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This is the August 12, 2009 issue of the DPSAC NEWS
DPSAC Requests That Certain NED Updates Not Be Performed Unless a Badge or Account is Needed
Attention AOs – DPSAC needs your help. Please do NOT update a person’s name or position information in NED unless requesting an ID badge or NIH network account. Updating a person’s work information (e.g., building/room, telephone number) is okay, but changing a legal name or adding position information to a record will result in the premature creation of a case in DPSAC’s Background Investigation Tracking System (BITS).
The best time to validate, and if necessary, update name and position information is during the badge renewal process. This will allow DPSAC to concentrate its efforts on moving people with an immediate need for a new ID badge through the process as quickly as possible.
NIH Technical Support Staff Advised to Install ActivClients Software to Enable PIV Smartcard
OD CIO staff recently sent out a notice to NIH Technical support staff advising them that they will need to install ActivClient software to enable the use of the PIV smartcard. Below is an adaptation of that August 10 memo that you may find helpful when working with your IT support staff.
“As you may be aware, NIH is in the process of rolling out new smartcard ID badges [also known as Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards or HHS ID Badges]. Initially, these PIV cards are being issued to AOs and a few pilot staff. Beginning September 2009, DPSAC will begin issuing the PIV cards to the general NIH population. NIH has been given a June 2010 deadline to badge the entire NIH workforce (approximately 34,000 employees, contractors and affiliates).
When AOs are handed their PIV badge, they are also given an ActivIdentity USB smartcard reader. They are then instructed to submit a NIH help desk ticket to have the reader, and associated ActivClient software, installed at their desktop. The installation of the ActivClient software is REQUIRED for the smartcard to work. AOs have recently been informed that as of August 17, they will be required to use their PIV cards, reader and software when they work with NED. [If an AO has not yet received their new HHS ID Badge, the August 17 deadline does not apply.]
Once all of the AOs are processed, ICs will need to purchase this reader for all their employees, contractors and affiliates.
For Microsoft Windows XP and Vista systems the required software can be downloaded from: https://isdp.nih.gov/openaccess/ai/ActivClient.exe. Detailed step-by-step installation instructions are included with the download and can also be separately obtained from: https://isdp.nih.gov/openaccess/ai/ActivClientInstallationInstructions.doc.
ActivClient for MacOS is currently NOT supported by NIH yet, but testing and documentation efforts are currently underway. However the software is available.
For MacOS 10.4 systems, ActivClient software is available at: https://isdp.nih.gov/openaccess/ai/ActivClient_3.0_MacOSX.dmg.
For MacOS 10.5 systems, ActivClient software is available at: https://isdp.nih.gov/openaccess/ai/ActivClient-3.0.1-MacOSX.dmg.
General vendor supplied documentation is available as part of the Mac OS distributions.”
Enrollment and Issuance Workstations (EWS/IWS) to Open Soon
In anticipation of the late-August start of the HHS ID Badge rollout to the general NIH population, DPSAC will soon open a number of Enrollment and Badge Issuance stations in and around the Bethesda campus and at other remote NIH facilities. A number of strategically placed Enrollment and Issuance Stations will be staffed by Personnel Security Specialists to accommodate the approximately 34,000 Federal employees, contractors and affiliates who will be enrolling and picking up their new badges before the June 2010 deadline. Below is a list of these locations. Also, DPSAC plans to post these locations on the idbadge.nih.gov website.
Enrollment Work Stations (EWS) - (where individuals will be fingerprinted and photographed)
- Bethesda campus - Building 31 / Room 1B03
- Executive Plaza North / Room 103
- Rockledge 2 - Room 1041
- Gerontology Research Center (Baltimore) / Room 1E07
- NCI Frederick - Building 426 / Room 159
- NIEHS - Building101 / Room B14B (Rall Building, Security Office)
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories - Building 8 / Room 112
Issuance Work Stations (IWS): (where individuals will pick up their new HHS ID Badge)
- Bethesda campus - Building 31 / Room B1A26
- Executive Plaza North / Room 103
- Rockledge 2 - Room 1041
- Gerontology Research Center (Baltimore) / Room 1E07
- NCI Frederick - Building 426 / Room 159
- NIEHS - Building 101 / Room B14B (Rall Building, Security Office)
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories - Building 8 / Room 112
Badge Enrollment Approaching 100% for AO Community
As of August 10, 2009, DPSAC has enrolled 96 percent of all eligible AOs. While some of these badges have gone to DPSAC personnel and IT specialists, most were issued to AOs. In addition, nearly 650 individuals have been enrolled for the new ID Badge. DPSAC anticipates that all AOs will have enrolled and received their new badges by the end of August, at which time the start of the rollout to the general NIH population will begin.
