IdenTrust announced it is a participant in the DirectTrust Partnership for Patients Program that aims to make it easier for patients and health care consumers to securely share personal health information; Evolis and CPI Card Group have extended their partnership to provide U.S. banks with the EMV-capable instant card issuance solutions; Dominion Resources Inc. selected AMAG Technology’s Symmetry Access Control System to secure its offices, plant and operations facilities in Virginia and several other states; Zwipe announced the launch of Zwipe Access 2.0.

Gemalto delivered its Sealys Premium Inlay and embedded Sealys eTravel Software for Colombia’s first national electronic passport program; SecureAuth Corp. announced the release of Threat Service; Versasec announced it has added German distributor IDpendant to its list of partners.

Gemalto will provide its LinqUs Mobile ID solution to the Electronic Transactions Development Agency in Thailand; guests at the Hyatt Regency Istanbul Atakoy will be using a security access solution by ASSA ABLOY Hospitality; MorphoTrust factories have achieved ISO certification for superior security standards in the credential issuance process.

The physical access control market has never been known to be bleeding edge when it comes to new technology. But a change is on the horizon, cloud-based physical access control systems have arrived. These new systems offer a number of advantages over legacy systems and could usher a new age of security.

Mobile driver licenses are coming. One state is piloting the technology and many other states are interested but the hurdles to implementation are numerous. But the ubiquitous plastic card that resides in the wallets of most people 16 years of age and older is in for a makeover, one way or another.

Phil Dumas went on ABC’s Shark Tank to get funding for Unikey, his company that focuses on the user experience with mobile physical access control. Unikey has been focused on the residential market but is starting to expand into the commercial arena.

Creating a new credential can be a challenge for issuers. The most educated organizations, such as government issuers have challenges, but they also bring the most resources to bear. At the mid-level, organizations such as financial issuers are beginning to consider more durable card materials, but the vast majority of small to mid-volume issuers lack even basic education on material options.