December 2, 2005—The US General Services Administration (GSA) has won the eGovernment Leadership and Innovation Award from the Smart Card Alliance in recognition of GSA’s Federal Identity Management Handbook and other leadership activities, GSA announced recently.
Approximately four million federal employees and contractors have smart card IDs, explains GSA. Smart cards look like a credit cards, but contain embedded microprocessors that allow them to be used to rapidly verify a person’s identity electronically, enhancing the security of networks and buildings.
“The handbook provides a road map for agencies that must meet OMB Personal Identity Verification requirements by Oct. 27, 2005 and issue compliant Smart Cards to Employees and Contractors by Oct. 2006.” said Mary Mitchell of the GSA. “Additional implementation support is available through GSA’s Government Smart Card Contract, administered by GSA’s Center for Smart Card Solutions.”
The Smart Card Alliance consists of more than 120 smart card industry members worldwide. The Federal Identity Management Handbook and the Implementation Checklist are available online.
