Idemia Public Security, a leading provider of secure and trusted biometric-based solutions and Sopra Steria, a leading European-based consulting, digital services, and software development company, have successfully completed the go-live of EU-LISA’s new shared Biometric Matching System (sBMS). This achievement marks an important milestone in the roll-out of the Interoperability Roadmap by the EU Agency responsible for the management of large-scale IT systems in the Justice and Home Affairs domain.
Idemia Public Security and Sopra Steria led the design and implementation of the new sBMS, the EU’s central biometric matching system that stores and compares biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images. The sBMS, together with the other interoperable large-scale IT systems of EU-LISA, aims to fight irregular immigration and trans-border crime, enhancing the efficiency and security of Schengen Area border and migration management.
For example, when third-country nationals come into Europe for the first time, they will be registered and searched against systems defined in the applicable EU legislation; national authorities will then be able to check whether these nationals are the persons they claim to be through biometric operations against sBMS.
The system was launched together with EU-LISA’s Visa Information System (VIS), a large-scale IT system that supports the implementation of the EU’s common visa policy; VIS also facilitates checks at external borders and will be connected with other EU information systems in the future, such as the upcoming European Entry/Exit System (EES).
The forthcoming EES will include biometric verifications and identifications of travellers based on their facial images and fingerprints. At the end of the implementation of the interoperability architecture, sBMS will be one of the largest biometric systems in the world.
With Idemia Public Security’s biometric technology and highly-ranked algorithms across all modalities, combined with Sopra Steria’s competencies as a European leader in digital transformation and Homeland Security, the pair was selected by EU-LISA to build the sBMS for border protection of the Schengen Area in 2020.
As a market leader in the travel and transport industry, focusing on accurate and efficient technology solutions that deliver the highest level of performance and enhance border control operations and identity verification in high-risk environments, Idemia was equipped to contribute to one of the largest scale biometric databases, ensuring accuracy and fast response times.
“We are excited to partner with EU-LISA and advance our mission of enabling secure, seamless, and personalised digital passenger journeys for travellers across the world. With our work to design and implement the sBMS, Europe will manage one of the largest biometric systems in the world. This is another example of how Idemia’s technology can make the world a safer place more than ever before, and we’re proud to play a critical role in this journey,” commented Tim Ferris, SVP, Travel & Transport, Idemia Public Security.
“Sopra Steria is honoured to be a longstanding and trusted partner of the EU Agency, contributing to the successful implementation of critical large-scale IT systems. The accomplished go-live of the shared Biometric Matching System (sBMS) represents a significant milestone in the realisation of the EU’s Interoperability Architecture, reinforcing our joint commitment to enhancing security and operational efficiency across Europe,” added Michel Lorgéré, Deputy CEO, Sopra Steria Belgium.
As long-standing partners of European institutions and governments, Idemia Public Security and Sopra Steria have supported the European Union for more than 20 years in the management of mission-critical IT systems to enhance security within the Schengen area.
