CAC or Smart Card connectivity on a Mac

The most frequently asked question I get from AAFES & NEX customers is "Where do I find the CAC card readers?"  My biggest frustration with that question is not the where part but rather the unceasing nature of constrained availability.  What I really don't get is why these items are not stocked at the MCSS.  In the 21st century the CAC card reader is as much a necessity as combat boots for today's Soldier, Sailor, Airmen or Marine to accomplish the DoD mission.  Well enough moaning on my part.  The follow up question usually is "Can I use a CAC card reader on my Mac?"  Answer is unfortunately a qualified "Yes."  My recommendation is to check out:

http://militarycac.com/apple.htm

The feedback I have gotten regarding this site for the most part is positive, so I pass on the recommendation for the first time on my blog.  I wanted to make sure I was as current as possible on this post and in doing so stumbled on some additional info.  

When researching anything related to Apple, Mac OSX & the iOS eco-system one of the most reliable resources are the great folks at Mac-Forums.

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/switcher-hangout/162131-cac-card-reader-mac.html

These links look like useful resources as well:

http://smartcardservices.macosforge.org/

http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/28/cac-for-mac/

What might be of great interest to units who have switched to Mac OSX or have a majority of personnel who have switched to Mac OSX and are looking at making a unit purchase, then this software might be of interest.

http://www.thursby.com/products/pki.html

Also of interest, Apple sells a really nice third party CAC card reader online.  What make the SCM SCR3500 extremely interesting is that it folds up into the size of a standard USB stick and can be carried on your keychain or lanyard.

Here is the link to the Apple online store:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/H2312LL/A

Should none of these solutions lead to complete satisfaction, then there are still two final alternatives. Installing a legal copy of Windows XP, Vista, 7 or soon to debut Window 8 operating system via bootcamp on your Mac or running one of the Windows operating systems in a virtual PC via Parallels or VM Ware Fusion.

http://www.parallels.com/eu/landingpage/dskd86/?src=g&gclid=CLTLzMnA1LICFUGN3godeVgAPQ

http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/overview.html

Virtualization or the Bootcamp options are extremely popular and would allow one to use the CAC card in the same environment as the DoD does.  I will discuss these solutions in greater detail in a future post.