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Encrypted communication in compact cellphone format

The German system developer embedded brains has developed the hardware, mechanical components and power management strategy for the compact personal security device, genucard 3 from genucard GmbH, a German IT security specialist. With the device, mobile users can securely connect to and access the company network while on the road or from the home office.

The compact device can be easily connected via USB to any laptop or workstation and enables access to sensitive data in classified networks via a virtual private network (VPN). Compared to the previous version, the genucard 3 offers these advantages:

• Dual-band Wi-Fi for high-performance WLAN connection.

• Authentication via PIN entry directly on the device.

• Compact cellphone format.

High-performance WLAN connection

With genucard 3, employees can easily access government or company networks from their home office or while travelling: genucard can be connected to any laptop or PC and creates an encrypted connection (VPN) to the remote station configured in the network. Possible connection routes to choose from are WLAN including public hotspots, mobile telephony, and Ethernet. If multiple overlapping WLANs threaten to interfere with data transmission, genucard 3 uses dual-band Wi-Fi to switch to other frequency ranges.

User-friendly two-factor authentication

Users authenticate themselves for access to sensitive networks on the device by using a smartcard and entering a PIN. This makes two-factor authentication – a security requirement of the BSI – a user-friendly solution. An additional security feature of genucard is its standalone capability, since the solution runs on autonomous hardware with its own operating system. This way, genucard retains its functionality and protects the classified network, even in the event that the connected computer is compromised as a result of careless handling.

Central management means low outlay

Administration of genucards in use is carried out by a central management station. As a result, a large number of employees can be connected to classified networks with minimal effort. The German armed forces, government agencies, and security authorities, as well as companies operating in the security sector, have been using the previous version of genucard 3 on a large scale for several years.

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