The adoption within the NHS of smart card technology based on the "spine" allows users to access services such as Choose and Book by using the card and a Personal Identification Number (PIN). These cards can also be used to authenticate to workstations. As the card is inserted and the PIN entered the user is authenticated. When a card is removed the workstation can be locked or logged out whichever is more appropriate.

By using the same card and PIN and linking the card to the directory based user authentication becomes simpler while increasing security.