Microsoft Corp. today announced the acquisition of Alacris Inc., a global provider of certificate management and identity assurance software products. The acquisition enhances Microsoft�s strategy of providing easily administered identity and access management solutions.

�Customers have told us that smart cards are becoming an increasingly important part of their authentication and authorization strategy,� said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of the Security Technology Unit at Microsoft. �Through this acquisition, we�re excited to gain technology that makes it easier for customers to take advantage of the smart card capabilities in Windows� with tools to simplify smart card life-cycle management.�

Today, Microsoft� Windows provides a best-of-breed platform for utilizing smart cards and other strong authentication technologies on the desktop through Active Directory � and Microsoft Certificate Services. However, enterprise customers are still challenged with the complexity of provisioning smart card hardware, deploying digital certificates, managing certificate revocation, and auditing IT pro and end-user activity. The key to successful smart card implementation is tailoring the infrastructure to the specific needs of the organization. Alacris� products address this need by delivering integrated solutions that provide simplified management and end-user experiences through advanced policy and workflow.