IN THE BOARDROOM™ with...

Mr. Joseph Krull
Accenture
Senior Manager
Security Technologies Group
www.accenture.com
NYSE:ACN

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Thank you for joining us today, Joe. Please give us an overview of your background and your role at Accenture.

Joseph E. Krull: Thank you for your interest in Accenture and what we are doing to help our clients understand the highly complex issues related to security. I am a Senior Manager in Accenture's Security Technologies group, part of our broader Systems Integration and Technology organization. I joined Accenture about two years ago and have more than 30 years of security experience with Fortune 100/Global 1000 companies and the U.S. intelligence community. My current focus is advising clients regarding risk management, new security technologies and creating high performing security management organizations.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: We understand that you’ll be speaking at the upcoming ASIS 2007 Seminar and that your subject will be “Countering Identity Fraud: Building a World Class Enterprise Program.” Please give our audience an overview of the key points you’ll be discussing.

Joseph E. Krull: Identity theft and fraud remains rampant in the United States and has become an international phenomenon. We're seeing consumer outrage when organizations allow personal data to be compromised. Some recent studies have shown that certain groups of consumers are now reluctant to engage in on-line commerce or banking due to identity theft concerns. This could have a significant impact on the market if left unchecked. My presentation exposes the various types of identity fraud, explodes some myths, presents case studies, and provides some recommended best practices for organizations that want to have "world class" personal information security.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: One will read on Accenture.com that, “Identity theft affects millions of people. Indeed, the cost of identity theft globally is expected to reach some US$2 trillion by 2005. Biometric security measures, or the use of human biological characteristics to confirm or establish identity, promise to help reduce these numbers.” As a global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company, please outline for us the solutions that Accenture provides to clients in this area.

Joseph E. Krull: We have extensive expertise within our Security Technologies group with regard to biometrics. We have experience working with biometric technologies both in the Government and private sectors. We have learned that the application of biometrics in broader security solutions is still immature despite its great promise; therefore, we help our clients fully consider the strengths and limitations of various biometrics solutions and make clear comparisons with other possible options. We work closely with Accenture Technology Labs to look at new ways to develop and apply biometric solutions to particularly challenging problems. One place that biometrics made sense was in Spain. Accenture helped the Spanish Ministry of Labor and Social Security deploy biometrically-enabled smart cards to Spanish citizens as part of a broader modernization effort. In this case, using fingerprints to verify identity was the optimum solution, which may ultimately serve more than 40 million Spanish citizens.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Can you share some examples of identity management projects Accenture has done in the Government sector?

Joseph E. Krull: Accenture is participating in a number of Government sponsored initiatives related to travel security. One particularly interesting project is the miSense and miSenseplus registered traveler pilot programs at London's Heathrow airport, which stated in October 2006. During the sixteen week trial, more than 3,000 travelers participated in what is widely regarded as one of the largest and most comprehensive trials of biometrically-enabled access control ever to be conducted in an operational transport environment. Passengers who participated not only accepted the need for biometric technology -- in this case, fingerprint, facial and iris scans -- but believed that it could significantly improve their journey through the airport. The quantitative and qualitative research found that passengers thought that the miSense biometric technology was easy to use and reduced waiting times at security screening and passport control.

Here in the United States, we have been working with the Department of Homeland Security since 2004 as the project leader for the US VISIT Program to support visa and immigration compliance. You may have seen the US VISIT self service kiosks at airports around the country, which helps travelers simplify and expedite their travel to and from the USA by positively identifying themselves using biometrics.

These pilot programs are proving to governments that improved border security can be achieved.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: What about the enterprise verticals such as the financial, healthcare or technology sectors – are there some projects or success stories you’d like to mention?

Joseph E. Krull: Our Security Technologies group successfully delivered more than 300 separate projects last year and we are active in all of the verticals you've mentioned. We are particularly strong in the Identity and Access Management space and have successfully rolled out enterprise wide single-sign-on and full blown complex identity management projects. Organizations of all sizes have learned that managing multitudes of separate passwords for users is a costly exercise and makes compliance with government and industry mandates such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and Sarbanes Oxley difficult, if not impossible. Accenture is a leader in identity and access management solution delivery and we have strategic alliances with major product vendors. We have a number of detailed client success stories on our Web site: http://www.accenture.com/Global/Services.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: What resources such as case studies, webinars and education services are available for end-users on http://www.accenture.com/Global/Services.

Joseph E. Krull: There is a wealth of research and insight on our Accenture Security Services Web site, including recent security survey findings, articles, video and podcasts that delve deeper into complex security issues and help make sense of it all.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Thanks again for joining us today. Are there any other subjects you'd like to discuss?

Joseph E. Krull: Thank you again for your interest in Accenture and my upcoming presentation at the ASIS International Annual Seminar. We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.