Farpointe Data, the access control industry's trusted global partner for RFID solutions, announced that its Pyramid P-640 proximity card reader with keypad, P-620 mullion style proximity card reader with keypad and Delta6.4 smart card reader with keypad meet the impending requirements for 2-factor authentication as described by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) federal guideline. Two-factor authentication is achieved because the card is something you carry and the PIN (Personal Identification Number) is something you know.
Incorporating two-factor authentication
"Next year's deadline for incorporating the 2-factor solution is quickly approaching so we encourage our integrator partners to contact their federal contractor customers immediately," emphasises Scott Lindley, president of Farpointe Data. "Whether the customer prefers a proximity, standard size or mullion, or smart card reader with keypad, we are often able to help our access control system partners by shipping any of these models in no more than three days to their integrators, thereby assisting their federal contractor customers meet the deadline and not be subject to a fine."
The new NIST SP800-171 guideline states in Section 3.5.3 that federal contractors must "use multi-factor authentication for local and network access to privileged accounts and for network access to non-privileged accounts" or risk losing their contracts. This is to ensure only authorised individuals may have physical and logical access to critical assets. Strong two-factor authentication must be used for remote access to the networks, access to the physical security perimeter, access to the electronic security perimeter and access to specific critical assets.
Life-time warranties
The P-640 and P-620 proximity readers and Delta6.4 smart card reader carry lifetime warranties even though, in federal applications, many of the readers are slated to be used outdoors in dusty or humid environments. The card/keypad combinations are designed to meet IP67 certification and feature tamper-proof and weather-resistant epoxy potting to avoid problems with dust, mist or water. They work in temperature extremes from -40°F to +149°F (-40°C to +65°). With distinctive blue backlit keys, the 2-factor validation solutions are very easy to read in dark environments.
