Smart Card Alliance Annual Conference, San Diego, October 4, 2006–Trends in contactless, mobile and transit payments were the focus as the Smart Card Alliance kicked off its annual conference in San Diego.

Smart Card Alliance Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, October 3, 2006–Like a great new undiscovered restaurant, contactless payment is a big hit with consumers who have tried it but still not well known, according to new research produced independently by Javelin Strategy & Research for the Smart Card Alliance. Javelin Founder and President James Van Dyke presented the survey results today to industry leaders gathered in San Diego for the annual Smart Card Alliance conference.

Princeton Junction, NJ, September 25, 2006–Next month, government agencies face the deadline to begin issuing a single smart card credential to all government employees and contractors for both physical and logical access. In order to aid organizations with the physical access control system (PACS) aspect of the implementation, the Smart Card Alliance Physical Access Council released a new white paper today, Considerations for the Migration of Existing Physical Access Control Systems to Achieve FIPS 201 Compatibility. Additional Smart Card Alliance educational resources that support FIPS 201 implementation will soon be announced.

Princeton Junction, NJ, August 24, 2006–The Smart Card Alliance, the authoritative voice for the rapidly growing smart card industry, will hold its 14th annual conference at the Hyatt Regency–La Jolla Hotel in San Diego, California, from October 3-6, 2006. Each year, this premier event showcases leaders and innovators in the use of smart cards across all industries and market segments in North America and around the world.

Princeton Junction, NJ, August 8, 2006–The new electronic passports planned for the United States rely on multiple layers of security to increase border security and protect citizen privacy, and electronic cloning does not constitute a threat, says the Smart Card Alliance, a group of industry and government organizations specializing in the secure contactless smart card technology used in the program.

Princeton Junction, NJ, July 19, 2006–State governments should strongly consider using smart card technology to comply with the requirements of the federal REAL ID Act, the Smart Card Alliance Identity Council states in a new position paper. The reason: smart cards are highly secure, privacy-sensitive and reliable, advantages that have been proven in numerous existing ID programs worldwide.

Princeton Junction, NJ, July 17, 2006–The Smart Card Alliance is accepting nominations for its annual “Outstanding Smart Card Achievement” (OSCA) awards, recognizing individuals and organizations that have significantly impacted and influenced the North American smart card market. The awards will be presented at the 2006 Fall Annual Conference on October 3rd - 6th in San Diego.

Princeton Junction, NJ, May 8, 2006–The Smart Card Alliance has launched an online Smart Card Career Center to help companies recruit qualified professionals and to help individuals find jobs in the growing smart card industry.

With smart card adoption growing rapidly in many diverse markets, the Career Center provides comprehensive and easy-to-use tools for employers to find the best talent and for individuals to find new career opportunities. Features include:

Conference sets new Attendance Record

Smart Cards In Government Conference, Arlington, VA, April 19, 2006–Plans to use long read range RFID technology in a new border crossing card, the latest on the U.S. electronic passport and the re-emergence of a registered traveler program were among the news highlights at the Smart Card Alliance’s 5th Annual Smart Cards in Government Conference and Exhibition yesterday. Interest in government identity programs and technologies pushed attendance to a record level, attracting more than 600 government and technology leaders.

Convergence panelists from DoD, Sun, SCM, Integrated Engineering

Las Vegas, NV, March 28, 2006–U.S. government agencies and federal contractors working toward compliance with FIPS 201, the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) standard for a converged, government-wide physical and logical access credential, are finding that implementation can include many technical, project and process challenges.