Accenture darf die USA einmauern

--- Accenture hat den Zuschlag für den Großauftrag des amerikanischen Innenministeriums bekommen, mit dem dieses eine virtuelle Mauer mit Hightech-Gimmicks wie Data-Mining und biometrischen Erkennungsdiensten rund um die USA errichten will. Das berichtet heute die New York Times: Asa Hutchinson, the under secretary in charge of border security, said the project, called U.S.-Visit was "a significant milestone in the history of the department" and in the bolstering of border security since the Sept. 11 attacks. "I really don't think you could overstate the importance of this responsibility in terms of securing our nation," he said. The project will use the latest technology, including biometrics, to identify people coming into the United States. The contract was awarded to Accenture, formerly Andersen Consulting, over two competing contractors, Lockheed Martin and Computer Sciences. Several industry executives and analysts said that the award surprised them and that Accenture had widely been considered the outside candidate. The award also brought controversy. Accenture is incorporated in Bermuda, and some critics attacked the idea of awarding a contract so valuable and important to national security to a company with its headquarters outside the United States. ... The bid proposal set a range of $10 million to $10 billion over the 10-year life of the project. Mr. Hutchinson said the project was "certainly going to be a billion-dollar project when all is said and done." Investigators at the General Accounting Office, however, have called the program "a very risky endeavor" because of management and financial concerns. They have estimated that the total cost, including financing needed from other agencies, could reach $15 billion. Soviel Geld, nur um Besucher statt Terroristen abzuschrecken. Nur gut, dass derartige IT-Großprojekte doch meist zum Scheitern verurteilt sind.