HID Global announced the addition of a dual-interface – contact and contactless — PIV credential to its pivCLASS Government Solutions portfolio, which aims to simplify issuance of PIV cards and the process of upgrading an existing physical access control system to support FIPS-201 standards.

The new pivCLASS smart card and pivCLASS portfolio supports federal contractors that need to leverage PIV-I through the Federal Bridge. The solutions can also be used for a wide range of commercial deployments.

HID Global’s pivCLASS credential meets the specified U.S. Government National Institute of Standards and Technology security requirements for delivering a verification system that protects cardholder data with high-assurance, public key infrastructure (PKI)-based strong authentication.

The smart card can be offered as a traditional PIV-I credential for government use, or as a Commercial Identity Verification (CIV) credential for current and emerging applications. In either case, the credential provides users with a single smart card for physical access to facilities as well as logical access to information systems.

This includes secure certificate-based login to computers, as well as securing corporate networks, web-based applications and personal data. Additionally, the card supports multi-technology biometrics as well as strong authentication for Virtual Private Network (VPN) access.

HID Global’s pivCLASS credential includes the company’s Digital Identity Applets framework. This framework offers secure storage and protection for the smart card’s passwords, digital identity credentials, cryptographic functions, personal information and computer access capabilities.

It also enables the card to deliver additional services beyond FIPS 201 such as one-time password (OTP) generation, and securing the communication channel over the contactless interface.

As part of the pivCLASS Government Solutions portfolio the credential joins a list of offering including pivCLASS readers, pivCLASS authentication modules, the pivCLASS validation server and software solutions from HID Global’s recent acquisition of Codebench.

The portfolio is an product suite that enables the U.S. federal government, its contractors and other facilities to comply with federal identity mandates and take advantage of the PIV program’s higher security capabilities without a rip-and-replace overhaul of their current physical access control system infrastructure. HID Global’s new pivCLASS credential has also achieved compliance with the U.S. General Services Administration Evaluation Program for certifying that products meet FIPS-201 federal identity specifications.