Port Authority Of Los Angeles Taps Unisys For ID, Access Control System

  • Apr 18, 2008

The Port Authority of Los Angeles has contracted with Unisys Corp. to design and manage an identification and access control system, using smart card and biometric technologies, to identify workers who require access to restricted areas in the port.

The three-year contract is part of the federal TWIC program, a joint effort of the TSA and Coast Guard to help secure the nation’s maritime transportation system. It was established under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, which calls for a comprehensive, consistent security program for the nation’s ports to identify and deter threats.

Under the contract, Unisys will plan, design, develop and manage a field test of the new system and help participating terminal operators integrate TWIC-enabled access control systems using a tamper-resistant credential, or smart card. The card will include a biometric component -- a fingerprint template -- and a digital photograph that will integrate seamlessly with each operator’s access control system and allow port facility security officers to identify all workers granted access to restricted areas.

According to TSA, workers enrolled in the pilot would present a card to a biometric-enabled reader and place a finger on a reader at all pedestrian and vehicle ingress locations. The readers will compare the cardholder’s fingerprint to the stored biometric template and automatically grant or deny access, as well as notify facility security officers of any incidents.

“Unisys is proud to provide security advisory and integration services to its customers in the maritime and aviation transportation industries, delivering proven security solutions worldwide. The benefit to our customers -- and to the constituents they serve -- is their ability to mitigate and manage risk,” said Tom Conaway, managing partner, Homeland Security, Unisys.

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