Analysis: Physical/Logical Security Convergence: Page 6 of 30

Moreover, we believe FIPS 201 will have many indirect benefits. It can act as a framework for other PIV initiatives, providing everything from suggested component breakouts to unified terminology. The federal deployment also provides a test bed for convergence technologies--with the U.S. government absorbing all the early-adopter risk, organizations need only wait for the bugs to be shaken out and the technology to become mature.

But most important, FIPS 201 brings interoperability to the forefront: Integration is no longer a whimsical option--vendors must drop their proprietary ways and play ball or be left behind.

Even if FIPS 201 doesn't apply to your organization, it's still worth watching the game from the sidelines. Jeffrey Ross, Gemalto's vice president and general manager of the Identity group, says the company has seen a dramatic increase in inquiries for FIPS 201-like solutions from private-sector organizations. The No. 1 question: "Is FIPS 201 applicable to what we should be doing?" His answer: A resounding "Yes" for anyone contemplating convergence.

Don't Sell Your Project Short

If you use an OTP (one-time password) hardware token for network or application access and a proximity card for physical security, are you considered converged if your OTP hardware vendor embeds proximity chips into its tokens?