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SBD requires testing and certification for many product categories. The differences between the two are as follows:
Tested Products
A manufacturer can submit a product for testing to a recognised security standard at a test laboratory, often accredited by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), and pass. However, this does not ensure that the product tested is the same as the mainstream manufactured item nor is representative of the range of products.
Certified Products
Certification gives quality assurance. When a manufacturer wishes to comply with the requirements of SBD they must now submit the product range for certification. This involves submission to a test house, which may or may not be the Certification Authority (CA).
A number of products, representing the whole range, are selected for testing and if they all pass they can be accepted into the certification scheme. The CA visits the production facility to ensure that the products tested are representative of the products supplied to the end user. This is followed by a programme of regular visits to ensure continued quality standards are met and that components have not been altered without informing the CA.
During the course of a year the CA will remove a small number of products for re-testing. This is dependent on the number of products being produced or a number agreed with the manufacturer. Should any part of the security standard be changed/up-dated the manufacturer is expected to upgrade products to retain certification.