NED Team Announces NED Update Release - NED 2.3
AOs recently received an e-mail from NED Project Manager Jeff Erickson announcing the most recent upgrade to NED (NED v 2.3). Jeff’s e-mail underscores some of the more important updates and also provides a link to the full release notes enumerating all of the changes and enhancements found in NED 2.3. If you missed this important message from Jeff, you can read it in its entirety by clicking on NED 2.3.
Plain(er) Language Coming to “Track Badge Status” Messages in NED
All of the NED messages for track badge status have been updated to be more clear and concise. You should have started seeing these new and better messages as of August 10.
AOs Notified to Begin Using Smartcard for Sponsorship Tasks in NED
On August 10 the HSPD-12 Program Office sent an e-mail to all AOs notifying them that, as of August 17, they will be required to login to NED using their new HHS ID Badge (PIV Card) to sponsor people for ID badges. Click here to read the e-mail. Please note: If you have not yet received your new HHS ID Badge, the August 17 deadline does not apply to you.
Remember: help is close at hand -- for technical problems, including the installation of the USB Card Reader or completion of NED tasks, please contact the NIH Helpdesk at (301) 496-4357; for all other questions related to the process, please contact the HSPD-12 Program Office at (301) 496-3067 or HSPD12@mail.nih.gov.
Helpful Tips
• Blank HHS ID Cards Should Be Arriving First Week in September
DPSAC was recently informed that the 'blanks' used in printing the final HHS ID Badges will be shipped from the manufacturer’s offices at the end of August. Once the blanks arrive at NIH, DPSAC will begin printing the new badges locally, enabling DPSAC to issue badges almost immediately after an individual has enrolled (for those who have the appropriate background investigation on file).
Until now printing had to be done remotely, necessitating a 2-3 week delay while the manufacturer received the enrollment information, printed the badges and shipped them to NIH.
• AOs Can Use Online Enrollment Appointment System
(reprinted from DPSAC News, July 29, 2009)
DPSAC wants to remind AOs that scheduling an enrollment appointment for an employee is as simple as logging on to the Background Investigation Online Appointment System (a.k.a., the Enrollment Appointment Scheduling System), finding an available date and time and signing the person up.
Remember that once an individual has completed pre-enrollment, s/he receives an e-mail with ‘next steps’ for completing the enrollment process. AOs who wish to use the online scheduling system can click on: http://fmp-8.cit.nih.gov/rdis/ and enter their IC-specific password. To obtain your IC’s password, just e-mail Dan Shumate (shumated@mail.nih.gov) in the HSPD-12 Program Office with your request and he will forward it to you.
After an AO has accessed the Background Investigation Online Appointment System s/he will be asked to select a date for an appointment. No appointments are currently made for EOD Mondays. Appointments can only be made 60 days in advance.
Please remember that people only need an appointment when they need to be fingerprinted. For all other inquiries, individuals can simply stop by to speak to a DPSAC customer service representative.
• All past issues of DPSAC News are posted on http://idbadge.nih.gov.
News Briefs
HRfocus Background Screening Survey 2009
(reprinted from HRfocus magazine, July 2009)
Eight-five percent of companies, no matter their size, conduct criminal background checks of new hires. Most companies verify educational claims and perform drug tests (both 71 percent). Only 3 percent of companies with 1,000 or more employees conduct no background screening during the hiring process.
ID Management Remains Challenge For Federal Agencies
By J. Nicholas Hoover,
(reprinted from InformationWeek, August 5, 2009)
Despite numerous federal mandates such as Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, identity management remains a challenge for government agencies, according to federal cybersecurity and IT officials. "It's a challenge that it is an unfunded mandate," said Ken Calabrese, CTO [Chief Technology Officer] of the Department of Health and Human Services, during a panel discussion on identity management in Washington. "There are some straight dollar benefits, but it's just something that doesn't resonate with people at this point. Articulating business value is a tough challenge."
Over the last few months, the Department of Health and Human Services has conducted a review of its identity management efforts, concluding that the agency needs more coordinated control over logical and physical security. HHS is carrying out a pilot program with that in mind. Now, when someone hands in their office keys upon leaving a job, their ID is automatically deleted from all systems. The agency is also testing single sign-on capabilities….
To read the entire article, please click on the link: ID Management Remains Challenge For Federal Agencies
FAQs
Q. As an AO sponsor, I was told by DPSAC that beginning 8/17/09 I must login to NED using my HHS ID badge in order to sponsor a person for an ID badge. I normally access NED via the NIH Portal, but it doesn’t appear I’m able to use my HHS ID badge to login to the Portal. What should I do?
A. You will need to access NED directly (https://ned.nih.gov/ned) until the NIH Portal supports login using an HHS ID badge.
A biweekly e-newsletter from the Office of Research Services, Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (ORS/DPSAC) to keep you informed as NIH rolls out "Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12" (HSPD-12) establishing a common identification standard to better safeguard NIH and its workforce.
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