Bell ID, the leading technology provider of smart card and mobile management solutions, today announced the successful upgrade of its ANDiS Management System at the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) to further enhance the security and life cycle management capabilities of the Resident Identity Cards.
This upgrade was done in close cooperation together with Siemens and Giesecke & Devrient, the same consortium that was responsible for the initial project back in 2002.
The Macao SAR Resident Identity Card is an official identity card valid in the region. Since 2002, the Macao SAR Government has been successfully using the functionality of ANDiS to securely manage over half a million national ID cards.
The recent upgrade by Bell ID extended ANDiS to include the personalization of Secure Access Modules and the provision of additional digital certificates on the ID cards. In addition, Bell ID implemented a SOAP-based web service for cryptographic key management and key exchange, further enhancing the operational efficiency of the management system.
The combination of ANDiS as a modular management system and the dedication of the team performing the upgrade work on-site ensured that the upgrade required minimal down time and enabled system operations to restart even earlier than planned.
Isaac Ieng Kit Lai, Director of the Identification Services Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, commented: “For over seven years, Bell ID has assisted us through their dedication and expertise. With the upgrade of the comprehensive ANDiS system, which forms the core engine of our Identity Card issuance architecture, we are now able to fully utilize the latest version of ANDiS and continue to act as a progressive governmental institution.”
David Orme, CEO at Bell ID, added: “We believe that a solid smart card management system is a necessity to fully optimize security and reduce identity fraud. By acquiring and upgrading ANDiS, the Macao SAR Government has ensured that they can make use of the most comprehensive smart card management system available today. Having been a loyal customer for over seven years, we highly appreciate the cooperation that we have had so far with the Macao SAR Government and look forward to continuing of this long term relationship.”