GSA certification strengthens Datacard Group’s ongoing commitment to U.S. federal agencies to help them comply with HSPD-12

Minnetonka, MN, March 28, 2007–Datacard Group, the world leader in secure ID and card personalization solutions, announced today at the ISC West conference that it has received approval for its SP75 and CP80 card printers for compliance with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Evaluation Program for certification of the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201 card printer specification. This standard was mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) in an effort to issue reliable and secure forms of identification to all U.S. Federal Government employees and contractors. Additional federal, state and local agencies will be using the specification to implement secure ID card programs.

It’s clear that the FIPS 201 specification is the de facto standard for U.S. agencies large and small,” said Gerald Hubbard, government business development manager for Datacard Group. “Given our commitment to the U.S. government and government agencies worldwide, it is critical that our solutions for secure ID cards–specifically smart cards–meet these requirements.”

The SP75 and the CP80 card printers personalize highly secure, durable cards and address the complex security issues associated with distributed issuance. In addition to the desktop printers, the Datacard® MX6000™ card issuance system is in the final stages of approval under the GSA evaluation program. For central issuance needs, the MX6000 system offers modular functionality including smart card encoding, retransfer color printing, and laser engraving technologies.

“System integrators and government agencies worldwide have trusted Datacard Group to implement over 75 government card programs,” said Hubbard. “They have come to rely on us for our unique ability to provide a full range of secure ID solutions, for our smart card expertise and our commitment to interoperability.”

Datacard Group offers the world’s best-selling secure ID and card personalization solutions. The company’s portfolio includes systems for high-volume card issuance, card delivery, secure ID issuance and passport production, plus extensive service and supply offerings. Datacard Group serves customers in more than 120 countries (http://www.datacard.com).

Contact

Datacard Group
Tracy Hodnett
+1 952.988.2846
tracy_hodnett@datacard.com