Forwarded From: Nicholas Charles Brawn <ncb05t_private> [Moderator: A while back, someone posted a great list of questions that focused on what it took to get (then) NCSA certified. And I can't help but wonder those same questions now. Do you need to be a paying member of the ICSA to get certified? Can non-members achieve the same certification? And lastly, what makes the ICSA such experts that they can certify these companies?] ICSA Awards First Biometric Product ... BW 4/27/98 3:33 PM ICSA Awards First Biometric Product Certifications at Washington, D.C. Press Conference; Unveils Biometric Industry Buyer's Guide Business Editors/Computer Writers WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 27, 1998-- ICSA-The Security Assurance Company The International Computer Security Association (ICSA, formerly NCSA) Monday announced the industry's first six biometric product certifications at a press conference held in Washington, D.C. The certification announcement follows six weeks of rigorous testing by the ICSA Biometrics Certification Lab. Also Monday, ICSA unveiled the "ICSA Biometric Industry Buyer's Guide," a comprehensive 150 page report which examines the state of the biometrics industry. "We have arrived at an exciting juncture in the history of the biometrics industry," said Dr. Peter Tippett, ICSA president. "As evidenced by the high quality products which achieved certification today, biometrics technology has arrived and is no longer only the stuff of fictional James Bond movies. "ICSA certification will help advance the deployment of biometrics by providing customers a framework for continuous and measurable product improvement." A biometric is a unique, measurable characteristic or trait of a human being used to automatically recognize or verify identity. The technology is becoming increasingly popular for a wide range of applications which help improve personal privacy, secure electronic commerce transactions and reduce crime. "We're pleased to congratulate the industry's first biometrics vendors to achieve ICSA certification," said Dave Harper, program manager for ICSA's Commercial Biometric Developer Consortium (CBDC). "Achieving certification is not a trivial task. Each vendor's product was required to withstand ICSA's rigorous six-week Biometrics certification process, which included real-world testing against a random sample of over 1,000 volunteer subjects. ICSA certification provides customers assurance that each product meets our strict standard for excellence." Vendors awarded certification include Hi-Key Technologies for their Biometric Access Control System fingerprint verification product; iNTELiTRAK Technologies for their CITADEL GateKeeper voiceprint recognition product; Miros, for their TrueFace facial recognition software; Mytec Technologies for their Touchstone fingerprint verification product; National Registry for their Workstation Verification Solution Set fingerprint recognition product; and SAC Technologies for their SACcat biometric fingerprint identification product. ICSA Offers Certification as a Continuous, Ongoing Process Certification is a continuous, ongoing process. ICSA constantly reviews and improves its certification criteria of products and systems to adapt to the rapidly changing security landscape. Although Monday's announcement marks the completion of ICSA's first biometric certifications, ICSA has been certifying other computer security products -- including anti-virus software, encryption software, firewall software and Internet filtering software -- for years. ICSA now builds >from that knowledge, a service that can assure companies of continuous security improvements. World's Leading Biometrics Vendors Participate in ICSA's CBDC ICSA's Commercial Biometrics Developers Consortium is comprised of a who's who list of the world's leading biometric vendors. As consortium members, the vendors work to promote biometrics education, establish testing criteria and certification standards, and promote ethical industry practices. Today's round of certifications are the first in what will be a series of ongoing certification rounds. Future certified products will be drawn >from ICSA's growing member roster. The complete list of CBDC members include Biometric Identification Inc., Cogent Systems Inc., Harris Semiconductor (Division of Harris Corporation, NYSE: HRS), Hi-Key Technologies, IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM), Identicator Technology, Identix, iNTELiTRAK Technologies, Miros Inc., MYTEC Technologies Inc. (TSE: MYT), SAC Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: SACM), The National Registry Inc. (Nasdaq: NRID), Thomson-CSF Inc. (Nasdaq: TCSFY), Veridicom Inc., Recognition Systems and Who?Vision. ICSA Publishes Biometric Industry Guide ICSA Monday unveiled the much anticipated "ICSA Biometric Industry Guide," a comprehensive report examining the state of the biometrics industry. The report contains four sections, including the "Biometrics Explained" introductory primer, biometric customer application stories, biometric product listings and a purchasing guide which explores design considerations and deployment. The report, along with its key research findings, was unveiled today by Tippett, during his press conference presentation. Although the printed version of the Biometric Industry Guide is priced at $20.00, the 28-page "Biometrics Explained" chapter is available as a free public service at http://www.icsa.net/services/consortia/cbdc/sec1.htm. About ICSA ICSA is an independent organization that provides worldwide Internet security assurance services including TruSecure, an integrated and continuous service which will reduce the risk of damage by malicious attack to a company's valuable information system. TruSecure helps clients dramatically reduce Internet security risks of their entire network perimeter through an ongoing assessment service. ICSA was established in 1989 as the National Computer Security Association. The ICSA now has offices in North America, Europe and Asia. Visit the ICSA at www.icsa.net. Leading Biometrics Vendors Speak Out About ICSA Biometrics Certification Miros Inc. "ICSA's certification of Miros' TrueFace technology demonstrates the high degree of reliable security provided by our easy to use, face-recognition software products," said Michael Kuperstein, president and CEO of Miros Inc., based in Wellesley, Mass. "ICSA certification provides a benchmark of solid performance for TrueFace technology that customers can depend upon as a source for independent qualification, essential for helping the customer to understand which security products measure up to expectations and which do not. "By providing independent testing and benchmarking, ICSA allows customers to cut through the marketing hype that often surrounds an emerging technology such as biometrics, and to identify products that provide real-world security and value for the customer." Mytec Technologies Inc. "Successful certification by independent third-party associations like ICSA give biometric solution providers like Mytec a market edge when talking to customers about the security, performance and quality of Touchstone finger pattern biometric products," said Tom Grecco, president and CEO of Mytec Technologies Inc., based in Toronto. "Certification of biometrics will show the world that when vendors like Mytec work with industry-leading certification associations like ICSA, we are putting our products in the line of fire yet demonstrating our commitment to quality standards in the biometrics industry. ICSA is working to show the world that an emerging technology like biometrics is ready for general market consumption now." National Registry Inc. "It is important that our customers know that NRI products have been independently tested and certified to meet real-world standards of performance," said Clint Fuller, chief operating officer of NRI, based in Tampa, Fla. "ICSA certification is one of the key steps in establishing market awareness and acceptance of biometric technology as a means of positive personal identification and enhanced information security. We appreciate ICSA's initiative in establishing its biometric certification program and are proud to be a participant in the initial certification process." SAC Technologies Inc. "ICSA certification is one more verification of the reliability of our product," said Barry Wendt, CEO of SAC Technologies Inc., based in Edina, Minn. "Certification raises the bar and separates the myths from the realities. There has been considerable market-hype that has done much to discredit the biometrics industry in the past and present. I applaud the efforts of the ICSA and their leadership in setting standards for the biometrics industry that I'm certain will soon be a requirement for every biometrics company that wishes to compete successfully in the marketplace." --30--kmk/ph* CONTACT: Dovetail Public Relations Mark Coker/Jim Azevedo, 408/395-3600 E-mail: dovetailprt_private/dprjimt_private or ICSA Barbara Rose, 717/241-3233 KEYWORD: PENNSYLVANIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED INTERACTIVE/MULTIMEDIA/INTERNET PRODUCT PUBLISHING GOVERNMENT Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet with Hyperlinks to your home page. URL: http://www.businesswire.com Copyright 1998 Business Wire. All rights reserved. -o- Subscribe: mail majordomot_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Dimensional Communications (www.dim.com)
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