DOE’s NATION-WIDE SYSTEM FOR ACCESS CONTROL CAN SOLVE PROBLEMS FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

TheU.S. Department of Energy’s (DOES) ongoing efforts to improve its physical and personnel security systems while reducing its costs, provide a model for federal government visitor processing. Through the careful use of standardized badges, computer databases, and networks of automated access control systems, the DOE is increasing the security associated with travel throughout the DOE complex, and at the same time, eliminating paperwork, special badging, and visitor delays. The DOE is also improving badge accountability, personnel identification assurance, and access authorization timeliness and accuracy. Like the federal government, the DOE has dozens of geographically disperwsd locations run by many different contractors operating a wide-range of security systems. The DOE has overcome these obstacles by providing data format standards (e.g., for magnetic stripe badges); a complex-wide virtual network for security (DOE Integrated Safeguards and Security or DISS); the adoption of a standard hgh securiiy system (Argus); and an open-systemsompatible link for any automated access control system. tf the location’s level of security requires it, positive visitor identification is accomplished by personal identification number (PIN) &kf/or by bmmetrics. At sites with automated access control systems, this positive identification is integrated into the portals.