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Australia selects Viisage readers
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in brief • A contract to supply a secure ticketing system for bus networks in the Italian province of Vicenza has been awarded to Thales. The Italian bus operator FTV Vicenza is replacing its paper ticket based system with a solution that combines magnetic stripe cards and contactless technology. Once the new system is rolled out 83 bus routes, approximately 236 buses, will be equipped with the new technology. The system will enable FTV Vicenza to collect data on passenger bus usage to optimise vehicle management, integrate its equipment with the different systems employed by other operators and suppliers, and allow passengers to top up or renew their travel cards over the Internet or via the telephone. The initial test phase for the project will begin in November 2006 on 30 buses, with full-scale roll-out scheduled for the end of 2007. • Passlogix has announced the upcoming release of its v-GO Credential Manager application. The v-GO CM is a solution for issuing, managing and revoking strong authentication devices such as smart cards, tokens, biometrics and proximity cards. Key features of the product include open support for multiple vendors’ devices and readers, the ability to integrate both physical and logical access credentials, and compliance support for government initiatives such as Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12). The application can be deployed on a standalone basis or in conjunction with the v-GO Sign-on Platform. • Technology is currently being tested which tailors digital terminals and services according to its users’ wishes. The technology, developed under the EU funded Simplicity project, is similar to a SIM card and can be used with terminals such as mobile phones and computers. The user’s basic information and functions are pre-stored in the device but the device can also learn them from the user’s own terminal. The profile is updated in accordance with new functions performed by the user. The device has been developed by the Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT together with other Simplicity project partners. • Juan Carlos García has been appointed president of ASSA ABLOY’s Identification Technology Business Unit. Juan García will have worldwide responsibility for ITG and starts in his new position in July, based in Walluf, Germany. Juan García has more than 20 years of professional experience and has served as CEO and COO at ORGA Kartensysteme. He has also held executive positions in other multinational companies such as Terex Atlas, GEA Ecoflex, Wittenborg, Raychem and Siemens.
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extension over two more years. Meanwhile, Axalto, whose merger with Gemplus is now complete, says its contract covers an initial period of two years starting in 2007, and can be renewed twice for periods of one year. The next generation of Vitale cards are designed to be more user-friendly and make data management more secure. The new cards will include a chip containing 32KB of secured memory and up-to-date cryptography. According to industry insiders, the first generation of chip-based patient cards were designed to speed up the processing of reimbursement claims and saved an average one euro in processing fees per claim. The second generation goes further by including more personal data, such as the picture of the cardholder. It will also include emergency medical data – such as known allergies, chronic illness treatment and next of kin, as well as private insurance information. The bottom line is that precious time can be saved when treating the patient in an emergency. It also means that when the patient claims public social security refunds, the same card can be used to claim any refunds from private insurance.
epassport
Philips claims lion’s share of ePassport chip market ePassport chip manufacturer Philips said it is now supplying chips to more than 80% of the world’s electronic passports. This represents 28 countries including Germany, Austria, New Zealand, France, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. Many countries will be sourcing chips from at least two companies and most contracts are not long term, so Philip’s dominance in the market is not unassailable. Philips managed to build a strong market share on the back of various successes. For example, it claims to have been one of the first to produce a working passport chip solution (in October 2003). It also led the market in producing chips with 64KB. Another factor has been the supplier’s good performance in passport interoperability testing.
epassport
Australia selects Viisage readers Viisage, a US-based biometric technology company, has received an order for an
unspecified number of electronic passport readers from the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) to be used in 25 overseas locations. DIMA will use Viisage’s iA-thenticate Smart Cart Chip/RFID Electronic Document readers to ensure that all documents presented as proof of identification are credible and authentic. Janette Haughton, DIMA spokesperson on identity technology commented: “Viisage’s product will help us improve security and extend this security beyond our borders. We believe these installations will significantly enhance our ability to detect fraudulent documents before a visa is granted and an unwanted visitor travels to Australia.” This is the second deal announced in recent months using this new product, with an implementation in Brazil having been announced in March. Meanwhile, DIMA is the third consecutive Australian government department to award Viisage a contract to implement its technology. Previously, the Australian Customs Service (ACS) selected Viisage’s iA-thenticate product for all Australian international airports to help authorities efficiently monitor who enters and departs the country, and the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) uses Viisage’s automated authentication technology as a security and quality check for newly issued passports.
