2 Firms to Bid on Defense Computer Security System

Two Orange County companies--a computer security systems designer and a high-tech electronics firm--plan to jointly bid on a five-year Defense Department contract for a system to shield military computers from unauthorized access.

Codercard Inc. of Irvine and Interstate Electronics Corp. of Anaheim initially would supply the military with about 20,000 credit card-sized devices for a government-designed protection system if their bid is accepted, according to Codercard Executive Vice President Willis Marsing.

Designed by Codercard, the security units, costing between $500 and $1,000 each, would be built by Interstate Electronics, a longtime manufacturer of radar and missile-testing equipment for the Navy and Air Force.

The Defense Department, which wants to guard against illegal access to unclassified data stored in computers, will disclose the monetary value of the contract and take bids next month, Marsing said.