July 1, 2026

Setting Up Smart Card Authentication

For added security, you can configure a Connection Server instance so that users and administrators can authenticate by using smart cards.

A smart card is a small plastic card that contains a computer chip. The chip, which is like a miniature computer, includes secure storage for data, including private keys and public key certificates. One type of smart card used by the United States Department of Defense is called a Common Access Card (CAC).

With smart card authentication, a user or administrator inserts a smart card into a smart card reader attached to the client computer and enters a PIN. Smart card authentication provides two-factor authentication by verifying both what the person has (the smart card) and what the person knows (the PIN).

To use smart cards, client machines must have smart card middleware and a smart card reader. To install certificates on smart cards, you must set up a computer to act as an enrollment station. See these topics in this section for more details.

Note: Internet Explorer is not a recommended Web browser for smart card authentication. For a list of recommended and supported Web browsers, see "Horizon Console Requirements" in the Horizon 8 Installation and Upgrade guide.

For information about whether a particular type of Horizon Client supports smart cards, see the Horizon Client documentation on the Omnissa Product Documentation portal.

For information about Active Directory, hardware, and software requirements for implementing smart card authentication, see the Horizon 8 Installation and Upgrade guide.

For information on planning and implementing smart card authentication for Windows systems, see the Microsoft TechNet Web site.

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Setting Up Smart Card Authentication

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