chances/cliffdweller, thanks. It's good that we are partnered with a respected leader in this space. This is the "brass ring" first mover market IMO: "Federal, State and Local Governments, and companies doing business with the government". I really can't imagine what would keep these entities from adopting client hardware to protect their PKI. They will lead the way and the rest of the corporate world will see this and follow, with the consumer not far behind. In my delusional opinion anyway. Thanks again.
WidePoint's ORC Subsidiary Expands Status as the Only Trusted Third Party Provider Offering Level 3 and Level 4 Compliant Credentials Across the United States Federal PKI Continuum
Monday March 21, 11:09 am ET
Accomplishment Positions ORC for Significant Downstream Revenue Opportunities
WASHINGTON, DC--(MARKET WIRE)--Mar 21, 2005 -- WidePoint Corporation's (OTC BB:WDPT.OB - News) wholly owned subsidiary Operational Research Consultants, Inc. ("ORC"), the leading provider of Assurance Level 3 and 4 Federal PKI authentication services, today announced that its Access Certificate for Electronic Services ("ACES") has been confirmed in compliance with the Federal Bridge Certification Authority ("FBCA") and the Federal Identity Credentialing Committee ("FICC") Shared Service Provider requirements. ADVERTISEMENT
This achievement combined with the distinction of being the first United States Government External Certificate Authority (ECA) -- that is also FBCA compliant under the Department of Defense (DoD) ECA root -- confirms ORC as the only Trusted Third Party provider offering Level 3 and Level 4 compliant credentials across the Federal PKI continuum.
Steve Komar, WidePoint's Chief Executive Officer, stated, "This is a major accomplishment that underscores ORC's unique ability to provide full "life cycle" information assurance ("IA") and identity management services to the broad Federal marketplace and further validates our continued expansion strategy in this marketplace. ORC has positioned itself for significant downstream revenue opportunities with this milestone."
"ORC is proud to have attained FBCA and FICC compliance for our Medium Assurance digital certificate solutions and look forward to further extending our leadership position in addressing the Federal Government's IA requirements," commented Dan Turissini, ORC's Chief Executive Officer. "Because our compliant solutions are directly linked to ORC's GSA contracts, we can offer Federal, State and Local Governments, and companies doing business with the government, mission-critical IA solutions, today. Our goal is to offer comprehensive integrated solutions to meet the requirements of our customers and help them mitigate the risks of conducting business over the Internet."
"The combination of an FBCA compliant ACES offering that is also a compliant FICC Shared Service Provider brings a convergence to the multiple paths that should encourage the Federal Agency community to accelerate the adoption of PKI," said George Datesman, PhD., Senior Manager at MitreTek Systems. "Under the rigorous review of the ACES policy management team relying parties within and outside the Federal Government will be able to confidently engage approved offerings to make significant strides in meeting the objectives set forth by the President's Homeland Security Presidential Directive, HSPD-12."
The Federal PKI Policy Authority approved the issuing of a cross-certificate to ORC's ACES system on February 8th 2005 (www.cio.gov/fbca/crosscert_info.htm). MitreTek Systems completed the second phase of the ORC audit and provided a final FICC compliance letter to ORC on February 25th, 2005. ORC's compliance package has been added to the March 25th, 2005 FICC meeting agenda for adjudication.
"ACES is now able to empower the Federal Government, individuals and business to access information technologies, including online access to government agencies for purposes of reviewing, retrieving, providing, and exchanging information utilizing digital identification," stated Steve Duncan, GSA ACES Program Manager. "By law, access to some government computer systems can be granted only when the agency is provided with assurance that the individual attempting access has been properly identified and authenticated as being authorized to access the computer system and information requested. The ACES certificates provide individuals with a credential the Government can confidently recognize as meeting the requisite policies and procedures to ensure the truthful identity of the individual presenting the certificate."
Mr. Turissini also stated, "In addition to providing basic assurance as a Trusted Credential Provider for eAuthentication credentials at Assurance Levels 1 and 2, ORC's PKI commitment has been and remains firmly upon Medium and Higher Assurance levels. It is our belief that the consumer market for identity credentials has become increasingly educated about the need for enhanced methods of identification and authentication over the past several years. That is why we maintain even our unaffiliated certificates at no less than the Medium level. As the market increasingly moves from pin and password protection mechanisms to the much more powerful solutions afforded by digital certificates it is important that we provide our subscribers and entities relying on our certificates with a 'true' step-up in protection to ensure sensitive, proprietary, private information and resources that will only be accessed by those who have been properly identified and authorized."
About HSPD-12
HSPD-12, "Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors," signed on August 27, 2004, directs the promulgation of a new Federal standard for secure and reliable identification issued by Federal agencies for their employees and contractors. In response to the directive, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 201 (FIPS 201) on February 25, 2005 that provides a detailed specification for Federal agencies and departments deploying a personal identity verification (PIV) card for their employees and contractors (http://csrc.nist.gov/piv-project/index.html). The PIV is a core component to setting the "trust model" across the Federal enterprise.
About Operational Research Consultants and WidePoint Corporation
ORC, a wholly owned subsidiary of WidePoint Corporation, is a multidisciplinary firm, offering a broad range of technical, analytical and engineering services including weapons system acquisition management, software development, systems integration, e-commerce, and expertise in all elements of information assurance and security. In addition to the DoD ECA program, ORC is also a prime contractor for the General Services Administration's (GSA) Access Certificates for Electronic Services (ACES). For more information, please see ORC's website at www.orc.com.
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