Choosing Security Solutions That Use Public Key Technology

Network Security Solutions

You can use Windows 2000 to deploy a variety of information and network security solutions that take advantage of the benefits of public key technology and certificates. These benefits include the following:

Logging on with smart cards for local and remote network logon authentication through the use of extensions to the Kerberos v5 protocol and the EAP-TLS protocol.
Smart card authentication and storage of certificates and private keys.
Secure e-mail through the use of Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) clients and optional secure mail servers.
Secure Web communication with Internet Information Services through the use of SSL, TLS, or SGC.
Secure access to Web site resources with Internet Information Services through the use of certificate mapping to network user accounts.
Digitally signed software that ensures the authenticity and integrity of the software you distribute on an intranet or on the Internet.
Protection of folders and files with Encrypting File System through the use of file encryption, including the protection of portable computers for mobile users.
Optional authentication for IP Security communications that is based on certificates.
Cryptographic security through the use of a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-1–compliant cryptographic service provider (CSP).
Enhancement of security for secure mail and secure Web communication through the use of industry-standard smart cards or FORTEZZA Crypto Cards.
Custom applications and certificate services that meet special security needs.

You can deploy Windows 2000 Certificate Services certification authorities (CAs) to issue and manage certificates for your organization. You can also obtain certificate services from a variety of third-party vendors.

The following sections describe how you can use certificates and Windows 2000 distributed security technologies to improve network and information security. For more information about each technology, see Windows 2000 Server Help.