XceedID Corp., Golden, Colo., announced that three of its multi-technology card reader models have been approved by the U.S. government under HSPD-12 for FIPS 201 compliance as transparent readers.

The approval of XceedID readers under the FIPS 201 federal specification indicates that XceedID readers have passed compliance testing for compatibility with the new personal identity verification (PIV II) credentials mandated for issuance to all federal employees over the next two years. Several card manufacturers have been approved as suppliers of FIPS 201-compliant PIV credentials; the physical access control function of these approved cards has been verified with XceedID readers.

FIPS 201 is a federal information processing standard developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to satisfy the requirements of HSPD-12, a Homeland Security presidential directive. One of the main objectives of HSPD-12 is to ensure government-wide interoperability for information technology and security through the implementation of a range of federal standards and product requirements.

The company’s multi-technology readers are also compatible with many standard proximity and leading smart card technologies. The ability to read multiple existing card types and PIV II cards simultaneously is a benefit to agencies looking to transition from older proximity technologies to new, mandated PIV II credentials. For more information, visit www.xceedid.com.