Probaris Successfully Issues FIPS 201-Interoperable First Responder Authentication Credentials (FRACs) During Winter Blast Demonstration

PHILADELPHIA, PA--(Marketwire - March 11, 2008) - Probaris, Inc. participated in a Winter Blast disaster credentialing and validation demonstration with Federal and Mutual Aid Emergency Response Officials (EROs). The purpose of Winter Blast was to rapidly and electronically validate EROs for access into, out of, or movement within a disaster site in all hazards conditions. Disaster incidents over the past several years have exposed vulnerabilities and inefficiencies in the process of authorizing access to disaster sites.

Last week, Probaris, along with its industry partners, participated in the Winter Blast demonstration which occurred in multiple locations in the Philadelphia and Washington, DC metropolitan areas. Probaris provided FRACs for the demonstration. FRACs are interoperable with the Federal Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD 12) / Federal Information Processing Standard 201 (FIPS 201) credential that is mandatory for the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. FIPS 201 interoperability not only establishes a trust model for identity and skill set verification amongst Federal agencies and Mutual Aid jurisdictions, but also enables agencies and jurisdictions to invest in a multi-functional credential and standards-based technology that can be used for routine access into buildings or networks.

The demonstration proved the capability to rapidly and electronically validate emergency response officials at disaster scenes. The process allowed incident scene commanders to validate the identity and qualifications of on-site personnel. The validation of personnel qualifications included an electronic check of an individual's authorizations and privileges.

The Winter Blast demonstration was hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Office of National Capital Region Coordination (NCRC). Participating locations included Women's Memorial Auditorium at the Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, VA, Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Chester, Pennsylvania, The George Washington University Hospital and the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital, both in Washington, DC.

This event allowed Probaris to showcase the newest capabilities in the Probaris ID Suite of identity products. Probaris Live™ was used as the live, online registration site for participants who did not pre-register for the demonstration. The emergency response officials registered themselves and their emergency response function as categorized under the National Response Framework, National Infrastructure Protection Plan, or the National Continuity Policy Implementation Plan. The Probaris ID products were used for enrollment, archiving and issuance of trusted and interoperable identity credentials for Winter Blast.

About Probaris

Probaris (www.probaris.com) develops and markets the Probaris ID™ Product Suite, an end-to-end solution for issuance and verification of employee identities. The solution is used to gather employee biometrics and other identity data for the life cycle management of secure credentials. Probaris ID is currently being used by federal agencies to comply with the HSPD-12 mandate of 2004. It is built on Probaris SP, the industry-leading secure business process management platform. Probaris ID bundles multiple pre-integrated GSA-approved products to provide all elements of the credential solution.

Contact Information: For further information please contact: Megan McHugh 215.238.0510 x237