The U.S. Federal Government has long embraced the smart card for its strong security, advanced processing powers, and its ability to control access to private identification data. Already there are several ongoing smart credentialing programs within U.S. Federal Government, many in which Gemplus has participated from their inception.

HSPD 12 - A call to action
Issued in August 2004, Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-12 requires that all Federal agencies issue "secure and reliable forms of identification" to employees and contractors for physical access to federally controlled facilities and logical access to federally controlled information systems. In response to HSPD-12, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defined standards to address secure processes for the issuance, use, and interoperability of such credentials. In February 2005, NIST published the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201, by which federal agencies and technology vendors are to comply by October 2006.

Gemplus' response to HSPD 12 and FIPS 201
In response to HSPD-12 and FIPS 201, Gemplus has developed a FIPS 201 compliant and NIST certified solution, SafesITe Government. Understanding the budgetary, scheduling, and compatibility challenges involved in implementing a large-scale ID program, SafesITe Government dramatically lessens these risks for integrators and government agencies. Read more about SafesITe Government.