Review: Entrust USB Token

Entrust is known for its expertise in managing and securing digital identities, and the Entrust USB token is a two-factor authentication product worthy of the company's reputation. The token is based upon the Rainbow Technologies iKey 2032 device, a proven product.

The USB token is used to store the user's digital credentials, including their Entrust digital certificates and keys. It can be easily connected directly to the USB port, but a neat USB extension lead with a 'docking station' is also supplied should the port be difficult to access regularly. When accessing a protected application, either within the enterprise campus or externally ,the user, having connected the USB token, simply enters their unique PIN and the appropriate digital credentials are passed to the network.

The token features 32kb of storage specifically for digital certificates and keys and is FIPS 140-1 level 2 (Federal Information Processing Standard) certified and compatible with PKCS 11 (Public Key Cryptography Standards) as well as Microsoft CAPI. It is also USB 1.1/2.0 compliant.

One hurdle with the use of keys and certificates within a PKI infrastructure is their ongoing management implications and their 'complexity' to those unfamiliar with the concept. This is addressed with a simple USB-token approach.

In testing, it was notable that the necessary drivers and software at the client end installed faultlessly.

Using the Entrust web facilities, a digital identity was created easily and quickly for test purposes, enabling access to the protected area of the site in an intuitive manner which would present no problems for the vast majority of users.

This usability is of course one of the perceived benefits of a well conceived USB token solution and Entrust have implemented their version of this idea very well, ensuring that the benefits of strong authentication, digital certificates and, where appropriate, digital signature and data encryption can be realized without exposing the user to unnecessary complexity.

In this product, we have a solid, standards-based approach using proven technology that is versatile enough to satisfy the requirements of many at a reasonable cost.

For:

Ease of installation and setup.

Very little.

A sound token-based two-factor authentication solution from a leading supplier.