Apple's Mac OS is the operating system of choice for a huge number of professionals. The ergonomic design and performance appeals to users across a range of market sectors, particularly within healthcare, design and publishing business segments. The continuing growth of the internet, and the increasing need for the integration of network connection systems has led to a demand for authentication solutions that work across a number of different operating systems. In direct response to this challenge, XIRING has developed a series of smart card solutions to serve the needs of professionals and individuals working within the Mac OS environment.

XIRING launched its Mac OS terminals for the French "SESAM-Vitale" healthcare system at last week's Apple Expo, held in Paris-Porte de Versailles.

XIRING "SESAM-Vitale" healthcare terminals for Mac OS XIRING chose a vertical approach to the launch, based on the integration of its "SESAM-Vitale" healthcare terminals. Georges Liberman, XIRING's President and CEO, explains XIRING's pragmatic approach to the challenges posed by working with different operating systems: "Between 15% and 20% of healthcare professionals are equipped with Apple computers. Until now, only a few terminals were compatible with Mac OS, so we decided to try to close this gap in the market. Apple users expect innovation and design, and by working closely with Apple we have been able to develop terminals that integrate with the Mac OS, thereby delivering a convenient solution for end users."

Having successfully modified its existing healthcare terminals range for use with the Mac OS operating system, XIRING is set to apply the same process to its authentication products for use with secure e-government services.

"Today, the success of a new generation of Mac OS personal computers has created a resultant demand for compatible solutions," explains Laurent Maitre, Marketing manager at XIRING. "In the future, the deployment of the electronic identity card will allow citizens to self authenticate, via a personal computer, in order to carry out administrative requests remotely, but only if the user's personal environment allows them to do so. Without our work in developing compatible devices, Mac OS users would effectively be denied access to a proven secure authentication solution."

The principle is the same for online banking: Banks and their customers require authentication solutions that are compatible with all major operating systems, enabling customers to access their finances and carry out transactions remotely. XIRING's O2S Banking Authentication offer is already compatible with the Mac OS operating system, allowing remote access for the growing number of Mac OS users via XIRING's secure and compatible authentication solutions.