Hirsch Awarded First $1M for Multi-Year Project to Supply Security Systems to the IRS

Hirsch, a leading security systems manufacturer and a business unit of Identive Group, Inc., confirmed the award of more than $1 million in orders to supply the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with Hirsch security systems and services. The awards are associated with the first phase of a multi-year plan to install Hirsch security systems at several hundred buildings nationwide.

The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requires agencies to ensure the security of personal information – names, addresses, etc. – that resides in computer systems. As part of FISMA, federal agencies must conduct an extensive Security Test and Evaluation (ST&E) and issue certification and accreditation (C&A) only to vendors that meet the security requirements.

“This customer’s data security needs and FISMA requirements were indeed extensive,” noted Lars Suneborn, director of Hirsch’s Government Program Group. “Hirsch is proud to have had its Velocity software successfully complete the C&A process. The testing requirements make sense when you consider the liability issues associated with identity theft and storing PII (personally identifiable information) in computers.”

As part of the project, Hirsch will provide card access readers, access control panels, intrusion detection devices, video surveillance equipment and professional services. The system features include encryption of data at rest, in transit and in use; remote web access system administration; and a fully redundant immediate fail-over server environment.

“The IRS data centers and computers hold a massive amount of sensitive information — all of our tax records plus much more,” noted Suneborn. “It’s an exciting project working with the agency’s officers and administrators, IT staff, engineers and facilities groups in designing and implementing this advanced security system. It addresses not only security but also information assurance (IA) objectives — such as data confidentiality, integrity, and availability — and continuity of government (COG) needs for fault tolerance, replication, disaster recovery, and remote yet secure accessibility.”