Subject: RE: A $25,000,000,000 PKI

From: Michael Zolotarev <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 18:18:32 +1000

Anders
You wrote:
>Why do you think network-centric computing and thin clients are the new 
favorites
>among IT-managers?  Because these solutions give them both control
>and convenience.

I just want to place my vote - it is difficult to disagree. Convenience 
rules.

With the advent of the 'thin client', when a terminal/mobilePh becomes just 
a secure empty-shell UI device, with the actual applications running on a 
host somewhere else, the whole idea of a physical 'flesh and blood' PKI 
client gets quite hazy. A server, running applications on behalf of 
thousands of devices, will inevitably come to host the PKI services as 
well, implementing some kind of VirtualCertificates, possibly employing 
private-key-servers etc. Because it is convenient.

However, the fact that a physical topology of the client changes, does not 
change the nature of the PKI-based solution. As Stefan Santesson wrote:
>Using this angle to view this kind of system design makes it quite clear
>that this design is simply a matter of local policy which by no means
>should affect general PKI standards and technical profiles.

The problem of securing the host may scare off a company A - only to clear 
the market for a company B.

BTW the 'lack of computation power' may not be a valid argument at all, as 
maintaining an Authenticated Secure Link between the thin client 
(CyberPhone) and the server may demand a great deal of 'computations' in 
the future  (and we all know that tomorrow's mobile devices will posses the 
power of today's supercomputers (some brass music here pls.).

Michael Z