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| SIA officials are welcoming the federal government's move toward full implementation of the secure ID cards |
Security Industry Association (SIA) officials are welcoming the federal government's move toward full implementation of the secure ID cards envisioned by a 2004 presidential directive.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) was issued by President George W. Bush to eliminate "wide variations in the quality and security of identification used to gain access to secure facilities where there is potential for terrorist attacks." It directed the creation of a standard ID card to be used by federal government employees and contractors for access to both federal buildings and federal computer networks. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo that outlines a five-point plan intended to "expedite the Executive Branch's full use of the credentials for access to federal facilities and information systems." The Department of Homeland Security is expected to issue a similar memo soon.
"The Security Industry Association is pleased to see that the federal government is moving forward with the implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12," SIA Director of Government Relations Don Erickson said. "SIA has led the industry effort to support the deployment of secure ID cards that adhere to the principles of HSPD-12, and, as we have done before, we are offering the expertise of our staff and our members to the OMB, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies as they sort through complex technical issues to determine the best way to protect critical facilities and computer networks."
SIA has been intimately involved in the HSPD-12 implementation process, with, for example, the chairman of its Personal Identity Verification Working Group having testified before Congress on the issue in April 2008, and its Standards Department in July 2010 having produced "Applying OSIPS to FICAM." This white paper highlighted the role that standards developed by SIA had in the "Federal Identity, Credentialing and Access Management (FICAM) Roadmap and Implementation Guidance" that was released by the federal government in November 2009 in response to HSPD-12.