HID Global introduced the ActivID Tap Authentication platform; Suprema announced the launch of BioStation 2, a new fingerprint terminal; Janrain announced the launch of its Customer Identity Management platform within China; AMAG Technology announced that its Symmetry security management system has been approved by the GSA.

Identity can be asserted in many different ways. But the most common way an individual asserts an identity is by handing an ID card over for visual inspection. But making sure it’s not counterfeit is difficult and playing an important role in anti-counterfeiting efforts are the materials that make up the document.

The Security Industry Association Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) will be a key piece of the SIA InteropFest at ISC West 2015. The access control specification has a history as an access control specification, offering interoperability and new functionality.

Fast, cheap or good. The old adage says you typically can’t have all three. The same has been true when choosing a card printing technology, but things are changing. The direct-to-card method had filled the “fast and cheap” niche but new retransfer card printers are filling an important niche in the form of superior image quality and affordability.

Stories from the spring issue include: the evolution of AFIS; for better cards, consider better materials; step-up authentication; and electronic IDs in Europe.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida deployed a solution that enables officers to capture and search fingerprints against state and national FBI databases from any location; Gemalto is providing multi-factor authentication to MOHELA, one of the largest student loan servicers in the U.S.; Authentify announced its xFA SecureCallCenter to help financial institutions fight fraud; ZTE announced that a flagship device will be launched with a eye-based biometric solution from EyeVerify; IDenticard announced the release of UBand Prox.

From “identity standard of the future” to a likely sad footnote for bygone smart card specifications, PIV-I has had quite a ride. Just three-years ago experts predicted it would be deployed not only for government contractors but across enterprises markets as well. “Costly and complex” is the universal answer when insiders are asked why PIV-I and its less-assured little brother CIV aren’t being used in smart card deployments.

More than half of cyber intrusions to U.S. federal agencies could have been prevented using strong authentication, according to a report from the White House Office of Management and Budget. The annual report to Congress on the Federal Information Security Act (FISMA) details how agencies are still behind when it comes to using PIV credentials and strong authentication technologies.