The use of SafeSign and Tivoli Access Manager creates a stringent and tamper-evident audit trail. Tivoli Access Manager can demonstrate which resources have been accessed by each user, whilst SafeSign can verify every individual identity that has logged onto the system. Importantly, SafeSign allows detection of altered compliance records at a later date. The integrated use of both technologies creates a robust audit trail.

The integration of these two technologies has been recognised with the official membership of Thales to the IBM 'Ready for Tivoli' programme. Thales gained this approval after building a demonstration system in which Tivoli Access Manager and SafeSign were successfully integrated, and by supplying documentation giving step-by-step advice on how best to achieve this. Thales' pilot took just two weeks to implement and was demonstrated using Chip and PIN as the authentication method.

Peter Jopling, head of security management for the UKISA region, IBM, said: "The SafeSign interface to Tivoli Access Manager further extends our ability to support complex authentication environments. SafeSign provides multi-channel authentication supporting a wide range of digital certificates and two factor authentication which creates a compelling proposition."

Paul Meadowcroft, head of transaction security at Thales e-Security said: "Our customers, especially those in the banking and insurance industries, have demanded an integrated solution that allows authenticated identities to be mapped onto access control scenarios. Such a system is best practice in an environment where strong audit trails are now essential."