News and Events

• 2008 GCN Technology Leadership Award winner Mike Butler draws on ID card experience
  Mike Butler of the General Services Administration credits good fortune for a lot of the success he has had in federal technology. Read more about Mike's GCN Leadership award and what he credits to the success of the USAccess program.
• Agencies failed to meet the first deadline for HSPD 12. Now they need to get on the ball.(Govt Exec)
  By October 27, 2007, federal agencies were supposed to complete background checks for employees with fifteen years or less experience and begin issuing new identity cards. None met the deadline.
• Agencies See Smart-Card Value Beyond HSPD-12 (July 10, 2007, Federal Computer Week)
  As agencies scramble to meet the upcoming deadline for issuing smart cards that comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, their focus has been on completing the required background checks and training employees. But as officials begin to look beyond the initial rollout, many are thinking about how they can use the cards to meet other agency goals. - 10 July 2007
• Award goes to GSA--Smart Card Alliance Awards GSA Outstanding Issuer for 2008
  The Smart Card Alliance announced the 2008 award winners for Outstanding Smart Card Achievement (OSCA) in the North American and Latin American smart card industry during its annual conference. GSA won the Outstanding Issuer Organization Award for the USAccess Program.
• EDS Contract Upheld
  The Government Accountability Office denied two protests by unsuccessful bidders on a secure identification card contract that was awarded to EDS Corporation.
• Goodbye Anonymity. Hello ID Superiority. (FCW, January 21, 2008)
  Government-issued personal identity verification cards are a form of identity proofing superior to anything available in the past, security experts say.
• GSA HSPD-12 Rolls Continue To Rise
  The General Services Administration plans to establish 42 enrollment stations for smart identity cards in the Washington area by early September to comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12.
• GSA Set To Issue HSPD 12 Cards
  The General Services Administration Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 Managed Service Office plans to open seven card enrollment stations at six agencies in the Washington area by August 10.
• GSA Sets HSPD-12 Price Point
  Federal Computer Week - GSA has achieved its goal of lowering the cost of mandatory security credentials by awarding a contract to EDS. - 25 June 2007
• HSPD-12 Card Opens Door For Digital Signatures
  The Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) may have been one of those laws that came too early. The 1998 legislation called for agencies to do many things to eliminate how much paper they process, including using electronic signatures.
• It's Hand-Holding Time
  Wesley Carpenter has been racking up frequent-flier miles. As director of the Security Management Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, Carpenter has been crisscrossing the country to assist agency offices with implementing Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, the mandated identity verification program.
• Mike Butler Wants to Card You
  Mike Butler worked a six-month stint last year at the General Services Administration to help set up a governmentwide shared services smart card identity verification program. Many in the agency got to see him apply his technical skills. His former boss said Butler brings leadership capabilities that he will also use as he settles into a new permanent position at GSA.
• Steve Duncan Interview on Federal News Radio
  In August, Jason Miller interviewed Steve Duncan to get a progress report on Agency progress of meeting OMB's October 2008 deadline. Read and hear the interview.
• Steve Duncan named to 2008 Fed 100 list
  GSA's Steve Duncan was named to this year's Fed 100 list as compiled by Federal Computer Week.
• The Logic Behind Physical-Access Controls
  In the real world, terrorist acts are more often low tech than high tech. Terrorists use box cutters and car bombs more often than laser guided missiles.
• The Security Badge For The Future (FCW, January 21, 2008)
  Efforts to comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, an ambitious agenda for stiffening security and tightening access to government physical assets and computer networks, have had the unintended consequence of forging coalitions within and among historically independent agencies.
• White Paper Helps Security Directors Migrate To FIPS 201 (Government Weekly, 11-01-07)
  Security directors and those responsible for physical access control systems (PACS) within government agencies have a new resource to help them choose the right path to accept FIPS 201 compliant credentials.