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. Initial 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.

Physical Access Council Resources

• 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 and is headed by chair Roger Roehr, Tyco Fire & Security; vice chair Bob Merkert, SCM Microsystems; and secretary Lolie Kull, EDS.

Current steering committee members include: CoreStreet, Dept. of Defense/DMDC, EDS, Hirsch Electronics, Identification Technology Partners, Innovative Card Technology, Integrated Engineering, NASA, Northrop Grumman, SCM Microsystems, and Tyco Fire & Security.

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.

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

• AMAG Technology
• ASK Contactless
• ASSA ABLOY ITG
• ActivIdentity
• Athena Smartcard Solutions
• BQT Solutions
• BearingPoint
• Booz Allen Hamilton
• BrightCard
• CardLogix
• CoreStreet
• Cubic
• Diebold Security
• Digital Identification Solutions
• EDS
• Fargo Electronics
• GE Security
• GSA
• Gemalto
• General Dynamics Information Technology
• Giesecke & Devrient
• HID Global Corporation
• Hirsch Electronics
• Honeywell
• IBM
• ID TECH
• Identification Technology Partners
• Indala
• Infogard
• Innovative Card Technology
• Integrated Engineering
• LEGIC Identsystems
• Lenel Systems International
• Lockheed Martin
• MAGICARD - Ultra Electronics
• MDI Security Systems
• Maximus
• NASA
• NBS Technologies
• NXP
• Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Oberthur Card Systems
• PricewaterhouseCoopers
• RSA Security
• SAIC
• SC Solutions
• SCM Microsystems
• SI International
• Sagem/Morpho
• Sagem/ORGA
• Secure Services Corporation
• Shane Gelling Engineering
• Siemens Medical Solutions
• Tennessee Valley Authority
• Texas Instruments
• Thales e-Security
• 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.