government id
HSPD-12 compliance concerns IT security execs A worrying independent survey released in the USA shows that half of federal IT security executives do not have an integrated plan to help their agency meet the 27 October 2006 deadline for compliance with the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12). HSPD-12 calls for a mandatory, governmentwide standard for secure and reliable forms of Personal Identity Verification (PIV) to be issued by the federal government to its employees and contractors. “There appears to be considerable confusion in the industry, as 46% of survey respondents do not feel that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is providing enough clarity for HSPD-12 compliance,” said Bruce Brody, vice president, information security at INPUT, the group responsible for compiling the survey on behalf of IT management software company, CA. “Federal IT security executives cite a noticeable lack of guidance as to how to actually define success with the compliance efforts and how funding and budgetary issues would be addressed. There is even more grey area with regards to the deadline itself
Card Technology Today June 2006
in brief • A contract to supply a secure ticketing system for bus networks in the Italian province of Vicenza has been awarded to Thales. The Italian bus operator FTV Vicenza is replacing its paper ticket based system with a solution that combines magnetic stripe cards and contactless technology. Once the new system is rolled out 83 bus routes, approximately 236 buses, will be equipped with the new technology. The system will enable FTV Vicenza to collect data on passenger bus usage to optimise vehicle management, integrate its equipment with the different systems employed by other operators and suppliers, and allow passengers to top up or renew their travel cards over the Internet or via the telephone. The initial test phase for the project will begin in November 2006 on 30 buses, with full-scale roll-out scheduled for the end of 2007. • Passlogix has announced the upcoming release of its v-GO Credential Manager application. The v-GO CM is a solution for issuing, managing and revoking strong authentication devices such as smart cards, tokens, biometrics and proximity cards. Key features of the product include open support for multiple vendors’ devices and readers, the ability to integrate both physical and logical access credentials, and compliance support for government initiatives such as Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12). The application can be deployed on a standalone basis or in conjunction with the v-GO Sign-on Platform. • Technology is currently being tested which tailors digital terminals and services according to its users’ wishes. The technology, developed under the EU funded Simplicity project, is similar to a SIM card and can be used with terminals such as mobile phones and computers. The user’s basic information and functions are pre-stored in the device but the device can also learn them from the user’s own terminal. The profile is updated in accordance with new functions performed by the user. The device has been developed by the Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT together with other Simplicity project partners. • Juan Carlos García has been appointed president of ASSA ABLOY’s Identification Technology Business Unit. Juan García will have worldwide responsibility for ITG and starts in his new position in July, based in Walluf, Germany. Juan García has more than 20 years of professional experience and has served as CEO and COO at ORGA Kartensysteme. He has also held executive positions in other multinational companies such as Terex Atlas, GEA Ecoflex, Wittenborg, Raychem and Siemens.
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extension over two more years. Meanwhile, Axalto, whose merger with Gemplus is now complete, says its contract covers an initial period of two years starting in 2007, and can be renewed twice for periods of one year. The next generation of Vitale cards are designed to be more user-friendly and make data management more secure. The new cards will include a chip containing 32KB of secured memory and up-to-date cryptography. According to industry insiders, the first generation of chip-based patient cards were designed to speed up the processing of reimbursement claims and saved an average one euro in processing fees per claim. The second generation goes further by including more personal data, such as the picture of the cardholder. It will also include emergency medical data – such as known allergies, chronic illness treatment and next of kin, as well as private insurance information. The bottom line is that precious time can be saved when treating the patient in an emergency. It also means that when the patient claims public social security refunds, the same card can be used to claim any refunds from private insurance.
epassport
Philips claims lion’s share of ePassport chip market ePassport chip manufacturer Philips said it is now supplying chips to more than 80% of the world’s electronic passports. This represents 28 countries including Germany, Austria, New Zealand, France, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. Many countries will be sourcing chips from at least two companies and most contracts are not long term, so Philip’s dominance in the market is not unassailable. Philips managed to build a strong market share on the back of various successes. For example, it claims to have been one of the first to produce a working passport chip solution (in October 2003). It also led the market in producing chips with 64KB. Another factor has been the supplier’s good performance in passport interoperability testing.
epassport
Australia selects Viisage readers Viisage, a US-based biometric technology company, has received an order for an
unspecified number of electronic passport readers from the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) to be used in 25 overseas locations. DIMA will use Viisage’s iA-thenticate Smart Cart Chip/RFID Electronic Document readers to ensure that all documents presented as proof of identification are credible and authentic. Janette Haughton, DIMA spokesperson on identity technology commented: “Viisage’s product will help us improve security and extend this security beyond our borders. We believe these installations will significantly enhance our ability to detect fraudulent documents before a visa is granted and an unwanted visitor travels to Australia.” This is the second deal announced in recent months using this new product, with an implementation in Brazil having been announced in March. Meanwhile, DIMA is the third consecutive Australian government department to award Viisage a contract to implement its technology. Previously, the Australian Customs Service (ACS) selected Viisage’s iA-thenticate product for all Australian international airports to help authorities efficiently monitor who enters and departs the country, and the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) uses Viisage’s automated authentication technology as a security and quality check for newly issued passports.
government id
HSPD-12 compliance concerns IT security execs A worrying independent survey released in the USA shows that half of federal IT security executives do not have an integrated plan to help their agency meet the 27 October 2006 deadline for compliance with the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12). HSPD-12 calls for a mandatory, governmentwide standard for secure and reliable forms of Personal Identity Verification (PIV) to be issued by the federal government to its employees and contractors. “There appears to be considerable confusion in the industry, as 46% of survey respondents do not feel that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is providing enough clarity for HSPD-12 compliance,” said Bruce Brody, vice president, information security at INPUT, the group responsible for compiling the survey on behalf of IT management software company, CA. “Federal IT security executives cite a noticeable lack of guidance as to how to actually define success with the compliance efforts and how funding and budgetary issues would be addressed. There is even more grey area with regards to the deadline itself
Card Technology Today June 2006