Unisys to provide info security and cert services for largest U.S. gov health care provider.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Military Health System (MHS) has selected Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) to provide security management, technical support, and security certification and accreditation services for its TRICARE Automated Information System/Network Programs. MHS/TRICARE is the largest provider of health care services to U.S. federal government employees and beneficiaries.

The contract consists of one base year and four one-year options, exercisable at the discretion of the government. The base year has an estimated value of approximately $7 million. If the government exercises all of the option years, the estimated value of the contract is $34 million.

Unisys will help MHS/TRICARE comply with each phase of the Department of Defense Information Technology Security Certification and Accreditation Process (DITSCAP). DITSCAP specifies how government agencies must secure their computer information and protect the privacy of individuals. Previously, Unisys provided these services to 29 MHS/TRICARE locations in the United States. The new agreement expands Unisys services to 220 sites.

Unisys will assess and verify that MHS/TRICARE sites use appropriate processes for securing sensitive information and systems, including patient information and computer systems. Certification and accreditation by the government is based on Unisys assessment. That certification and accreditation will verify that software tools and analysis techniques used by MHS/TRICARE meet government requirements.

Unisys developed the DITSCAP standard for the DoD in the 1990s under the Defense Enterprise Information Services II (DEIS II) contract. The DoD subsequently adopted the standard. Unisys offers "information assurance" training courses, which it uses to help educate government organizations about how to be DITSCAP-compliant, as well as how to complete DITSCAP certification and accreditation.

"By expanding the scope of services we provide to MHS/TRICARE, Unisys can help provide an extra measure of security for information critical to the health care services delivered to our military people and their families," said Greg Baroni, president, Unisys Global Public Sector.

The services Unisys provides under the DITSCAP contract demonstrate the breadth of Unisys Zero-Gap Security Services, an integrated portfolio of strategic consulting, architecture and planning, design, implementation and management services and solutions that enable clients to address security requirements at all levels of their business.