vps Equips Port of Felixstowe with State-of-the-Art Biometric ID Card Management System
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Ettlingen, Germany (October 6, 2006) - vps Video Print Systeme, a leading European supplier of professional IT solutions for identity management, announces that Port of Felixstowe, the largest container port in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe, has chosen vps' identity and card management system, icms, to manage the contactless biometric identity cards being issued to the thousands of hauliers that enter the port each day.
Port of Felixstowe, part of Hutchison Port Holdings, is introducing haulier identity cards to enhance security at its terminals. The new initiative, known as RHIDES (Road Haulier Identity System) is expected to be fully operational by November 2006, after which the cards will be mandatory to access the port. The system, managed by vps' next-generation identity management software, will tighten access controls at the facility and provide a significant deterrent to container theft, as the unique ID cards make each driver directly accountable for his/her container/s. The contactless card used for this project stores the biometric handscan of the driver, which is verified at the gates.
The system is the first of its type in the UK and is based on vps' web-based, open architecture identity and card management system, icms. Recognized truck companies can request cards for their drivers online. Icms automatically alerts drivers via email when their cards are ready and provides a PIN code for secure identification when picking up the card. Drivers collect their RHIDES cards at the port's Pass Office after having their ID checked and their biometric hand data collected.
icms serves as the information hub for all applications related with the card. Thanks to icms' web-based design, haulage companies can conveniently and securely access their "card management system" online via the RHIDES website www.rhides.com. Here they can see a list of their drivers issued with ID cards, add and remove drivers who join or leave the company, and "block" lost cards. vps' system also conducts statistical analyses of entry/exit data to detect possible fraudulent use of a card or the existence of forged or cloned credentials. If the time elapsed between two events does not fall within its reference range, for example, an alarm is given.
Hutchison Port Holdings UK (HPUK), which also operates the UK ports of Harwich and Thamesport, has been in contact with other ports to gauge their interest in introducing a UK-wide haulier identity card.
About vps
vps Video Print Systeme, a leading European supplier of professional IT solutions for identity management, has been providing cutting-edge card personalization and management software solutions since 1992. With icms, its web-based, open architecture card management application, vps is driving the industry towards next-generation identity management systems. The company caters for all market requirements with solutions ranging from compact systems for small quantities of photo IDs to enterprise-level solutions for large numbers of chip-based multi-functional cards. Applications range from access control and electronic ticketing, to ePassports, national IDs, and health cards. Based in Ettlingen, Germany, vps serves its worldwide client-base through direct sales and via its partner network. For more information please visit www.vps.de.
For further information, please contact:
Karlheinz Bold
vps Video Print Systeme GmbH
Carl-Zeiss-Str. 2
D-76275 Ettlingen - Germany
Tel: +49 7243 54880
Web: www.vps.de
kbold@vps.de
Media contact:
Pier Costa
Wise Media S.p.A.
Via Lepetit 4
20124 Milano - Italy
Tel: +39 02 8903 4111
Fax: +39 02 67388322
pier@wisemedia.com
