First Responder Authentication Credential Solution

Flexible Solution Includes Management,
Onsite Verification of FRAC Credentials

When disaster strikes, first responders from local, state and federal jurisdictions are called into service. Knowing who is who on the scene is critical — making secure, verifiable identity credentials essential to an effective response

The Entrust First Responder Authentication Credential (FRAC) solution gives emergency management agencies the ability to issue and manage first responder smart identity cards that can be electronically verified on site through an integrated, flexible, scalable and reliable solution.

FRAC Webinar Replays

Industry experts will explain why FRAC is important at the state and local level, as well as how all the parts work together, in several different ways, to suit your needs for a successful deployment. It's a great opportunity to get the advice you need from the top technology authorities - Entrust, Intercede, CoreStreet, and SafeNet.

Watch The Replay!

Layering security
As a focused security solution, FRAC still includes much of the same technology found in traditional layered security models, which are optimized to address specific security challenges. The secure digital identities provided by the FRAC solution can be leveraged as the foundation of a layered security strategy designed to protect homeland security information. The ability to securely issue identities through the FRAC solution can be extended to enable other applications across the state enterprise.

Access authority
Secured by Entrust Authority™ Security Manager digital certificates, the FRAC solution enables local, state and federal agencies to control access to any site with confidence by quickly authenticating and validating — via a smart card and certified handheld card reader — the identities and roles of individuals wishing to enter a secure or restricted area. Knowledge of roles, identities and privileges enables states to manage first responders and allows officials to adjust quickly to emergencies by distributing personnel where they're needed most.

Teaming up
CoreStreetFor such an important and necessary undertaking, Entrust partnered with CoreStreet, which provides software to government and private enterprises to ensure the security and reliability of smart credential infrastructures and applications. CoreStreet government solutions are designed to ensure security, availability and compliance for numerous critical government applications at the federal and local levels.

FRAC Identities & Characteristics:

  • Photos
  • Role information as defined by DHS
  • Special skills, training or certifications
  • Other important characteristics or roles

The smart cards, which contain Entrust's embedded digital certificates, are read with CoreStreet's PIVMAN System, and personnel can be managed without affecting performance or requiring a persistent connection to the Internet or data source. Individual cardholder privileges and identities are drawn from authorization databases and certificate revocation lists and published to PIVMAN Handhelds in a secure, highly compressed format.

In addition, the system can leverage existing data sources to display information such as background checks, warrants and other similar data.

Interoperability through standards — FIPS 201, PIV
The Entrust FRAC solution enables interoperability through compatibility with important identity card standards such as FIPS 201 and Personal Identity Verification (PIV). Therefore, identity credentials issued by federal agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Defense can be verified in the field as well. Any FIPS 201 cards can be read no matter where they were issued — from anywhere and without Internet connectivity.

Further interoperability is provided through digital certificates from the Entrust Managed Services PKI, which offers cross-certification with the Federal Bridge Certification Authority.

Security, flexibility and extensibility
When verifying credentials in the field, the field station card readers or PIVMAN devices check the validity of the credential in the form of a digital certificate stored on the smart card's chip. These digital certificates are issued from the Entrust Security Manager certification authority (CA) in the public key infrastructure (PKI).

A state has two options for obtaining digital certificates:

  • Entrust can provide the software necessary to host and manage a CA in-house
  • Certificates can be purchased from the Entrust Managed Services PKI, where the infrastructure management functions are in an outsourced model

The Entrust FRAC solution is extremely flexible; a state can begin with certificates from one model and later migrate to the other depending on its requirements.

Interested in FRAC? Learn more.
To learn more about all that FRAC can provide, please call 888-690-2424 or contact us online for more information.

Entrust Authentication and Information Security Solutions

Entrust is an industry recognized leader of information security solutions that help organizations protect critical information through innovative products and services. Our solutions enable risk based authentication, multifactor authentication, file encryption, and digital signatures along with numerous other security capabilities. Entrust provides trusted security and encryption software for less.