Making FIPS 201 Compliant PACS, Reading PIV and PIV-I, a Reality for Government

To comply with the directive for all federal agencies to file implementation plans for a federated identity credential access and management (FICAM) strategy as defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memo 11-11, Monitor Dynamics offers agency Security Officers an accelerated path to compliance with a turn-key FIPS-201 compliant PACS (Physical Access Control System) solution, capable of reading PIV, PIV-I and PIV-C out of the box. The OMB memo, issued February 3, 2011, adds true repercussions and monetary holdbacks on IT funding for Agency non-compliance of the Government’s call for implementation of identity and credential access and management systems, policies and processes.

OMB M-11-11 recognizes that a large percentage of federal employees currently use PIV credentials that meet the FIPS 201 standard required by HSPD-12, there remains a significant opportunity for all agencies to “aggressively step up their efforts to use the electronic capabilities of the credentials”; specifically to use these credentials as the common means of authentication for access to facilities, networks, and information systems.

Today, Monitor Dynamics is the only PACS manufacturer with a field-proven, 3rd party certified electronic access control system that can meet the requirements of an integrated approach to controlling access for both federal facilities and their associated information systems. In 2010, after being the first PACS to pass the stringent CertiPath Certification, and the only PACS to pass on the first try, MonDyn partnered with three best-in-class Identity Solution Providers to create The Trusted FICAM (Federated Identity Credential & Access Management) Platform. By teaming with ActivIdentity (ActivEntry F5 board), CertiPath (System Validation and Compliance Testing) and Veridt (Three Factor Authentication Readers), MonDyn’s Trusted FICAM Platform delivers a complete FIPS 201 compliant Trusted PACS system.

The Trusted FICAM Platform was the first PACS based system to read the appropriate card formats that are necessary for complying with PIV-I standards. Trusted FICAM is currently the only PACS system reading PIV and PIV-I utilizing FIPS-201 compliant three-factor authentication readers (card, biometric and PIN number) in a Department of Defense operating environment.