Criterion: Implement attribute-exchange network
Awarded in 2012
26 November, 2015
category: Corporate, Digital ID, Government
Criterion Systems and its subcontractor ID Dataweb (IDW) were awarded a $3.2 million grant in 2012 to implement projects with IDW’s Attribute Exchange Network.
Criterion provides information security, cloud computing and software development to civilian agencies, the Defense Department and the intelligence community. IDW, meanwhile, operates a cloud-based identity verification and credential federation service for consumers, business and government.
For the pilot, IDW delivered the system and business model to simplify online identity verification for attribute providers, identity providers and relying parties. “A number of large, high-profile companies and government agencies agreed to participate and pilot the system including Broadridge, GE, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Census,” says David Coxe, CEO of ID Dataweb and co-founder/senior vice president at Criterion Systems.
“IDW’s attribute-exchange network provides customers competitive choice to more than 20 attribute providers including Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and LexisNexis,” Coxe says. “On first use, users provide attribute information which is verified via the attribute exchange network at attribute providers selected by the IDW customer web site.”
Outcomes
- The goal of the pilot was to enable an online identity ecosystem and validate a viable business model using the attribute-exchange network as an interoperable, user-centric identity service infrastructure.
- Using the IDW attribute-exchange network, Criterion successfully demonstrated that federation of interoperable credentials benefits an identity ecosystem, Coxe says. He says they’ve “successfully graduated from the NSTIC program” and two participants in the pilot, Broadridge and GE, are still using the attribute exchange network. The government agencies, however, have not yet released requirements on how they will use such a network.
Lessons learned
These benefits manifest whenever relying parties leverage the attribute exchange network since individuals voluntarily choose to use a secure, interoperable, and privacy-enhancing credential – OpenID, SAML, smart identity card or cell phone digital certificate,” explains Coxe.
“The attribute-exchange network business model is critical to overcoming historical implementation barriers and expanding the participation of relying parties,” says Coxe. “The attribute-exchange network provides relying parties, ID providers and attribute providers a common gateway to interact using a one-to-many relationship model that reduces barriers to entry in the Identity Ecosystem.”
