Cryptographic module for secure processing of value-bearing items

A security system for secure printing of value-bearing items in a wide area computer network comprising:

• a plurality of user terminals coupled to the computer network;
• a database including information about one or more users using the plurality of terminals;
• a plurality of cryptographic devices remote from the plurality of user terminals and coupled to the computer network, wherein the cryptographic devices include a computer executable code for authenticating one or more users, wherein each of the plurality of cryptographic devices is programmable to service any of the plurality of user terminals, and wherein each cryptographic device is not dedicated to particular user terminals;
• and
• a plurality of security device transaction data stored in the database for ensuring authenticity of the one or more users, wherein each security device transaction data is related to a user, wherein any cryptographic device authenticates the identity of each user and authenticates the user for a role, the role limiting the user to a subset of operations performed by the system.