By Shirley Everson, Director, U Card Office, University of Minnesota We are all aware what a turbulent time this is for businesses and the economy, the banking industry and higher education institutions. It could take years for our investments to recover and for our economy to get back on track. When it comes to campus […]

By Tony Ball, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Identity and Access Management, HID Global Over the years, companies and organizations have been using multiple methods to provide people with secure access to their facilities and computer networks. Historically, building access and network access have been separate, requiring employees to carry multiple cards to enter […]

By Guy Vancollie, Chief Marketing Officer, CoreStreet Since enterprises first looked at implementing smart card-based common access card programs in the 1990s, there have been many changes. Although some major companies have successfully deployed such programs, smart card-based identity solutions never have penetrated the enterprise market. Looking back, it is clear that a lack of […]

By Mohammad Khan, President and Founder, ViVOtech Inc. With the current credit-crunch situation in worldwide financial markets, 2009 will be a challenging year for many different industries, including ours. However, I see contactless payment rollouts to see positive growth in 2009 across all major continents. The good news is that we already have more than […]

By Randy Vanderhoof, executive director, Smart Card Alliance Looking into the future of the North American smart card market in 2009 and 2010, I see no signs for concern, with the possible exception that the current recession could be far worse than previous economic downturns. Having been professionally engaged in the smart card industry since […]

By Jeff Zander, Vice President, Heartland Campus Solutions Here is what Heartland believes it’ll be seeing more of in 2009 within campus card programs: Automated Web-based services, such as deposits, reports and purchases that require little or no staff, will see an increase next year. These automated programs are attractive for a number of reasons, […]

By Joseph Pearson, marketing manager for government identification, Texas Instruments Electronic credentials ranging from passports to national ID cards are making next generation debuts in many parts of the world. The European Union is moving forward with electronic passports containing biometric fingerprint data for extended access control. Many countries are developing multi-purpose national ID cards […]

By Tom Bell, vice president of Commerce Industry Relations at Blackboard During my time working on campuses and in discussions with campus executives it has become apparent that some interesting and non-traditional problems are being resolved through the effective use of the campus transaction solution. Today’s campus card program, like any enterprise system, does not […]

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security opened the application period for approximately $48.6 million in grants for increased driver license security. These grants support state to improve the reliability and accuracy of identification documents that state government’s issue. The FY 2009 Driver’s License Security Grant Program will accept proposals that improve state capabilities consistent with […]

Intercede, the producer of credential management systems, announced that Intercede’s MyID system has been selected by Lockheed Martin to power the Lockheed Martin Assured Identity Program. Under this program, 140,000 smart card identity badges will be issued to Lockheed Martin employees. The credentials will be FIPS 201 compliant. The initial orders under this contract will […]