Another new idea from BT and Microsoft

The BT/Microsoft union is beginning to look like a true romance. The team has announced another pilot scheme intended to make life easier for employees working away from the office.

This time, smart card technology is to be tested as a basis for easy remote network access.

BT currently has 30,000 people who access the company's network and intranet from PCs or laptops outside the office. This is done through a combination of passwords and randomly generated security codes.

In the trial, 500 of these will receive smart cards and readers that will be used in combination with a PIN. The Microsoft connection is through the use of Windows-based smart card software.

Smart cards have been used for some time in cashless catering systems, of course, and BT is aiming at broadly the same marketplace but coming from a different angle.

"Smart cards are going to be an important tool for businesses which want to exploit e-commerce," says BT's Steve Brown. "We will become a key player in this market by partnering other companies to provide technology and solutions."

Elliott Chase