GovSec, WASHINGTON - Saflink(R) Corporation, a leading provider of solutions that verify identity, secure access and increase productivity, and Datastrip, a leading provider of biometric verification devices and 2D bar code software today announced the continued deployment of a mobile biometric security system for the State of Florida's Seaport Gate Control Project. The deployment is designed to increase security by enabling guards to scan biometrically enabled smart cards with wireless readers at any location on port property.
Saflink and Datastrip will be demonstrating the mobile identity verification system at the Saflink booth (#1531) and Datastrip booth (#1940) at GovSec in Washington, D.C., April 26-27, 2006.
"As part of our contract with the State of Florida, we are deploying Saflink's fixed physical access readers across indoor and outdoor seaport locations," said Walter Hamilton, Saflink Vice President and General Manager of Biometric Solutions. "Adding Datastrip's mobile readers to this project's system allows port authorities to further increase security by enabling guards to verify a worker's identity anywhere at any time. This flexible approach allows critical facilities to respond to heightened security events more efficiently."
The offering combines the Saflink SureAccess(TM) platform with Datastrip DSVII-SC handheld biometric readers. Designed to comply with the strict requirements of the National Institute of Standards and Technologies' (NIST) Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201, also known as Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of federal employees and contractors, the mobile authentication system integrates with many existing physical access control systems. Moreover, the solution supports the technical specifications of the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program and the Florida Uniform Port Access Credential (FUPAC).
"This combination of Saflink and Datastrip technology offers a robust solution for mobile identity verification that complies with homeland security mandates and has already been proven in pilot programs," said Roger Morrison, Director of Federal Sales for Datastrip. "This is a significant real-world use of biometric screening to help keep U.S. citizens safe from harm."
Under the Florida Seaport Gate Control Program, dockworkers, longshoremen, truck drivers and others who require on-site visitation at Florida ports are issued biometrically protected contactless smart cards that are encoded with information including each cardholder's name, digital photo, two fingerprint templates and card expiration date.
When users insert their card in the Datastrip reader and place their finger on the built-in 500 dpi fingerprint sensor, Saflink SureAccess technology matches the fingerprint template stored on the smart card to the live fingerprint and then displays the decoded photograph and biographical data on the DSVII-SC screen. With this multifactor authentication approach, organizations can better protect the user's identity as well as prevent tampering, duplication or unauthorized use.
To date, Datastrip has delivered nearly 200 DSVII-SC readers to the Florida port project. The handheld units have a base weight of two pounds and support all major fingerprint algorithms including the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 377 biometric template.
