ADT Launches FIPS Solution at SecTec 2006

June 12, 2006
One-card solution compliant with FIPS 201 for access control to government facilities and computer networks

BOCA RATON, Fla. – ADT Security Services, Inc., a unit of Tyco Fire & Security, today launched a universal smart card solution that enables federal agencies to comply with Presidential Homeland Security Directive-12 and Federal Information Processing Standards or FIPS-201 regulations mandating a common government employee identification card. Federal agencies have until Oct. 26, 2006 to begin issuing new “smart” cards for millions of employees and contractors to access government buildings and computer networks.

The 2004 presidential mandate and FIPS-201 regulations, which were authored by the government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, are designed to ensure interoperability of card systems among the many government agencies. ADT’s end-to-end program has recently been evaluated by NIST for conformance to the FIPS-201 requirements.

“With more than 200 ADT offices located in all 50 states, ADT is well positioned to offer the convenient, standard and responsive service the federal worker enrollment process will require going forward,” said Paul Brisgone, director of ADT’s Federal Systems Division.

ADT’s new one-card solution is designed to handle agency-wide process compliance from employee authentication and enrollment through card issuance. Each smart card will include an integrated circuit chip that can store information including an employee’s name, photo, agency and title, physical and logical access clearance, FBI background check and biometric information such as fingerprints.

According to Brisgone, the FIPS-201 standards represent a major change in how the federal government will manage access control for both physical and logical assets.

“A common system to verify the identity of individuals – both within an agency and among different agencies – has become critically important as a means to enhance security, increase government efficiency and reduce identity fraud,” he said. “ADT, with its decades of experience integrating various card and reader technologies into security solutions, is primed to assist federal agencies with a simple and complete FIPS-201 solution.”

Once issued a FIPS-201 card, employees will be required to swipe it through a reader to access their office and then swipe the card again, while placing a finger on a biometric reader, to authenticate their identity and gain access to the agency computer system.

Celebrating its 131st anniversary, ADT Security Services, Inc., a unit of Tyco Fire & Security, is the largest provider of electronic security services to more than six million commercial, government and residential customers throughout North America. ADT's total security solutions include intrusion, fire protection, closed circuit television, access control, critical condition monitoring, electronic article surveillance, radio frequency identification (RFID) and integrated systems. ADT’s Website address is www.adt.com.