Intercede Regulatory News (IGP)

23 Nov 2006 11:16

Intercede Group PLC23 November 2006 23 November 2006 INTERCEDE GROUP plc ('Intercede' or 'the Company') First Orders Received from VeriSign under OEM Contract in Fulfillment of HSPD-12 Orders from US Federal Government Customers Intercede is pleased to inform the market that the first orders have beenreceived from VeriSign, Inc., under the OEM contract with Intercede which wasannounced on 12 December 2005. These orders relate to the sale of VeriSign'sintegrated PIV Card Management System to the US Department of Education and afurther Executive Department. VeriSign's integrated PIV Card Management Systemis powered by MyID. Intercede Chief Executive, Richard Parris, said: "These orders, following soonafter previously announced selections of MyID powered solutions by a significantExecutive Branch Department, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the FederalTrade Commission and the Federal Housing Finance Board, firmly establishIntercede as the market leader in Personal Identification Verification (PIV)Identity and Card Management Systems (CMS). VeriSign's own press release on the US Department of Education award is asfollows: U.S. Department of Education Turns to VeriSign for Meeting HSPD-12 Deadline Seamlessly Integrated Card Management System Distinguishes VeriSign Managed PKI MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, November 13, 2006 - VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), theleading provider of intelligent infrastructure for the networked world,announced today that the U.S. Department of Education has chosen its integratedauthentication services to comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive12 (HSPD-12), the Federal Government's secure identity credentialing mandate. VeriSign will provide the government agency with its integrated PersonalIdentification Verification (PIV) Card Management System (CMS) and SharedService Provider (SSP) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) solution. Theintegrated, managed solution helps enable quick deployment and faster compliancewith the mandate. "VeriSign's managed PKI solution made it possible for us to deploy anHSPD-12-compliant solution without making costly infrastructure investments,saving time and taxpayer dollars," said Winona Varnon, Esq., director ofsecurity services, Department of Education. "The seamless integration betweenthe CMS and the SSP components represent a significant advantage over othersolutions. Given VeriSign's extensive experience operating mission criticalInternet infrastructure, we are confident we have made the right decision." The VeriSign integrated solution provides agencies with a single, easy-to-useplatform to manage the issuance and life-cycle of both the PIV card and theassociated PKI credentials. This managed service solution of smart card andcertificate management systems helps enable quicker deployments and ensures thehighest return on the customer's investment. "To comply with the HSPD-12 mandate, government agencies need proven, reliable,and scalable solutions that meet the criteria specified in Federal InformationProcessing Standard 201 (FIPS 201)," said George Schu, vice president forstrategic development, VeriSign. "VeriSign's integrated PIV Card ManagementSystem and Shared Service Provider PKI allow our customers to lower the totalcost of ownership by leveraging a common platform to meet critical governmentsecurity requirements." In June of 2006, VeriSign SSP PKI was the first service to be certified underthe General Services Administration (GSA)-managed FIPS 201 Evaluation Program,and subsequently was the first component added to the GSA's FIPS 201 ApprovedProduct List. Government agencies that choose the VeriSign SSP PKI can beassured that not only can VeriSign provide the mandatory and optionalcertificate types defined in FIPS 201, but that the VeriSign SSP PKI andassociated certificate validation services are being delivered by a highlyscalable, reliable and secure infrastructure unmatched in the industry. About VeriSignVeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), operates intelligent infrastructure services thatenable and protect billions of interactions every day across the world's voiceand data networks. Additional news and information about the company isavailable at www.verisign.com. TrademarksVeriSign, and other trademarks, service marks, and logos are registered orunregistered marks of VeriSign, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United Statesand in foreign countries. Copyright (c) 2006 VeriSign, Inc. All rights reserved. About HSPD-12HSPD-12 is one of the most important and high profile security directives ofrecent years. It required, firstly, the creation of an official federal standard(FIPS-201) for Personal Identity Verification (PIV), which would prescribetechnologies and processes for the effective vetting and access control of allfederal employees and contractors. The second requirement of HSPD-12 was forevery US Federal Agency to have implemented a PIV solution by October 27, 2006,with all employees and contractors required to have a personal FIPS-201compliant, smart card based, PIV identity card one year later. Each of thesecards will be issued and managed using a management system such as MyID. All HSPD-12 solutions must by mandate only incorporate products that have beenexhaustively tested against by the US General Services Administration (GSA), andincluded in the GSA's Approved Product List for PIV products. Intercedeannounced on 4 October 2006 that it had become the first product in its categoryto achieve this coveted status. It is estimated that almost 8 million identity cards will be issued under thisprogramme. Industry analysts Stanford Group estimate the total value of theprogramme to be worth approximately US$1.3 billion. About IntercedeIntercede Group plc is a leading developer and supplier of smart card andidentity management software listed on the London Stock Exchange (IGP LN)(IGP.L). The Group's MyID software manages the secure registration, issuance andlifecycle of digital identities for a wide range of uses. This requires theintegration of multiple technologies and products from many different vendors,including smart cards, biometrics, digital certificates and Open Platformapplets. Intercede works with a number of market leading OEM, re-seller and technologypartners that supply MyID technology including: Athena Smartcard Solutions,Gemalto, RSA Security, SafeNet, Thales, VeriSign and a variety of systemsintegrators and other security product and service providers. Intercede and MyID are registered trademarks or trademarks in the UK, US and/orother countries. For more information visit http://www.intercede.com ENQUIRIES Intercede Group plc Tel. +44 (0)1455 558111Richard Parris, Chairman & Chief ExecutiveAndrew Walker, Finance Director Pelham Public RelationsArchie Berens Tel. +44 (0)20 7743 6679Kate Catchpole Tel. +44 (0)7803 033 43 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange