BearingPoint Successfully Delivers e-Passport Solution in Ireland
MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 16 -- BearingPoint, Inc. (NYSE:BE), one of the world's largest management and technology consulting firms, today announced that it has successfully delivered the Irish Government's e-Passport project.
Development of an e-Passport was key for the Irish government, which needed to have a biometric passport in place before October 26, 2006 to meet requirements of the United States visa waiver program. Meeting the waiver program's aggressive schedule had serious implications for Ireland, as it is one of the top 10 visiting nations to the U.S., with an estimated 500,000 Irish citizens visiting the country last year. The bulk of these visits were visa free.
BearingPoint, which has over a decade of experience in government security and identity management solutions (http://bearingpoint.com/securityingovernment) worked to implement Ireland's e-Passport solution in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards in just seven months, including rigorous third- party testing procedures and other trials.
The project involved creating a new, high-tech passport that includes secure electronic chips to store an encrypted digital version of the holder's identity. Special features of Ireland's new e-Passport include:
o Securely-stored biographical information and digital image identical to
the information visually displayed in the passport
o Contactless microchip embedded in the passport that allows the
information to be read by special chip readers at a close distance
o Digital signature technology to verify the authenticity of the data
stored on the chip, alerting officials if the information has been
tampered with
BearingPoint modified Ireland's Automated Passport System (APS) to allow the capture of biometric information from the applicant's photograph, and to ensure this was encoded in the e-Passport document in a secure fashion. The Irish Government is also introducing facial recognition technology to coincide with the release of the e-Passport. This technology will be used to improve identity verification and reduce identity-related fraud.
BearingPoint designed and built the original APS for the Irish Government in 2004, helping the government manage a record increase in passport applications, with over one million APS passports issued to date.
"BearingPoint is proud to have played a key part in helping the Government of Ireland in its passport upgrade project," said Paul Toner, senior vice president of BearingPoint's EMEA Public Sector practice. "As one of the foremost identity management solutions providers, BearingPoint has the expertise and the experience to offer a wide variety of homeland security solutions to governments worldwide, and the successful, on-time completion of Ireland's e-Passport program is the latest example of our ability to deliver."
About BearingPoint, Inc.
BearingPoint, Inc. (NYSE:BE) is one of the world's largest providers of management and technology consulting services to Global 2000 companies and government organizations in 60 countries worldwide. Based in McLean, Va., the firm has approximately 17,500 employees, and major practice areas focusing on the Public Services, Financial Services and Commercial Services markets. For nearly 100 years, BearingPoint professionals have built a reputation for knowing what it takes to help clients achieve their goals, and working closely with them to get the job done. For more information, visit the Company's website at http://www.bearingpoint.com/.
FCMN Contact: james.hart@bearingpoint.com
Source: BearingPoint, Inc.
CONTACT:
Steve Lunceford
BearingPoint, Inc.
+1-703-747-4545
Steve.Lunceford@BearingPoint.com
Catherine Shuttlewood
Trimedia Communications UK
+44 (0)20 7025 7562
bearingpoint@trimediauk.com
Web site: http://www.bearingpoint.com/
