Monday, September 04, 2006

The Gaming Standards Association is rapidly finalizing its new Certification
Program. When complete, the program will create a network of certified
agencies licensed to test vendor products for GSA standard compliance.
Today, GSA announced it has selected The Open Group as its Testing Agency
Authority (TAA) and Testing Suite Authority (TSA), completing one of the
final necessary steps before implementing the program. GSA President Peter
DeRaedt said, "As GSA introduces its standards into the global market, it is
important that we have a partner who fully understands how the certification
methodology can provide conformance testing expertise. The Open Group has
clearly demonstrated that they do, and that they know what it takes to make
standards work. We will work together to set the right expectation level
within the gaming industry and promote the benefits of the GSA Certification
Program." As the TAA, The Open Group will accredit the Test Agencies that
will perform testing of products for certification. In the role of TSA, The
Open Group will determine the suitability of test suites and other test
tools for use by Test Agencies in performing conformance testing. The work
includes both the creation of the acceptance criteria and procedures to be
used by the TAA and TSA and the ongoing operation of these roles once the
certification program is live.
The initial work involves defining Test Suite Acceptance Criteria and
Conformance Requirements for currently published GSA standards. Ongoing
support includes serving in the roles of TAA and TSA on behalf of GSA for a
minimum of three years.

"As a neutral, 'not-for-profit' consortium with more than 20 years of
experience, The Open Group provides credible, reliable assurance of
conformance to standards, and serves as international guarantor of
interoperability," said Allen Brown, president and CEO, The Open Group.
"We're looking forward to applying our expertise and proven processes to
meet the GSA's needs in conformance testing and certification, while also
doing our part to help GSA finalize the new Certification Program and
successfully roll it out to the gaming marketplace."