Smart Card Alliance Highlights Significant Policy Considerations

The Smart Card Alliance released a paper in response to the 2016 update to the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource, which defines federal policy and establishes guidance for management of federal information resources.

In the response, the Smart Card Alliance highlights major changes in the policies governing federal use of PIV credentials for access control in the 2016 update to A-130, discusses the impact of these changes on the federal government and commercial industry, and outlines issues to be considered in complying with A-130 for selected topic areas.

The response paper, Smart Card Alliance Commentary: OMB Circular A-130 – Managing Information as a Strategic Resource, was developed by the Smart Card Alliance Access Control Council.

“The Smart Card Alliance supports the updates to the OMB Circular A-130 and believes it provides more clarity for how federal agencies implement identity and information security systems more efficiently and effectively,” said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “In just a few pages, this paper summarizes the major policy highlights from the 85-page OMB Circular A-130 that impact the implementation of access control systems. The commentary incorporates inputs and perspectives from Smart Card Alliance members representing a variety of different stakeholder groups to discuss the impacts and opportunities for securing government information systems.”