Smart Police ID enables Police forces to consolidate physical and IT access controls into a single smart card

(17/09/2007)

ActivIdentity® Corporation has launched Smart Police ID, a range of smart card solutions that allow police forces to develop and implement comprehensive identity assurance strategies to meet evolving business and legislative requirements.

The new solutions are based on open technology standards which enable police forces to address immediate challenges, such as password management for IT systems and applications, while protecting capital investments by supporting future deployments of multi-purpose smart cards which enable logical and physical access to key applications, systems and facilities.

ActivIdentity Smart Police ID enables police forces to consolidate physical and logical access controls into a single smart card. It utilises a familiar ‘chip and PIN’ style interface, enabling employees to quickly and securely access data and facilities, providing an auditable trail of activities in the event of a security incident.

Because smart cards enabled for both physical and logical access can be securely issued as a single function, police forces can leverage existing systems, such as the issuance of warrant cards, to streamline their business processes.

In addition to functioning as a photo ID and a proximity badge for buildings access, the smart card is also an IT security device for digital identification, authentication and authorisation at both local and national levels. The ActivIdentity solution is compliant with FIPS 201 / PIV and has been successfully deployed within major law enforcement organisations in the UK and around the world.

The solutions are pre-integrated with leading certificate authorities, directories and systems for file encryption, provisioning, identity management and physical access control for seamless deployment. In addition, the open standards-based architecture enables the ActivIdentity Smart Police ID to be integrated with most third party systems or applications.

ActivIdentity Smart Police ID will help UK police forces meet the recommendations of the Community Security Policy, Information Systems Strategy for the Police Service and the Unified Police Security Architecture (UPSA), a standard which is currently being developed by the National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) to facilitate access to police data services through a single digital identity for law enforcement personnel.

"By embracing the ActivIdentity SecureLogin® SSO solution, law enforcement organisations are implementing an infrastructure which not only eases the pain of password management, but also is amenable to meet the evolving standards of the UK Government, while ensuring the safe and secure identity of all employees," explained Eric Tocatlian, Director of Northern European Sales at ActivIdentity.

"The introduction of UPSA will help UK police forces improve their ability to manage and share information, so strong authentication will be central to this process," said Marc Hudavert, vice-president and general manager of EMEA at ActivIdentity. "ActivIdentity is already supporting one-third of UK police forces in identity assurance and mobility initiatives and has used these deployments to build a solution that meets UPSA recommendations and supports potential future legislative and business requirements."

Related topics:  Authentication and identity management   Smart card 

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