Monday, October 1st, 2018 (Arlington, TX) – Today, the Air Force joined the early adopters in a leadership position by purchasing over 30,000 Apple and Android PKard® Readers for BYOD use from Thursby Software Systems, Inc.

Nearly two years ago the Navy Reserve took the initial steps in two distinct areas. First, they were the only branch to officially issue a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy for all members. Second, they were the first to enable the use of Common Access Cards (CAC) on mobile devices for all 58,000 of their service members. They are now joined by the Air Force, which is energetically leapfrogging this proven technology into the branch.

The PKard Readers are being purchased as part of a larger initiative to encourage and enable mobile use across the Air Force. Inspired by the Air Force Reserve’s RIO Connect IMA Mobile Wingman app, the Air Force Connect program was commissioned during a USAF SPARK Tank competition earlier this year. As part of this initiative, an application by the same name has been created for Apple and Android devices. Essentially the app version of AF Portal, this is designed as mobile users’ one-stop shop for all things Air Force.

The A.F. Connect app contains links to many different websites and resources that may be needed by Airmen. Among these are sites that require CAC authentication for access, such as Outlook Web Access (OWA). When a user selects one of these links they will be instructed to insert a CAC reader and are then transferred to Thursby Software Systems’ Sub Rosa® application for iOS or Android.

The Sub Rosa app comes bundled with all of Thursby’s PKard Readers. A secure, FIPS 140-2 validated, and DISA approved web browser – Sub Rosa facilitates user access to CAC enforced sites such as DTS. Included in Sub Rosa is an enhanced email client that allows users to sign, encrypt, and decrypt email (S/MIME) from OWA. With these key functionalities enabled, Airmen are able to complete mission critical tasks when in the field or simply away from their computer for a moment.

Air Force Connect will be providing cybersecurity training to select wings throughout the Air Force over the next several months. At each of these trainings a select number of Airmen will be given codes with which to redeem one of the over 30,000 readers purchased from Thursby Software Systems. After this initial pilot, the Air Force Connect team hopes to garner enough support to deploy a free Apple or Android reader to every member of the Air Force for use on their personal devices.

To learn more about this program, or to find out how you can develop something similar, reach out to Thursby Software Systems at +1 (817) 478-5070 or sales@thursby.com. With over 100 customizable features and policies, the Sub Rosa Suite of applications has something for everyone. Contact us today or visit www.thursby.com to learn more.

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About Thursby Software Systems, Inc. 

Thursby Software is an American company celebrating three decades of enterprise integration, management, and security specialization. For more information about Thursby Software and its products, please visit www.thursby.com.