Sharp’s IC module for IC cards has been approved for level 2 of the US Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 140-2 (FIPS 140-2). FIPS 140-2 is a US government standard used to accredit modules for storing confidential data. 

Sagem Défense Sécurité (SAFRAN Group) is launching two new biometric access control products during one of the main security trade shows in Europe. The MorphoAccess™ 500, a physical access control terminal, and MorphoSmart™ 1350, a logical access control reader will be introduced at IFSEC 2007. 

While Congress is considering comprehensive immigration reform, Zerco Systems, the Official Technology Advisor to The Latino Coalition (TLC), said the comprehensive immigration reform legislation before Congress is an important step in securing America and that the Zerco Identification Card System (Z-ID Cards), with its turn-key biometric identifier solution, offers a “stand alone” versatility to provide tamper resistant ID for immigrants and employers in Corporate America. According to the Chairman and CEO of the company, “The Zerco turn-key integrated biometric ID management solution has the authentication functionality in place now to verify the millions of Permanent Resident Green Cards of immigrant workers, and as stand-alone systems can provide employers with verifiable information about hired workers.” 

By Marisa Torrieri, Contributing Editor

Now that federal agencies are invested in the planned government-wide issuance of highly secure, interoperable smart card IDs, actually implementing the new system remains the biggest practical and technological hurdle.

“The card is only the first stage,” says Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “There’s a whole other phase – accessing the physical access control systems and integrating the smart card into the logical security and PKI infrastructure that many of the agencies operate.” 

U.S. Department of Defense employees are able to utilize multifunction peripheral devices, such as printers and scanners, utilizing their Common Access Card to log in to the device via technology provided by eCopy. They‛re then able to send their scanned documents directly to electronic workflows or business software applications. 

Gemalto has been chosen by LifeNexus, Inc. as the exclusive supplier of technology and professional services for North America’s first healthcare payment card. LifeNexus will issue the Personal Health Card directly to consumers, working with employers and other sponsoring organizations. Consumers will use the LifeNexus card to keep track of their personal health information, give it to healthcare providers when needed, and then pay for services - all with the same card. 

Lockheed Martin, which in January was awarded a $70 million contract to enroll maritime and port workers in the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program, is receiving assistance from RSA Securities with the enrollment process. RSA Securities will provide Lockheed Martin with a software program that helps enroll users into the smart card program. It will manage the identification validation process as well as consolidate credentials.