A milestone in port security has been reached with the passage of the 2008 Congressional spending package that includes $400 million for FEMA’s Port Security Grant program. In addition to the Port Security Grant program, the fiscal 2008 spending bill includes $8.1 million to fully fund the Transportation Security Administration’s biometric card reader pilot projects […]

The Department of Homeland Security has released a fact sheet outlining its 2007 achievements. They include: better passenger records and tracking, better biometrics (10-fingerprint collection at airports and ports including the US-VISIT program), enhanced driver’s licenses (as part of REAL ID), secure documentation standards (WHTI), enhanced aviation security, enhanced privacy and civil rights standards, setting […]

If you don’t need a full-blown, FIPS 201-compliant PIV card like those being tested in Summer Breeze-like trials, the recently established Tiers of Trust Consortium may have an alternative solution. It was created to provide a lower cost smart ID card without all the bells and whistles that FIPS 201 requires. “While this regulation (FIPS […]

Cindy Vetter, Director, UNC Card and Student Business Services, University of Northern Colorado In the past 15 years, the card industry has seen the relationships between banks and universities come and go. Early on, universities expected the bank to be the cash cow and provide ongoing support for their entire card program. What they seemed […]

Dave Sullivan, President, Fargo Electronics, Inc. As we move through the latter half of this decade, we will see continued momentum in the development and adoption of contactless technology. Two areas affected by this growth are the use of a single credential to host multiple applications, and the use of personal electronic devices, such as […]

If prices come down–and they are expected to–smart cards could see a gain in the access control market, maybe as much as 100% in the next five years, according to a new study from Frost & Sullivan. Private sector companies, with a focus on security and multi-applications, are likely to move toward smart card-based access […]

Robert M. Fee General Manager North America LEGIC Identsystems If last year’s dramatic growth of contactless smart cards and applications is any indication of what is to come, then we are in for another exciting year. The proliferation of the technology and associated standards extend the contactless reach well beyond physical and logical access to […]

Robert M. Fee, General Manager North America, LEGIC Identsystems If last year’s dramatic growth of contactless smart cards and applications is any indication of what is to come, then we are in for another exciting year. The proliferation of the technology and associated standards extend the contactless reach well beyond physical and logical access to […]

The Security Industry Association’s (SIA) 2008 Legislative Agenda has been released and includes advocacy in a range of new areas in addition to ports, rails and public transit systems. Agenda highlights include: ports (TWIC), public transit, schools, healthcare, HPSD-12 and physical security, waste facilities, and training programs. he Security Industry Association Releases 2008 Legislative Agenda […]

Precise Biometrics has won a follow-up order linked to the biometric Portuguese ID card from its partner Zetes Burótica. Fourteen hundred units of Precise Biometrics’ combined fingerprint and smart card reader, Precise 250 MC, will be delivered by the end of this year. Precise Biometrics is also a key supplier of various components and services […]