Intercede Regulatory News (IGP)

9 Oct 2006 07:01

Intercede Group PLC9 October 2006 9 OCTOBER 2006 INTERCEDE GROUP plc ('Intercede' or 'the Company') Intercede announces first contract win in the US Federal Government Market Intercede is delighted to inform the market that RSA, the Security Division ofEMC, has announced that RSA Card Manager has been selected by the US EnvironmentProtection Agency ("US EPA") to provide the smart card management component forthe implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12). Acopy of RSA's announcement is attached below. RSA Card Manager is powered byIntercede's MyID technology under an OEM licence agreement announced in 2005. HSPD-12 is one of the most important and high profile security directives ofrecent years. It was issued by President Bush himself in August 2004 andrequired, firstly, the creation of an official federal standard (FIPS-201) forPersonal Identity Verification (PIV), which would prescribe technologies andprocesses for the effective vetting and access control of all federal employeesand contractors. The second requirement of HSPD-12 was for every US FederalAgency to have implemented a PIV solution by the end of October 2006, with allemployees and contractors required to have a personal-201 compliant, smart cardbased identity card one year later. Each of these cards will be issued andmanaged 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. The selection of RSA Card Manager by the US EPA represents a major step forwardfor the Company. It endorses Intercede's strategy, as previously stated, ofseeking opportunities arising from HSPD-12. Although it is too early in theprocess to ascertain the financial implications of this project, this first winprovides grounds for optimism that Intercede will achieve further successes viaRSA and other partners with bids to provide technology for smart cards to beissued to other US Federal Agencies. It is estimated that almost 8 millionidentity cards will be issued under HSPD-12. Industry analysts Stanford Groupestimate the total value of the programme to be worth approximately US$1.3billion. Richard Parris, Chairman & Chief Executive of Intercede, commented: "The US EPA is one of the first Federal Agencies to select its HSPD-12 solutionfor agency-wide deployment and we are delighted that a MyID powered solution hasbeen deemed the best of breed. We have been preparing our entry into the FederalGovernment market for some time and it is very pleasing that we are now movinginto the exploitation phase of our business plan with a strong technical andcommercial lead ahead of our competitors. Our partner, RSA, has performed anexcellent job of representing and supporting our technology into this demandingcustomer and validates our indirect software licencing model. We look forward tofurther wins in the coming weeks." ENQUIRIES Intercede Group plc Tel. +44 (0)1455 558111Richard Parris, Chairman & Chief ExecutiveAndrew Walker, Finance Director Pelham Public Relations Tel. +44 (0)20 7743 6670Archie Berens Tel. +44 (0)7802 442486Kate Catchpole Tel: + 44 (0)7803 033 431 About Intercede Intercede 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, USB authenticators, biometrics, digital certificates andOpen Platform applets. 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. About the US EPA The Environmental Protection Agency works to develop and enforce regulationsthat implement environmental laws enacted by Congress in the United States ofAmerica. The EPA is responsible for researching and setting national standardsfor a variety of environmental programs, and delegates to states and tribes theresponsibility for issuing permits and for monitoring and enforcing compliance.The EPA employs 18,000 people across the country, including their headquartersin Washington DC, 10 regional offices, and more than a dozen laboratories. RSA and Widepoint's ORC Subsidiary Awarded HSPD-12 Contract by EnvironmentalProtection Agency ORC Shared Services Provider and RSA(R) Card Manager to Provide HSPD-12Solutions Fairfax, VA and Bedford, Mass., Thursday, October 05, 2006 - Fairfax, VA andBedford, Mass. - October 4, 2006 - Operational Research Consultants, Inc. (ORC)a wholly owned subsidiary of WidePoint Corporation (AMEX: WYY) and RSA, theSecurity Division of EMC (NYSE:EMC), today announced that the EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA), selected solutions from the two organizations tosupport Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) compliance.Specifically, ORC will provide Shared Services Provider (SSP) Authenticationcertificates, and RSA will supply the RSA(R) Card Manager software to enable PIVcard issuance and lifecycle management for all agency employees. Under ORC's Information Technology Federal Supply Schedule (GS-35F-0164J)Special Item Number 132.62, ORC will deploy the SSP Authentication certificates.This complements RSA Card Manager, a card management system that will helpenable the EPA to manage the lifecycle of credentials stored on any smartchip-enabled device (e.g., smart cards). An interoperable system, RSA CardManager software provides key infrastructure designed to allow federal agenciesto meet the HSPD-12 requirements that mandates federal employees and contractorsto use a new standard, Federal Information Processing (FIPS) 201, for physicaland logical access by October 27, 2006. "The ORC team has become the only SSP that has been certified and accredited,holding a current Authorization To Operate (ATO),"said Daniel E. Turissini, CEOof ORC. "ORC is also the only SSP that has achieved approval under the GSA SSPProgram, Special Item Number 132.61. This further establishes our credibility asthe premier provider of information assurance services to the FederalGovernment. We look forward to working with the EPA to make this a highlysuccessful relationship and are pleased to be featuring the RSA CertificateManager software as part of our solution." Both solutions also comply with Federal Information Processing Standard 201-1from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Federal PKICommon Policy Framework. "ORC is a well established and trusted partner to agencies like the EPA andthese contracts demonstrate the success of our strategic partnership. Workingtogether, we were able to offer an integrated portfolio to the EPA that allowsthem to successfully meet HSPD-12 requirements in 2006 and beyond," said ShannonKellogg, director of government and industry affairs at RSA, the SecurityDivision of EMC. "This also shows how RSA's card management system, as part of acomprehensive solution, provides an effective option for enabling U.S. federalagencies to comply with the HSPD-12 mandate." About RSA RSA, the Security Division of EMC, is the expert in information-centricsecurity, enabling the protection of information throughout its lifecycle. RSAenables customers to cost-effectively secure critical information assets andonline identities wherever they live and at every step of the way, and managesecurity information and events to ease the burden of compliance. RSA offers industry-leading solutions in identity assurance and accessmanagement, encryption, security information management and anti-fraudprotection, bringing trust to millions of user identities, the transactions thatthey perform, and the data that is generated. For more information, please visitwww.rsa.com and www.EMC.com. About WidePoint WidePoint is a technology-based provider of products and services to thegovernment sector and commercial markets. WidePoint specializes in providingsystems engineering, integration and information technology services.WidePoint's wholly owned subsidiary, ORC, is at the forefront of implementinggovernment-compliant eAuthentication identity management managed services andassociated systems engineering/integration. ORC has earned four major U.S.federal government certifications offering the highest levels of assurance fortransactions over the Internet. WidePoint's profile of customers encompasses U.S. Federal Government agencies,including the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and theDepartment of Justice as well as major U.S. defense contractors and severalmajor pharmaceutical companies. For more information, visit http://www.widepoint.com. An investment profile about WidePoint may be found at:http://www.hawkassociates.com/wyyprofile.aspx. For investor relations information regarding WidePoint, contact Frank Hawkins orCale Smith, Hawk Associates, at (305) 451-1888, e-mail: info@hawkassociates.com. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange