Gates also spoke about the work Microsoft is doing with the industry in support of Identity Metasystems, a platform-independent architecture for securely sharing information between users and Web sites.
Among the other enhancements that Microsoft is making to enable better authentication are enhancements to ActiveDirectory. Going forward, expect to see Active Directory providing enhanced support for domain and directory services, strong credentials, access control and single sign-on, federated identity, information rights protection and auditing, the company said in a statement following Gates' keynote.
"As a first milestone in delivering against this vision, Microsoft is aligning all of the identity and access capabilities available in Windows Server around Active Directory to help customers simplify deployment and administration, lower the total cost of ownership, enhance security, and streamline compliance," the release said.
Microsoft also announced the first beta of Microsoft Certificate Lifecycle Manager for provisioning, configuring and managing digital certificates.
Cheney shooting incident fuels comic relief
Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident has already provided rich fodder for late-night comedians. On Tuesday it provided fodder for two keynoters at the RSA Conference. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates started his keynote with a jab at the vice president.
"My other invitation was to go quail hunting with Dick Cheney." he said. "I'm feeling very safe now."
Not to be outdone, Sun Microsystems Inc. CEO Scott McNealy, who delivered a keynote Tuesday, used Gates' comments to take a potshot at his rival: "He forgot to mention my invitation to go duck hunting with him," McNealy said to loud applause from the crowd.
What keeps security pros up at night
McNealy also offered this top 10 list of security managers' nightmares:
10. First line of defense is pull the power plug.
9. Worn-out CTRL+ALT+DEL keys.
8. Wearing an orange jumpsuit for the next five to seven years.
7. You just got a new job at an all-Microsoft shop.
6. Laptops.
5. You're the only one who opens funnybunny.exe
4. Company policy allows root-level access for all.
3. Blue Screen of Death.
2. Being told there's a patch to patch.
1. Having a virus named in your honor.