Synercard, Bioscrypt AND Datastrip Form a Partnership

Gatineau, Quebec-- Synercard Corporation, the software product company behind the critically acclaimed Asure ID® suite of trusted identity solutions, Bioscrypt Inc., a leading provider of identity verification technology; and Datastrip, a leading provider of handheld biometric verification devices have formed a partnership which will develop a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201 solution. This technology solution will also be able to be easily migrated to other government and commercial access control systems.

FIPS 201, entitled Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors, was developed to satisfy the requirements of Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 as approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and issued on February 25, 2005. Principally, HSPD 12 is a policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors to enhance security, increase government efficiency, reduce identity fraud, and protect personal privacy by establishing a mandatory, government-wide standard for secure and reliable forms of identification issued by the Federal Government to its employees and contractors.

In response to HSPD 12, Bioscrypt, Datastrip and Synercard have partnered to develop an end-to-end system which will improve the identification and authentication of Federal employees and contractors for access to Federal facilities and information systems. The combined Bioscrypt/Datastrip/Synercard solution can support other federal security initiatives such as US-Visit, Transportation Worker ID Card (TWIC), and Common Access Card programs. Additionally, with the growing demand for more sophisticated card systems, the solution can easily be deployed for traditional commercial and other ID initiatives that require biometric card systems for physical, logical and mobile access control.

"The partnership we have formed with Datastrip and Synercard will provide the technology components necessary to deliver on the new directives handed down by the President, as well as other federal and commercial applications," stated Robert L. Williams, President and CEO, Bioscrypt. "We look forward to working with both firms and deploying the system within the many opportunities that are available to us."

"The market demand, especially within the US Government, for open and interoperable products has fuelled this partnership and the integration of our respective products," said Bruce Bianco, president of Synercard. "We are proud to work with both Bioscrypt and Datastrip to meet the specifications and needs of the many organizations looking to deploy trusted identity solutions."