Experian® and Symantec Corp. today announced that the two-factor credentialing solution jointly developed by the companies was selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide Enterprise Remote Identity Proofing (ERIP) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Credential Services in support of the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA). The Experian and Symantec solution will play a critical role in a $78 million contract that was awarded to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) providing CMS with an offering that helps them solve key challenges that arise in serving the nation’s large uninsured population.
The Experian and Symantec solution combines Experian’s identity proofing capabilities with the strong authentication capabilities of Symantec’s Validation and ID Protection (VIP) Service to deliver secure online identity credentials. It will minimize the risk of fraud by providing more than 35 million U.S. citizens with secure online access to the State and Federal Health Insurance Exchange, while complying with electronic authentication guidelines in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication SP 800-63-1 and achieving Level 3 Assurance.
“Experian is thrilled that our solution was selected by CMS and believes it will add great value in helping to provide millions of citizens with access to insurance and medical information, while simultaneously helping to safeguard individual users’ identities and complying with federal mandates and regulations,” said Scott Waldron, president of Experian’s Government Services. “Our innovative solution with Symantec continues to gain traction with government agencies and healthcare organizations, and this success is another milestone on our path to becoming the de facto standard in the public sector for identity proofing and authentication.”
The offering will utilize Experian’s Precise ID(SM) platform, risk-based identity proofing encompassing highly predictive risk assessments through a combination of identity element verification, authentication, risk scoring and progressive out-of-wallet questioning to refine decisions about which identities should be allowed to enter into the CMS system and which identities should be denied access or further verified via alternate processes.
Symantec’s VIP service, the leading cloud-based authentication service, will enable CMS to provide secure online access and transactions to help obtain compliance and reduce fraud risk. A fully hosted strong authentication Security as a Service (SaaS) solution, VIP offers a cost-effective way to give legitimate users access to business resources, enterprise applications and websites while protecting against cybercriminals. VIP provides an additional layer of protection beyond standard username and password by requiring a dynamic one-time-use, six-digit security code generated by a user’s VIP credential.
“Symantec is very excited about the opportunity to work with the SAIC team to provide our CMS customer with an advanced Symantec-Experian multi-factor authentication and identity proofing joint solution,” said Gigi Schumm, vice president and general manager of Symantec’s Public Sector organization. “This capability will enable CMS to successfully roll out the Administration’s National Uninsured program under the Affordable Health Care Act, decrease risk associated with healthcare fraud, and support the realization of NIST’s ‘National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace.’”
