I am excited to announce that Centrify has added Smart Card login as a core feature of our Cloud Identity Platform supporting both the Centrify Identity Service as well as the Centrify Privilege Service. Smart Cards in physical form (CAC/PIV), derived credentials, virtual smart cards as well as USB PKI Keys (such as Yubikey or SafeNet eToken Pro) can now be used to login to your agency’s personalized Centrify cloud portal for access to SaaS applications as well as privileged user access to authorized servers and networking devices.
US Federal agencies are increasingly adopting and migrating to cloud-based applications as directed by the US CIO’s Cloud First strategy which the GSA Cloud Computing Services Program Office helps these agencies with the acquisition of cloud services. Most agencies are starting with Email as a Service with offerings such as Office 365 or Google Mail.
Smart Card login has long been required form of authentication starting with the Presidential directive HSPD-12 which was reinforced by the OMB M-11-11 and most recently as a part of the 30-day Cybersecurity Sprint. Smart Card login is also being mandated for all privileged user access as part of the OMB Cybersecurity Strategy and Implementation Plan (CSIP) as defined by OMB M-16-04.
Centrify customers can now define an authentication policies that requires Smart Card PKI Certificates for login access to the Centrify cloud service for environments which require strong authentication.
Users authenticate to the User Portal by having their PKI Smart Card or PKI USB Key plugged into their computer and unlocked with their PIN. At login to the Centrify cloud service, the user will be prompted for their PIN if they have not unlocked the smart card recently and then asked which certificate to use if there is more than one available.
You can get started today with a free trial of Centrify Identity Service or Centrify Privilege Service. And if you are already a customer and want to try Smart Card login, simply contact your Centrify account team.
You can also learn more about Centrify solutions for Smart Card login on Mac OS X and our Federal Solutions.