XTec Incorporated issues PIV cards for Department of Labor

Successfuly completes implementation

RESTON, Va., Oct. 26, 2006 -- XTec Incorporated has successfully completed its implementation of the Federal Government's Personal Identity Verification (PIV) program for the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL).

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded a contract to XTec on August 22 to begin implementing its solution for Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12), a mandate which requires all federal workers and contractors to use a standard interoperable identification card for access to government buildings and resources.

XTec, an approved PIV end-to-end provider, and team members which included: Accenture, Mount Airey Group, MSD, and ORC, delivered a completed AuthentX™ PIV credential management and issuance system to DoL and began issuing PIV cards in a full production environment on October 26, 2006, including the electronic submission of digital fingerprints files to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for the PIV mandated comprehensive background check.

Effective immediately DoL will continue enrolling applicants and issuing cards from multiple locations in the DC area and will commence deployment of infrastructure, in programmed releases, to their Regional and Field offices.

XTec was able to capitalize on the experience and standard of excellence that they set at the Department of State and other federal agencies in achieving an HSPD-12 "End-to-End"; compliant program.

"Having fingerprints sent electronically was an important goal for DoL. Our previous process was to mail hard copies of the 10-print cards to OPM which caused delays in the response. We are pleased to have installed a VPN with OPM in record time to submit the fingerprints in real time and improve our response back by days. We are very proud DOL continues to stay ahead of the game with the latest technologies and was one of the first agencies to complete this tasking with OPM," says Richard Lewis, Director, ITC/OSDI and FIPS 201 Program Manager at DoL.

The modular approach to HSPD-12 implemented in XTec's AuthentX™ product line helps shorten the time it takes to make an entire organization compliant, not only in the issuance of compliant credentials, but in the immediate capability of implementing physical access control using PIV cards with the NIST High Security profile.

By utilizing its own technologies, XTec is able to deliver a complete solution to both large and small agencies with its integrated AuthentX™ Credential Management and Access Control system, using the complete line of XTec IP addressable, high security smart card readers.

"The solution we have integrated and demonstrated for the Department of Labor is able to be implemented in a short period of time allowing agencies to be fully compliant with the HSPD-12 mandate," said Tom Murphy, XTec's Director of Sales.

About XTec

XTec is a leader in secure, interoperable authentication and verification systems. XTec develops, produces, and licenses enterprise level security solutions for Credentialing, Access Control, Information Systems, and Electronic Commerce for a wide range of government and commercial uses. XTec's focus is on providing a secure foundation from which customers can build secure enterprise web-based applications and cryptographic systems. XTec has a long-standing relationship with the Department of Homeland Security (formerly the United States Secret Service or USSS) for document security using XTec equipment to assist in the forensic tracing of counterfeit cards. XTec is a recognized leader in both government and commercial circles for its expertise and products for credentialing, identity, secure payment, and access control.