Physical Access Council

Organizations worldwide are implementing new access control systems to improve security and more accurately verify the identity of individuals seeking access to physical facilities. The Smart Card Alliance Physical Access Council is focused on accelerating the widespread acceptance, usage, and application of smart card technology for physical access control. The group brings together, in an open forum, leading users and technologists from both the public and private sectors and works on activities that are important to the physical access industry and that will help speed smart card adoption in this important market. Physical Access Council projects have focused on the impact that FIPS 201 will have on U.S. government physical access requirements and on the integration of physical and logical access control.

• Download description of Council mission, activities and membership

Physical Access Council Resources

• FICAM in Brief: A Smart Card Alliance Summary of the Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) Roadmap and Implementation Guidance, Smart Card Alliance Identity Council and Physical Access Council summary, May 2010

• Authentication Mechanisms for Physical Access Control Systems, Physical Access Council white paper, October 2009

• Recommendation on the Credential Numbering Scheme for the FIPS 201 PIV Card Global Unique Identifier, March 2009

• Interoperable Identity Credentials for the Air Transport Industry, October 2008

• Emergency Response Official Credentials: An Approach to Attain Trust in Credentials across Multiple Jurisdictions for Disaster Response and Recovery, October 2008

• Using FIPS 201 and the PIV Card for the Corporate Enterprise, October 2008

• Wiegand Message Recommendations, August 2008

• Physical Access Control System Migration Options for Using FIPS 201-1 Compliant Credentials, September 2007

• FIPS 201 PIV II Card Use with Physical Access Control Systems: Recommendations to Optimize Transaction Time and User Experience, May 2007

• RF-Enabled Applications and Technology: Comparing and Contrasting RFID and RF-Enabled Smart Cards, February 2007

• Considerations for the Migration of Existing Physical Access Control Systems to Achieve FIPS 201 Compatibility, Smart Card Alliance Physical Access Council white paper, September 2006

• FIPS 201 and Physical Access Control: An Overview of the Impact of FIPS 201 on Federal Physical Access Control Systems, Smart Card Alliance Physical Access Council white paper, October 2005

• Physical Access Control Systems and FIPS 201, a Smart Card Alliance Physical Access Council briefing presentation, January 2006

• FIPS 201 Resources, references and resources for organizations implementing FIPS 201

Council Management

The Physical Access Council is managed by a combined government/industry steering committee. Steering Committee officers are:

• Chair: Lars Suneborn, Hirsch Electronics
• Vice Chair: Bob Merkert, SCM Microsystems
• Secretary: Sal D’Agostino, IDmachines

Current steering committee members are:

• Tony Damalas, Diebold
• Bob Gilson, U.S. Department of Defense/Defense Manpower Data Center
• Walter Hamilton, Identification Technology Partners
• Patrick Hearn, Oberthur Technologies
• Kevin Kozlowski, XTec, Incorporated
• Roger Roehr, Consultant
• Robert Samuel, MorphoTrak, Inc.
• Adam Shane, AMAG Technology, Inc.
• Mike Sulak, U.S. Department of State

Council Membership

The Physical Access Council includes participants from across the smart card and physical access control system industry, including end users; smart card chip, card, software and reader vendors; physical access control systems vendors; and integration service providers. Physical Access Council participation is open to any Smart Card Alliance member who wishes to contribute to the Council projects.

The Smart Card Alliance recognizes the top three individual contributors in each of the industry councils and the council “honor roll” – the individuals who were leading contributors and participants in the council projects and activities.

• 2010 Council Honor Roll

Smart Card Alliance members who are currently active in the Physical Access Council include:

• ActivIdentity
• AMAG Technology
• ASSA ABLOY ITG
• Athena Smartcard Solutions
• Bioscrypt
• Booz Allen Hamilton
• CardLogix
• CertiPath LLC
• Cogent Systems
• Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC)
• CoreStreet
• Cubic
• Datawatch Systems
• Deloitte
• Diebold Security
• Digital Identification Solutions
• GSA
• Gemalto
• Giesecke & Devrient
• HID Global Corporation
• Hirsch Electronics
• Honeywell
• HP Enterprise Services
• IBM
• Identification Technology Partners
• IDmachines
• Indala
• Infogard
• L-1 Identity Solutions
• LEGIC Identsystems
• Lenel Systems International
• Lockheed Martin
• MAGICARD - Ultra Electronics
• NASA
• NBS Technologies
• NXP
• Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Oberthur Technologies
• Probaris
• Roehr Consulting
• SAIC
• SCM Microsystems
• SI International
• Sagem Morpho
• Sagem ORGA
• Shane Gelling Engineering
• Tennessee Valley Authority
• Tyco International
• U.S. Department of Defense
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• U.S. Department of State
• U.S. Department of Transportation
• Unisys
• XTec, Incorporated

For more information about the Physical Access Council or for more information on becoming a member of the Alliance, please contact the Alliance office via email at info@smartcardalliance.org or via telephone at (800) 556-6828.