New ID cards for Defense employees in the Netherlands

Munich - The Defense Telematics Organization or DTO (Defensie Telematica Organisatie) has instructed the Siemens Business Services and Getronics PinkRoccade consortium to supply a new identity card for all employees of the Dutch Ministry of Defense: the Defense ID card. The total value of the order is approximately 18 million euros.

With this order, the ministry of Defense is taking a significant step toward improved building and data security. The Defense ID card is used to establish the identity of the card holder. It allows employees physical access to the buildings and certain areas. The employee can also use the same card for logical access to ICT systems. In addition to authentication, the PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) functionality of the card is also used for signing documents in a legally valid manner and sending them securely by e-mail.

According to the planning schedule, the system will be operational in a year. Getronics PinkRoccade is the market leader in PKI service provision in the Netherlands and will provide one-stop managed PKI service. Siemens Business Services is responsible for system integration which includes linking it to Defense’s infrastructure.

Mirko Panev, Director Public Security at Siemens Business Services explains: "We are very pleased with the trust the ministry of Defense has placed in us. This did of course not come out of nowhere; for instance, Siemens carried out a similar project for the Italian ministry of Defense, as well as for Siemens’ own in-house needs."

Gerrit Oosterhof, COO Getronics PinkRoccade says: "We gained extensive experience through providing ICT services for the Unique Healthcare Identification card (UZI). Here we provided the architecture and supplied 400,000 cards as well as the entire infrastructure. It proves that Getronics PinkRoccade is perfectly capable of bringing major, complex ICT projects to a successful conclusion. We are pleased to be able to make this experience available to DTO."

Electronic communication via the internet requires specific measures for protecting message traffic. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a tool that can be used to ensure the reliability of information.

Getronics PinkRoccade with its 10,500 employees is the market leader in ICT service provision in the Netherlands. Our thoughts and actions are guided by a clear perspective: converting our ICT service provision into added value for our customers in the business market and for public services. Getronics PinkRoccade supports people in their work environment by making business critical information available always and everywhere. To this end we have a complete portfolio of integrated ICT services. All this is put into practice by our employees who find the self-actualizing opportunities with us one can rightfully expect from the number one ICT employer in the Netherlands. Further information at http://www.getronicspinkroccade.nl.

Siemens Business Services is an internationally leading IT service provider.
This Siemens Group offers services all along the entire value chain - from consulting to systems integration, right through to the management of IT infrastructures. Thanks to its comprehensive know-how and sector-specific expertise, the company provides measurable added value for its customers. With regard to outsourcing, Siemens Business Services is among the top ten providers worldwide. With around 34,000 employees, the Group posted sales in fiscal 2006 (ending 30 September 2006) of EUR 5.2 billion, 75 percent of which was achieved outside the Siemens organization. Further information at http://www.siemens.com/sbs.