HP Announces New National Identity System Solution Built on Microsoft .NET Platform; Solution Will Drive Simplified, Secure Identification Management for Governments Around the World

Business Wire, May 27, 2005

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- HP (NYSE:HPQ)(Nasdaq:HPQ) today announced the availability of the HP National Identity System (NIS) solution on the Microsoft(R) .NET platform.

The HP NIS solution allows governments to build and quickly deploy at an affordable price a complete, standards-based and technologically agile infrastructure that meets their changing needs for security and identity management.

Going beyond simple secure identification and authentication functionality, the solution enables modern national identification systems to allow citizens to access e-government services and conduct secure transactions. The solution also provides citizens with improved secure and intelligent identity documents.

For example, with heightened security awareness at national borders, the solution fulfills the new requirement to ensure traveler and citizen credentials across an entire country or region.

In addition, the modular nature of the solution enables national and regional governments to more easily plug in additional elements, such as biometrics, to customize and balance the level of security and privacy as defined by a government's policy and requirements.

Recent figures from industry analyst firm Morgan Keegan show that the worldwide identity management market is approximately $4.8 billion and is estimated to grow to approximately $10.7 billion in 2007.(1)

"The need to securely identify people moving across national and international borders has never been more important than it is today," said Jim Ganthier, worldwide leader, Defense, Intelligence and Public Safety, HP. "HP and Microsoft are working together to provide government agencies the ability to access the integrated data streams needed to securely identify people both in the physical and virtual worlds."

Built using HP's expertise in national identity systems, security frameworks and public key infrastructures (PKI), the HP NIS can be fully integrated into the HP e-government framework and integrated into a nation's e-government services delivery framework. The solution encompasses all the essential national identification system attributes and functions, including:

--Online and offline enrollment of demographic and biometric data through live capture

--Local request as well as regional/central verification and registration

--Multi-tier architecture

--Secure management of the document lifecycle

--Biometric and personalization subsystem integration

--Online and offline identity verification

--Fault tolerance and disaster recovery through design

HP and Microsoft are investing in the solution through initiatives such as joint training programs and the establishment of specialist centers around the world to further develop, demonstrate and sell national identity system solutions.

The NIS leverages HP's extensive experience in delivering fully integrated solutions, which include consulting and integration, desktops, servers, management software and support services. Recognizing HP's .NET commitment and unique capabilities, Microsoft has endorsed HP as its worldwide prime integrator for Microsoft .NET technologies.

For the HP NIS solution, Microsoft supplies a wide range of software products and technologies, including Microsoft Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (64-bit), the Microsoft .NET Framework and Microsoft Services.

"Microsoft recognizes that national governments and their principal agencies have unique information technology requirements, particularly as more governments look to implement e-government solutions," said Jan Muehlfeit, vice president, Public Sector -EMEA, Microsoft. "Secure and reliable identification and authentication of individuals helps power more useful and compelling experiences for users and provides citizens easy and secure access to services. Working with industry partners such as HP is an important step and will provide public sector organizations with new technology solutions to address these key customer concerns."

HP has successfully delivered innovative NIS solutions to a wide array of national and regional governments. As part of working with this wide range of customers, HP identity management solutions have spanned HP-UX, open source and Microsoft platforms, as well as HP OpenView Identity Management software and services.

The Italian Ministry of Interior, for example, is working with HP to provide smart electronic national identity documents for all Italian citizens. The initiative will assist particularly in the delivery of e-government services by supplying secure access to government services portals and enabling transaction authentication through digital signatures.

In addition, HP is connecting citizens in Israel, Poland, Slovakia and Bulgaria with new identity and entitlement documents such as passports, driving licenses and identity cards to ensure security and public safety through improved and counterfeit resistant technology.

For nearly two decades, HP and Microsoft have been working together to define industry standards through joint development, testing and preparation of leading PC and server solutions. During this time, Microsoft and HP have participated in a variety of programs including Microsoft's Joint Development Program, Rapid Development Program and Corporate Preview Program. Microsoft also has designated HP as a Global Launch Partner.