11 February, 2003
category: Contactless, Corporate, Digital ID, Government, Transit
The US General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report called “Progress in Promoting Adoption of Smart Card Technology” in response to Representative Tom Davis’ request to review the state of affairs regarding smart card technology in the federal government. Rep. Davis serves as Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy, Committee on Government Reform.
As stated in the document, the purpose of the study was to “assess (1) the extent to which federal agencies have adopted smart card technologies and realized the associated benefits, (2) the challenges of adopting smart cards within federal agencies, and (3) the effectiveness of GSA in promoting the adoption of smart card technologies within the federal government.”
As of November 2002, 18 agencies had initiated a total of 62 smart card projects. Most were small pilots though larger rollouts have been undertaken since 2000. The report suggests that many agencies have struggled with the technology, its issuance, and utilization. Major challenges highlighted in the report include: sustaining executive-level commitment, recognizing resource requirements, integrating physical and logical security practices across organizations, achieving interoperability among smart card systems, and maintaining the security of smart card systems and privacy of personal information.
The report reviews projects undertaken by the Department of Defense, Department of Interior, Department of Treasury, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Western Governors Association.
To read the entire GAO report, click here. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03144.pdf
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