All told, Norwood expects the initial investment to pay itself off in three years. Users who want access to information on the university's intranet, whether it be student financial records or shared faculty documents, must first insert their cards and enter a pass code. The card communicates with the firewall and determines the level of access due to the client. Without the card's token, access is prohibited. The SmartCat client software also allows users to encrypt parts or all of a notebook's hard drive.
Decryption can happen only with the proper smart card.
This feature, Norwood said, will have corporations champing at the bit. What is unique about the purse is that the cash in each purse can be used only for its specific purpose. For instance, students could not buy a hamburger with money in their book purse. It's a great way to track spending. It's the kind of incentive, the kind of compelling reason a company will need to justify using smart cards.