Juniper Networks, a network innovator, announced that it has partnered with Thursby Software to enable government agencies to use smartcard authentication on Apple iOS devices. Through integration with Juniper Networks Junos Pulse Secure Access Service and Thursby’s PKard software and card reader hardware, government employees can now use the same smartcards in use today for all levels of authentication — both physical and online — to connect to private or carrier mobile networks through their iPhones or iPads. Juniper Networks is the first vendor to offer seamless and secure authentication for remote access to government networks from mobile devices via simple smartcards. Other card readers that integrate with the Junos Pulse Secure Access Service include Precise Biometrics’ Tactivo and models from Identive. As the adoption rate of mobile devices, particularly Apple iOS devices like iPhones and iPads, in government has increased, the need for smartcard authentication for mobile devices has likewise grown, not just in U.S. federal agencies, but government agencies and ministries worldwide, according to a Juniper press release. In fact, the use of smartcards as a means of authentication has been mandated and incorporated into service by many different government agencies and ministries around the world. The latest technology partnership allows Juniper to address these same needs for other nations’ government agencies and ministries.
