PKard for Mac FAQ

• Why is a smart card hardware reader required?

  Apple's iMacs and Macbooks, don't have smart card readers built in.   They are compatible with Mac external smart card readers from companies such as HID Omnikey and Identive Infrastructure SCM.  With older card readers, a firmware update may be required, even if they seem to work fine on PCs.

• Why is Thursby's software required for the reader?

  Thursby offers ready-to-use software with support, maintenance and guaranteed functionality and security.   Apple's Lion OS X has no built-in smart card support.   Snow Leopard had some smart card functionality for older cards only.   There are some open source web downloads of widely varying quality that may or may not work for all cards, all operating systems and updates.   They are typically quite specific in offering no support, no maintenance, no guarantees of functionality or security i.e. at your own risk in the widest sense.   The security, functionality, support and legal challenges of such software caused Apple to drop its own smart card support and recommend that users deal with smart card specialists such as Thursby Software.   Thursby developed smart card support for the Apple platform in Tiger, originally for the US Army, and has constantly updated the software for new cards and OS X releases over the intervening years.

• Bookmarking

  We've many popular secure sites built in and it's easy to add new ones. We aim to add more built-in sites for every up update.

• Can Thursby work with non CAC/PIV smart cards?

  If you have a smart card of type ABC from vendor XYZ that is not CAC, PIV or PIV-I, we may still be able to help you.    We typically need to know -

  How many devices are you looking to support with the cards?
  Do you have test cards and full specifications available?
  Do you have test sites, success criteria and time-lines against which to test?