FiXs, DoD in employee authentication agreement

Security is big business, and a coalition of IT big hitters has signed an agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD) to connect identity systems and establish an interoperable authentication network. The agreement comes after lengthy negotiations between the Federation for Identity and Cross-Credentialing Systems, or FiXs, and the Defense Manpower Data Center. The two bodies have been working since 2003 developing a secure authentication means for employees.

The network established by connecting the DoD and FiXs systems verifies an employee’s identity using a federated approach in which the individual employee’s personal information is maintained by his or her employer. The system is based on the model of commercial ATM networks in which each customer can use his or her bank’s card in any machine, but in which each bank retains its customers’ account information and relationship.

The participating companies and organizations include BearingngPoint, Data Systems Analysts, EDS, Lockheed Martin, NACHA - the Electronic Payments Association, Saflink, SRA International, SRP Consulting Group, 3Factor, Unlimited New Dimensions, and Wave Systems.

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