ISMANING, Germany, Dec. 6, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SCM Microsystems, a business unit of Identive Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:INVE) (Frankfurt:INV) and a leading provider of solutions for secure access, secure identity and secure exchange, today introduced ConCERTO, an innovative solution that allows the rapid and cost-effective addition of logical access security to existing physical access systems. The new solution combines SCM's new ConCERTO LOGON Manager, the Company's SCL series contactless card readers, and the widely used MIFARE™ DESFireTM EV1 platform from NXP Semiconductors (Nasdaq:NXPI) to enable a single credential to be used both for building access and PC/network logon.
"Increasingly, physical presence is a pre-condition for accessing data from a corporate network. For enterprises that already have a physical access system in place, the challenge is to protect their IT assets with logical access security that utilizes the same user credential and all the data associated with it. This can be a complex and expensive process. SCM's ConCERTO solution is an innovative, quick and cost-effective approach to combining logical and physical access that eliminates many of the barriers to a highly secure, integrated access management system based on one single credential," explained Dr. Manfred Mueller, Executive Vice President of Identive Group and CEO of SCM Microsystems.
The ConCERTO LOGON Manager and dedicated SCM hardware work together with the data structure on the MIFARE DESFire EV1 platform to enable employees to use one identification card (credential) both to physically access the building and log on to the company's network. Based on Microsoft® Windows®, ConCERTO LOGON manages the enrolment and logon process for users, including writing privileges onto the cards when they are issued and saving data onto Windows or the company's network systems for subsequent lookup and verification. Consequently, the physical presence of an employee can be verified before allowing access to the company's network. ConCERTO LOGON also keeps each logon transaction protected using AES-128 encryption, which is the preferred method of the National Institute of Security and Technology (NIST) for encrypting contactless communications. Users' data is additionally protected on the NXP chip, further minimizing the risk of data theft.
"We believe that state of the art access management systems should be based on Common Criteria certified ICs and rely on verified and open cryptographic algorithms for increased security," said Henri Ardevol, Vice President and General Manager of Secure Transactions, NXP Semiconductors. "NXP's MIFARE DESFire EV1 is a proven platform that meets these requirements, and opens the possibility to support multiple applications on a single card."
The ConCERTO solution can be quickly installed onto existing networks without other changes to the infrastructure. The solution's use of fully ISO14443 compliant technology and open standards and specifications also means that enterprise clients will be able to leverage the reuse of smart cards or key fobs, from SCM and other physical access vendors embracing open standards. ConCERTO LOGON Manager is available beginning in late December 2010 and available product bundles will include both desktop and mobile offerings.
About SCM Microsystems
SCM Microsystems, a business unit of Identive Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:INVE) (Frankfurt:INV), is a leading provider of solutions for secure access, secure identity and secure exchange. The company offers the world's broadest range of contact, contactless and mobile smart card reader and terminal technology, digital identity and transaction platforms, as well as systems that integrate physical and logical access control. SCM's smart card-based products and solutions are utilized around the world to enable security and identification applications, transaction systems, eHealth- and eGovernment programs and physical access systems.
Identive Group, Inc. is a leading provider of products, services and solutions for the security, identification and RFID industries. For additional information, visit and .
The SCM Microsystems logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=8073
Note: Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation and MIFARE and DESFire are trademarks of NXP B.V.
CONTACT: SCM Microsystems Annika Oelsner +49 89 9595-5220 aoelsner@scmmicro.com Identive Group Darby Dye +1 949 553-4251 ddye@identive-group.com