Case Study: National Weather Service achieves HSPD-12 compliance and streamlined CAC smart card authentication across Windows and Linux with Delinea

National Weather Service Extends CAC Smart Card Authentication across Windows, Linux and Mac for HSPD-12 Compliance

The National Weather Service (part of NOAA) needed to meet HSPD-12 requirements by extending Common Access Card (CAC) two-factor authentication across Windows and Linux, consolidate identities in Active Directory, and eliminate the need to grant root access. Their previous identity solution lacked smart card support, required time-consuming per-system configuration, and caused lengthy rework during OS upgrades.

Centrify deployed a FIPS 140-2–certified, smart card–based Zero Trust Privilege solution that integrated with Active Directory and Group Policy for centralized management, enforced least-privilege access, and provided auditing and reporting. The eight-week rollout (with some field offices enabled in 30 minutes) simplified upgrades, met compliance out of the box, and delivered rapid operational savings—estimated at more than $50,000 per year—while improving security posture and auditability.

National Weather Service

Jeff Williams

Systems Integration Chief