Homeland Security biometric office funded, Verizon rolls out Smart Credential
27 June, 2014
category: Biometrics, Corporate, Digital ID, Government, Smart Cards
U.S. Senate subcommittee approves $249 million for DHS Biometric office
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of Homeland Security approved a funding bill for the agency, which includes $249 million for the Office of Biometric Identity Management.
This office is charged with running the various biometric programs that Homeland Security runs, including US VISIT, which fingerprints travelers from other countries entering the U.S.
The $249 million for the Office of Biometric Identity Management is $2 million below the request and $22 million above fiscal year 2014. Some of the funding will go to enabling better sharing of real-time biometric and identity data between the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense and State to monitor who enters and exits the country.
Dutch tap Morpho for e-passports, ID cards
The Dutch government selected Morpho to develop a secure biometric travel documents and identity cards. With new security features and a validity of 10 years, the latest generation identification documents will provide greater protection against document fraud.
The ID card and travel document data page now feature Morpho’s patented Stereo Laser Image — a three-dimensional image reproducing the document holder’s portrait. Designed to check the authenticity of the primary image, this innovative security feature helps prevent photo falsification. For additional security, a laser-perforated number, visible when tilted against the light, will be located on the primary image of each document.
Verizon rolls out ‘Smart Credential’
Verizon Enterprise Solutions has introduced a new service called “Smart Credential.” The cloud-based system will offer a converged credential to the enterprise through a pay-as-you-go subscription model.
Smart Credential is a cloud-based service that is delivered as software-as-a-service which means organizations pay for actual usage through This model alleviates capital expenditures required with traditional in-house PKI solutions, while enabling enterprises to take advantage of identity, data privacy and digital trust functionality.
Smart Credential enables scalability based on the number of users with technology delivered from the Verizon cloud data centers in the U.S., Culpeper, Va.; Europe, Amsterdam; and the Asia-Pacific region, Canberra, Australia.
Through the use of a single credential, Verizon’s solution works with existing physical access readers and backend systems, as well as, more secure contactless readers. This allows clients to add more security over time without requiring a costly “rip and replace” effort.
Smart Credential also can be issued as basic authentication tokens, as well as credentials that are interoperable with U.S. federal government standards, such as PIV-I. They can also be utilized as part of a multi-factor authentication solution that combines the Smart Credential with something a user knows — one-time password or answer to a security question — or a biometric factor, such as a fingerprint.
Using a Web-based portal, updates and changes can be made quickly and easily so that organizations have a view into who and how data is being accessed in both the physical and virtual realms. This is especially helpful in managing lost credentials, new hires, departed employees and a changeover with partners and/or suppliers as well as suspicious network behavior.
Smart Credential solutions are a part of Verizon’s Managed Certificate Service suite that provides high assurance identity credentials for people and machines. These solutions complement Verizon’s full continuum of managed security solutions including advanced security analytics and intelligence; distributed denial of service defense; investigative response; governance, risk and compliance solutions; identity and access management solutions; and vulnerability management services — delivered in the cloud or on premises in more than 50 countries.
Smart Credential is available immediately in the U.S., Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.