the first companies to adopt the new ISO/IEC 24727 standard, which will play a significant role in the future, especially in public-sector smart card projects – e.g. the European Citizen Card.

Dr. Kai Grassie, Group Senior Vice President and Head of the New Business division at G&D, explains: “Particularly for companies which use a number of security elements, the new software will significantly reduce administrative time and effort while guaranteeing the same level of security. It will also obviate the need for additional investments in new hardware authentication solutions.”

Employed in conjunction with the G&D Mobility Token, the new middleware offers users the advantage of not having to install software on their computer, or even possess administrative rights. User authentication and encryption applications are stored on the token alongside the middleware and the smart card, and can thus be used on any computer.

But it is not only with tokens and smart cards provided by G&D that the StarSign Management Suite Client can be used. A Software Development Kit (SDK) also allows users to integrate cards and tokens supplied by third-party manufacturers into the middleware quickly and easily.

The StarSign Management Suite runs on almost all versions of the common operating systems (Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux). G&D’s middleware additionally supports the following communications standards: ISO/IEC 24727, PKCS#11 and CSP for Microsoft Crypto® API.

About Giesecke & Devrient:
Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) is a leading international technology provider headquartered in Munich, Germany. With a headcount of around 10,000 employees, the Group generated sales of EUR 1.7 billion in fiscal 2008. Founded in 1852, G&D is a global market leader and pioneering innovator in banknote production and processing, smart card solutions for telecommunications and electronic payment, and security documents and identification systems. 49 subsidiaries and joint ventures across more than 30 countries ensure customer proximity worldwide. For more information, visit our website at: www.gi-de.com.