DSA to Certify and Accredit New FiXs Members Technology; Process to Ensure Highest Level of Information Security in the Government's Cross-Credentialing Network.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- DSA, a provider of global IT security services to government and industry, is conducting the initial and periodic Risk and Security Compliance Assessments of all member companies belonging to the Federation for Identity and Cross-Credentialing Systems (FiXs). These assessments ensure that each organization adheres to the FiXs Operating Rules, FiXs Security Guidelines, and security best practices.

"The FiXs Executive Board selected DSA to perform the certification and accreditation work given our successful track record in information security," explained Robert Haas, DSA's Director, Network and Information Assurance Practice. "Our expertise includes risk management, security compliance assessments, application and network security design, implementation and validation, secure operations, and continuity of operations planning."

FiXs is a not-for-profit federation of independent companies, working in conjunction with Federal partners such as the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), to provide an end-to-end trusted identity management solution that is HSPD-12 and FIPS-201 compliant. FiXs is in the final stages of rollout of its high security global network that routes credential information requests to and among the government and FiXs-compliant companies. The federation already has conducted successful pilot tests of the network under an agreement with the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).

The FiXs network provides unprecedented interoperability for participating organizations, eliminating the need for an individual to maintain multiple credentials in order to gain physical and logical access to facilities and networks. FiXs member companies generate substantial economies through the use of a single secure credential, while government agencies recognize increased productivity and cost savings from credential interoperability across facilities and vendors. The FiXs network provides for the secure exchange of approved credentials between member organizations and government partners. Identity information is stored by an individual's employer, not in a master database - a more secure and reliable method than other human verification systems.

DSA, a founding member of the Federation, will assess each candidate FiXs service provider before it can join the network to ensure their security processes and safeguards adhere to the minimum mandatory government and industry standards as well as the FiXs requirements, Haas explained.

"There are a number of guidelines and standards that specify the controls and processes that need to be in place with respect to information assurance," Haas explained. "Although the Department of Defense is the first agency to use the FiXs network, we anticipate that commercial and civilian agencies also will utilize this model, so we carefully scrutinize prospective members for adherence to the standards and guidelines governing IT and personnel security, including those stipulated by FIPS 201."

What makes the FiXs system work is the trust model that exists between the member organizations and DoD. The trust model is based on adherence to a set of operating rules, policies, certification procedures, and auditing. FiXs is comparable to the ATM networks, where an individual can use any one of a number of bank cards in almost any institution's ATM machine.

In addition to DSA, founding members of FiXs are BearingPoint, EDS, Lockheed Martin, NACHA - The Electronic Payments Association, Northrop Grumman, Saflink, SRA International, SRP Consulting Group, 3Factor, Unlimited New Dimensions and Wave Systems. Since its founding in 2004 FiXs has welcomed Bio-Key, Citigroup, ChoicePoint Government Services, Disaster Management Solutions, EID Passport, Giesecke and Devrient Cardtech, Maximus and Wells Fargo as members. The Department of Defense and the U.S. General Services Administration also participate in FiXs initiatives.

About DSA

DSA provides strategic, secure, mission critical IT solutions to government and industry through three focused divisions: DSA Federal, DSA Life Science, and DSA Commercial. The company has over 40 years experience in systems and software engineering and integration services specializing in enterprise-wide information technology solutions. DSA is a leader in program management, information security and regulatory compliance. Office locations: Philadelphia, PA (headquarters), Washington, DC, NY Metro and Mid-West. For more information, please visit www.dsainc.com or call toll free to 1-877-422-4DSA.