A growing number of small and medium size companies are opting to outsource their ID card issuance instead of doing the job in house. Smaller businesses like the simplicity of being able to farm out the job because they don’t have to worry about buying and maintaining issuance equipment and software, stocking card supplies onsite and paying employees to handle the work.

As credential issuers want to get a longer lifespan out of the documents card durability is becoming an important factor when choosing new materials. Federal and state agencies, as well as other high-value issuers, want to get as much out of a document as possible, and a 10-year lifespan seems the ultimate objective. To achieve this issuers are moving away from 100% PVC cards – the cheapest and most common type – to composite cards made up of a variety of materials, often including polyesters, polycarbonate or Teslin substrate.

Gemalto has deployed its Coesys eGov Authentication Server in Singapore to provide two-factor authentication and end-to-end encryption of passwords to SingPass logins; Oberthur Technologies announced that its Lasink solution has been selected by Costa Rica for a multi-year contract to provide national ID cards; Evolis is extending its range of printers designed for self-service card printing with the launch of four new models.

There is more than one way to produce a secure identity card. But the choice of card materials impacts both the personalization technology and issuance model. Thus it is crucial that an issuer understand the capabilities of the card materials when evaluating personalization technologies and issuance models. In a very real sense, the three decisions go hand in hand forming the three pillars of secure ID issuance.

Tascent closes $18.5 million in funding; Entrust Datacard releases updated credential software; Gemalto releases cloud-based encryption application; HID offers long-range UHF option for parking garages; Galaxy Control Systems earns FIPS 201 certification; MorphoTrust achieves ISO certification for card production.

HID Global releases biometric and contactless ID card reader; VOXX buys biometric vendor EyeLock; Usher is FIDO certified; New print module from Entrust Datacard.

There are a great many security features that can be placed on identity documents – holograms, laser engraving, embossing – but not all card materials are able to handle the different security features available to issuers. Modern issuers are looking at their identity credentials and doing a cost-benefit analysis of the card material and security features.

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.

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.

Zwipe announced that HID Global’s iCLASS and 125kHz ProxCard users can now integrate the Zwipe Access biometric card; Evolis has added 27 new products to its accessory offerings; SecureAuth Corp. announced the addition of information security veteran Justin Dolly.