Physical security professionals are having to make tough decisions. These decisions are being driven by the need to offer value and become more than just a corporate cost center. Physical access control systems need to reduce risk and cost, increase efficiency and add value. They also need to collect better intelligence and enable collaboration with other departments for improved incident response and remediation. By using systems that adhere to standards, end users can make it easier to add to systems down the road as well as upgrade and change system.

Norway Post deployed a multi-application smart card for an employee ID. The credential is used for physical access, discounts on railways, payments in canteens and access to vehicles. It’s also being used for secure printing and scanning in the office as well as time and attendance.

The Regarding ID summer 2014 issue is online. Read about the biometric boogeyman, digital identity technologies, will Bluetooth challenge NFC, problems with e-passports, identity vetting efforts at the local level, defining the hardware security module and much more.

Issuing electronic passports is but one step countries can take to protect borders. Countries also need to make sure they are hooked up to the proper databases so they can make sure the travel documents are valid and not stolen as well.

NFC forum and Bluetooth group release pairing document; AOptix rebrands as Terrain Biometrics, GlobalPlatform publishes ISO framework; MorphoTrust USA opens larger Springfield, Ill facility; DeviceFidelity’s new NFC/wireless charger and SALTO unveils XS4 mini website.

HSPD-12 ushered in a culture change for the executive branch of the U.S. government and paved the way for other identity initiatives but it’s not all a rosy portrait. A decade in, use cases for the credential are few and the electronic functionality of the smart card is limited.

Gemalto announced that its LinqUs Mobile ID platform is compliant with the GSMA Mobile Connect initiative and is available for commercial launch; HID Global revealed that the newly designed Irish electronic passport won the Regional ID Document of the Year Award 2014 at the annual High Security Printing Conference in Milan; and LEGIC signed two new license contracts in Eastern Europe: EDPS in Poland and Prosoft-Systems in Russia.