Bell ID part of winning consortium in major European government ID project, licensing its latest ANDiS platform for the implementation of a smart card based ID card to be issued to all user groups of the Ministry of Defense. (400.00 cardholders in total)
Bell ID, worldwide technology leader in the field of smart card management solutions, today announced that, in cooperation with the prime contractors Siemens IT Solutions and Services and Getronics PinkRoccade, it licensed its latest ANDiS platform to the Dutch Ministry of Defense for the implementation of a smart card-based ID card.
The new ID card, known as the ‘Defensiepas’ (‘Defense Pass’), will be replacing the existing ID card within a year and will act as a secure means of identification for all the Ministry’s smartcard user groups (400.000 cardholders in total). The card will be used to gain physical access to buildings and rooms as well as logical access to IT systems. PKI functionality will provide the means to authenticate electronic documents and e-mails with digital signatures. Siemens and Getronics PinkRoccade will be priming the project. Bell ID will be implementing its Card & Application Management System (CAMS) and Key Management System (KMS).
Bell ID has enjoyed a long and happy relationship with the Dutch Ministry of Defense, having delivered the card and application management system solution for their first multi-functional ID card in 1998. This initial ID card project was awarded the Golden Chip Card Award at the Dutch National Chip Card Congress in 1998 and will continue to operate until the new system is implemented.
After this latest tender was released, Bell ID was pleased to learn that after eight years the Ministry is still convinced that Bell ID’s software represents best-of-breed technology. The new ID card project constitutes an entirely new solution and will provide the Dutch Ministry of Defense with the latest state-of-the-art technology, including Bell ID’s ANDiS 5i CAMS release.
Primed by Bell ID’s partners, Siemens IT Solutions and Services and Getronics PinkRoccade, the contract will run over five years with a total value of around €18 million. After major success in the booming FIPS 201 government ID market in the USA, Bell ID finished 2006 maintaining its global leadership in the government ID market.
Peter Menssen, Sales Manager for Benelux region at Bell ID: “We are very happy to learn that the Dutch Ministry of Defense is keen to continue what is already a solid and well-established partnership with Bell ID, and we look forward to helping them with this new phase of their smart card and security strategy. The magnitude of this project certainly marks a new milestone in Bell ID’s home market and reasserts our leadership in the government ID sector worldwide.”