Colorado deploying CoreStreet’s FIPS 201 validation tech
21 April, 2009
category: Corporate, Government
CoreStreet announced that the State of Colorado will leverage CoreStreet’s Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)-201, enabling interoperable credential validation technology to support the rollout of the Colorado First Responder Authentication Credential (COFRAC) Bridge.
The COFRAC standard was created by the State of Colorado as a means to electronically validate the identity and attributes of those who are required or volunteer to respond to any all-hazard or major event requiring cross-jurisdictional support. Through the COFRAC Bridge, all first responders’ attributes, qualifications and privileges will be aggregated, allowing for full interoperability at the state level.
“Previously, the state had multiple disparate systems for validating first responders’ identities and no credentialing standards or policies set in place,” said Micheline Casey, director of identity management at Colorado’s Office of Information Technology. “Through this integration with CoreStreet, we are allowing for interoperability across the state, enabling first responders to move throughout the Colorado jurisdiction seamlessly and providing incident commanders with the ability to know who they have on scene and what their skill set is.”
CoreStreet’s FIPS-201 interoperable credential validation technology provides organizations with the ability to control access to any disaster site. This is achieved by quickly authenticating and validating the roles and identities of individuals wishing to enter an area. These capabilities are critical in emergencies, such as homeland security incidents or natural disasters, which require the support of various federal, state and local agencies, as well as private organizations.
“This initiative taken on behalf of the State of Colorado with support from CoreStreet is a first step in overcoming the difficulties previously associated with regulating the authorization and validation of first responder credentials at disaster sites,” said Major General (USAFR retired) Mason C. Whitney, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security for Colorado. “By providing real-time access to attribute and qualification information throughout the State, CoreStreet is ultimately supporting our efforts to allow for interoperability with federal requirements as additional states move toward the same standard.”