About FDA

Description: On August 2004, President Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) mandating new standards for secure and reliable personal identification for all federal employees and contractors. HSPD-12 mandates that all Federal agencies develop and deploy an identification verification system to provide personal identity verification (PIV) credentials to all personnel. PIV badges are a standardized Federal ID badge that allows an employee or contractor to gain access to Federal facilities and information technology systems while providing enhanced security. HHS established a number of programs to comply with this directive including the Federal Identify, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) Roadmap, and the Identity and Access Management Program (IAM@HHS). In order to achieve the goals of HSPD-12, FICAM, and IAM@HHS,FDA established the IAM@FDA program. This program focuses on Logical Access Controls (LACS), Physical Access Controls (PACS), and the mechanisms to generate and maintain the credentials necessary for every person within the FDA, allowing secure access to buildings, computer rooms, and applications within the Agency, HHS, and potentially with our external public customers.

Accomplishment: The IAM@FDA Program has enabled FDA to transfer most users at the FDA from ID and Password to PIV card authentication. This change eliminates the need to remember multiple passwords and increases secure access to FDA information through the use of two-factor authentication methods. It has also changed the remote user access from ID/Password login to PIV login which required a change in remote access systems and has resulted in a more reliable connection method. The program has established encrypted email capability and user guides which allows confidential information to be sent through email in a secure, encrypted manner, and has established the ability for FDA employees to digitally sign documents using the PIV card. Digital signatures will allow for more efficient completion of the workflow processes that require signatures. For additional information please visit www.idmanagement.gov.