PROTECTING UK GOVERNMENT IT INFRASTRUCTURE

National security has been thrust into the limelight by events like 9/11, highlighting potential vulnerabilities of states to attack. Siemens Business Services has extensive engagement in matters relating to homeland security and is positioned to offer expertise, advice and technological solutions based upon significant sector experiences.

Siemens advocates a multi-layered security architecture to protect government networks. Multiple layers of protection against internal and external threats provide greater protection against possibilities of security failure occurring in any one particular layer. Security failures can be quickly identified, isolated and resolved without compromising the integrity of the entire system. Layered approaches can be introduced within system, network and application authentication controls, network and system access controls, encryption protocols, audit trails and system availability controls. Core elements of the 'Defence in Depth' security model include firewall technology, Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), content-filtering and anti-virus technology, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and biometrics technology.

A major security issue confronting government is identification and service entitlement. Ensuring services are provided to those entitled to them is essential to identification assurance. An integrated approach to sharing appropriate data is necessary to combat wrongful service entitlement. There are organisations and people whose focus is either collecting or researching entitlement to services. It is therefore important to ensure that data can be made available where it complements and supports the need to assess the risks of penetrating security barriers. It is possible to integrate services and extract, modify, store and transmit data to just about anywhere in the world in real-time. However, hurdles such as intellectual property, data-protection, and cross-boundary policy issues must first be overcome.

Cross-boundary policy issues refer to cross-geographical issues and policy issues resulting from cross-departmental boundaries. Siemens has extensive experience of border control, national ID and registration, and the application of emergent biometric technologies. Being a world leader, Siemens is continually developing advanced technologies for fingerprint recognition, facial and iris recognition, digital passports and cards and has direct project experience of these technologies.

They include: 
.  Siemens public key infrastructure: a central security infrastructure for more than 200,000 employees allowing secure e-business applications
.  Border control system for Lithuania: a standard, IT-based system for fast and secure border control between Lithuania and Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Russia
.  Multi-functional ID smartcards in Macau: a national identification solution facilitates travel between Macau and China
.  New border control system for Latvia: a customised system securing the Latvian government and its borders with the EU eastern border
.  Digital ID card for Bosnia-Herzegovina: Civil register database in Sarajevo and the ID card and drivers licence system
.  Smartcards in Italy: smartcard solution for the Italian government including providing the Italian army with a secure way to identify soldiers and provide each one with access to the army e-procurement portal.

Siemens combines security expertise, understanding of the market sector, integration experience and pragmatism to ensure security strategies are implemented efficiently and effectively.


For further details please contact:
Declan Ross-Thomas, Siemens Business Services

Tel: +44 (0)1344 784300
E-mail: declan.ross-thomas@siemens.com

Declan Ross-Thomas, Public Sector Strategy Manager Siemens Business Service