Gemalto to Provide Biometric Database Systems to Canadian Defense Dept.

“Both of the AFIS systems will be developed by Gemalto, and the company says that they may eventually also feature support for additional biometric modalities including facial recognition and DNA.”

Gemalto has won a big new security contract with the Canadian government. The company has announced that it will provide the country’s Department of National Defense with an Automated Fingerprint Identification System.

The AFIS will collect data from booking stations used across the country, sending the biometric data along to a central AFIS used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada’s national police force. Both of the AFIS systems will be developed by Gemalto, and the company says that they may eventually also feature support for additional biometric modalities including facial recognition and DNA.

The contract also entails the creation of a ‘Disaster Recovery site’, which Gemalto describes as a solution designed “to protect the DND from losing valuable data,” according to a statement announcing the deal.

The news comes on the heels of Thales’ acquisition of Gemalto, making the merged firm one of the largest security solutions providers in the world.

Commenting on the DND deal, Thales Government Programs VP Rob Cimperman framed it as another step forward in his firm’s “long and successful history delivering mission critical solutions to Canada’s Armed Forces,” adding that Thales has been working with local and national law enforcement agencies in Canada for 19 years.

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May 9, 2019 – by Alex Perala