Unisys to Help the Department of Home Affairs Secure Australia's Borders and Facilitate Flow of Legitimate Travellers Using Unisys Stealth(identity)™ Biometrics
Unisys engaged to provide new Enterprise Biometric Identification Services to facilitate traveller processing and improve the Department's ability to identify criminals and persons of national security interest
Sydney, 18 March 2018 – Unisys Corporation today announced the Australian Department of Home Affairs has signed a multi-year contract with Unisys Australia to design and implement the new Enterprise Biometric Identification Services (EBIS) system. The estimated value of the contract is up to AU$44 million (approximately US$35 million). EBIS replaces the previous biometrics matching system that was also provided and supported by Unisys for the last 12 years. The contract was awarded after a competitive tender.
The new EBIS system will be used by the Department to match face images and fingerprints of people wishing to travel to Australia, including visa and citizenship applicants, against biometric watch lists to identify people of security, law enforcement or immigration interest, while simultaneously facilitating the processing of legitimate travellers. EBIS is designed to support anticipated growth in visa applications, border clearance and applications for citizenship over the next 10 years.
"In the ten years 2006-2016, the number of Australian border crossings increased from 21.7 million per year to 37.7 million – a growth of almost 74 percent1. This places pressure on border clearance staff to verify the identity of travellers and confirm they are who they say they are more quickly and more accurately to prevent delays, avoid queues and improve the experience for travellers arriving in and departing from Australia. We have drawn on our wealth of knowledge built working with the Australian Government, and with other clients around the world, to design a solution that quickly flags people who require further investigation while allowing legitimate travellers to efficiently pass through border clearance," said Tony Windever, vice president and managing director of Unisys Asia Pacific.
EBIS will be based on the Unisys Stealth(identity)™ multi-factor identity management and authentication solution. Stealth(identity) supports face, finger, iris and voice recognition, and is a robust solution designed for high-volume (more than 100,000 transactions daily) and large-scale (more than 100 million records) operations across multiple devices. EBIS will include analytics that will ingest data feeds from Stealth(identity) to support and run simulations.
Mark Forman, global head of Public Sector business at Unisys, said: "The growth in the volume of travellers, as well as the increased risk of potential terrorist or fraudulent activity, means that effective border security is more important than ever before. We are delighted that the Australian Government has continued its trust in Unisys to help in enhancing the safety of its citizens."
The core of the fingerprint and facial biometric matching solution will use industry leading biometric matching algorithms from IDEMIA (formerly OT Morpho) to quickly and accurately match fingerprints and facial images. IDEMIA is a world leader in biometric solutions with internationally-recognised biometric algorithms and multi-modal implementations that support databases in excess of 1 billion identities.
Xavier Assouad, vice president Australasia for IDEMIA Public Security and Citizen Identity, added: "We are thrilled to provide the biometric engine that powers the EBIS solution, this is the continuation of years of IDEMIA's engagement in the Australian Borders ecosystem. The combined strengths of IDEMIA behind Unisys will provide the Department of Home Affairs with a flagship platform to secure the border now and into the future."
Unisys works with government clients around the globe to drive innovation and transform citizen-centric services through leading-edge digital initiatives, including cloud deployments, application modernisation, security solutions and advanced data analytics. Supporting more than 300 government organisations worldwide, Unisys provides solutions that facilitate the transition to digital government. For more information on Unisys' Public Sector solutions and impact, visit http://www.unisys.com.au/industries/government/public-sector.
1 – Australian Bureau of Statistics - http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/products/961B6B53B87C130ACA2574030010BD05
Department of Home Affairs media release available here.
Forward-looking Statement
Any statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements rely on assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. In particular, statements in this release regarding the estimated value of the contract are based on forecasted estimates in relation to the number of people entering Australia, assumptions in relation to the amount of time and effort that will be required to design and implement the EBIS system, assumptions in relation to the number of software licences needed to meet the department's future requirements, and the assumption that the contract will continue for its full term. The number of people entering Australia may differ from the current forecasted estimates, the amount of time and effort required to design and implement the EBIS system may change and the number of software licences required by the department may change. Further, as the contract is non-exclusive and can be terminated or its scope reduced, pricing under the contract is subject to consumer price index and foreign exchange adjustments, and unforeseen events may occur, the estimated value of the contract is not guaranteed. Additional discussion of factors that could affect Unisys future results is contained in periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
About Unisys
Unisys is a global information technology company that builds high-performance, security-centric solutions for the most digitally demanding businesses and governments on Earth. Unisys offerings include security software and services; digital transformation and workplace services; industry applications and services; and innovative software operating environments for high-intensity enterprise computing. For more information on how Unisys builds better outcomes securely for its clients across the Government, Financial Services and Commercial markets, visit www.unisys.com.
About Unisys Asia Pacific
In Asia Pacific, Unisys delivers services and solutions to clients in more than 15 countries across the region. For more information visit: www.unisys.com.au. Follow us on twitter @UnisysAPAC, LinkedIn, and in China on: www.weibo.com/unisyschina and WeChat Official Account: Unisys China.
Contact:
Candi Hindocha, The Impact Agency,
+61 2 9519 5411 or +61 459 104 978, candi@impactagency.com.au
Claire Hosegood, Unisys,
+61 411 253 663, claire.hosegood@au.unisys.com