Breaking
News - Security:
Wireless Grid Network Access
Limited Only By The Imagination
A major new initiative to define specifications for world-wide access to
Wi-Fi
networks with smart card security and related capabilities is to be launched
with the creation of the Wi-Fi Smart Card Consortium. The major motivation and
benefit from Wi-Fi networks is increased mobility.
Unlike conventional network connections, network users can move about
almost without restriction and access Wi-Fi networks from nearly anywhere.
Examples of the practical uses for wireless network access are limited only by
the imagination of the application designer.
Wi-Fi hotspots enable handheld and laptop users to connect to the Internet
from public places such as airports, cafes and public libraries, or within
private enclaves such as corporations. Wi-Fi hotspots will grow rapidly, with
current projections anticipating several hundred million connections over the
next several years.
One major challenge that has hampered wireless Internet growth to date is
secure mobility management. This challenge can be resolved using smart card
properties. Indeed, smart cards can provide functions for world-wide Wi-Fi
security, quality of service, roaming, and related services. To reach this
goal, the Wi-Fi Smart Card Consortium will endorse existing standards and
define new specifications where needed to provide world-wide access to Wi-Fi
networks with smart card security, privacy, roaming, convenience, and related
capabilities.
"The world-wide potential of Wi-Fi can be unleashed by using smart cards
for security, roaming, and a full set of personalized services," says Bertrand
du Castel, Head of Smart Card Research at SchlumbergerSema and Pro Tempore
President of the consortium.
Gilles Kahn, vice president for Science of INRIA, the French research
organization that lends its prestige to launching and managing the initiative,
concurs: "Using smart cards for security and personalization is convenient, it
respects privacy, and it is arguably safe." The first plenary meeting of
February 4-5 in Paris will gather the founders of the organization.
Founder status will be granted to any member signing the founding charter
of the organization by the first day of the plenary session.
- SchlumbergerSema, Austin, Texas: Bertrand du Castel Pro Tempore, President ducastel@slb.com.
- Cisco, San Jose, California: Christophe Servais Pro Tempore, Chairman_Business cservais@cisco.com.
- Ucopia, Paris, France: Guy Pujolle Pro Tempore, Chairman_Scientific Guy.Pujolle@lip6.fr.
- NRIA, Rocquencourt, France: Laurent Kott, Acting General Secretary
Laurent.Kott@inria.fr.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems Inc is the worldwide leader in networking for the
Internet.
About INRIA
Founded in 1967, the French National Institute for Research in Computer
Science and Control works at the heart of the information society and networks
the skills of all French research and training organizations active in the
areas of Information Technologies and Sciences.
Consequently, half of the 95 research project-teams currently underway at
INRIA are being carried out jointly with universities, leading schools and
research organizations.
INRIA plays a determining role in four areas of research: networks and
systems; software engineering and symbolic computation; man-machine
interaction, imaging, data, knowledge; simulation and optimization of complex
systems.
With MIT for America and the University of Keio for Asia, INRIA is the
European leader of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
About SchlumbergerSema
SchlumbergerSema is one of two business segments of Schlumberger Limited, a
global technology services company.
With more than 30,000 employees serving customers in 65 countries,
SchlumbergerSema aggregates IT consulting, systems integration, managed
services and related products to the oil and gas, telecommunications, energy
and utilities, finance, transport and public sector markets.
Leveraging the Schlumberger DeXa Suite of Services, it also provides IP
network connectivity, information security solutions, grid distributed
computing support services and data center hosting services.
In 2001, Schlumberger revenues were $14.3 billion.
About Ucopia
Ucopia is a leading Wi-Fi start-up providing enterprise mobility management
software.
A pioneer in the use of smart cards in Wi-Fi networks, Ucopia has been a
driving force in the creation of the Wi-Fi Smart Card Consortium.
http://www.ucopia.com
http://WiFiSmartCard.org
http://www.slb.com
http://www.inria.fr
http://www.cisco.com
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