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January 2006 • Volume 11 Number 1
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Member Profile: Datacard Group
Mr.Hubbard joined Datacard in May 2005, bringing with him more than 17 years of smart card related sales experience. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Smart Card Forum, serving as Treasurer, from its inception in 1993 until 1999. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Smart Card Industry Association. Mr. Hubbard contributed to the book, "Smart Cards, Seizing the Strategic Business Opportunities," published in 1997 and has appeared on CNN and CNBC representing his company and the smart card industry. Prior to joining Datacard, Mr. Hubbard held positions at MasterCard International, the credit card payment association; Bull, a smart card manufacturer and systems provider; and Texas Instruments. Hubbard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. 1. What are Datacard's main business profile and offerings? Datacard Group is an international inventor, manufacturer, marketer and service provider of integrated solutions for card programs. As the world leader in secure identity and card personalization solutions, Datacard is a driving force in virtually every major card program around the world. Datacard solutions are used to issue millions of identification documents and financial cards each day. Datacard serves its customers in a variety of markets, and its portfolio includes systems for high-volume card issuance, card delivery, secure ID issuance, passport production, and extensive service and supply offerings. For more than 30 years, Datacard has helped governments and other organizations worldwide create secure, cost-effective identity management solutions. Datacard has researched and developed critical card-based technologies, and has been first to market with a number of innovative, breakthrough solutions. Datacard's reputation as a trusted solutions provider is evident in the following achievements:
Datacard has implemented identity programs in more than 45 countries. From this strong leadership position in secure identification and card personalization, Datacard continues to make cards more powerful by capitalizing on smart cards, biometrics, laser engraving and other advanced technologies. Additional innovations in card security include secure laminates, protective topcoats, optical variable devices (OVDs), ghost imaging, and micro-printing. 2. What role does smart card technology play in supporting Datacard's business? As the leading supplier of personalization solutions to issuers around the world, Datacard's innovation in smart cards have paralleled the innovations of the smart card manufacturers. As they introduced increasingly advanced capabilities for contact and contactless chip, we created personalization solutions that were of superior quality and highly efficient and secure for those platforms. This is true not only of our high volume solutions for GSM, EMV and the like, but also for desktop and distributed issuance solutions for secure credentialing for corporate and government environments - including passports. Today, we have grown our portfolio of services well beyond card personalization in the enrollment and production space. Upstream of card personalization, we have integrated solutions for smart card production. Downstream of card personalization, we have solutions for smart card life cycle management. At the operations center, we have solutions to drive efficiency in the operation resulting in a lower overall cost-per-card for smart card issuance and delivery. To summarize, our smart card solutions portfolio provides comprehensive support for enrollment/data capture requirements for ID programs, the software/services for management of card/passport production service bureaus, card life cycle management software for large scale smart card programs, and open architecture security solutions for physical access control. 3. What trends do you see developing in the market that Datacard hopes to capitalize on? Datacard is well positioned to meet the market requirements in the implementation of smart card programs. The trend, beyond the evolution and standardization of the technology, is to drive down the cost of card issuance. To accomplish this, we address every aspect of the issuer's needs. We consult on equipment selection and on application software solutions. We ensure that the overall successful integration and training requirements are met and that services and associated supplies are bundled in ways that make sense for the customer. By offering flexible and highly modular and scalable solutions, we also optimize our customers' investment in technology and protect that investment over the long term. 4. What obstacles to growth do you see that must be overcome to capitalize on these opportunities? The largest obstacle to overcome is a tendency on the part of the buyer to purchase "components" rather than complete "solutions." Often, when seeking the "best price" at the component level, the issuer does not necessarily obtain "best value" at the solution level. As a consequence, the issuer may be left with a higher cost-per-card operation and components that may not scale as programs grow in size and scope. 5. What do you see are the key factors driving smart card technology in the market? The key factors driving smart card technology today, I believe, are the need for higher security and the emergence of standards to allow advanced technology to be applied in a uniform manner. Combined, these key factors have created a very favorable environment for smart card technology. 6. How do you see your involvement in the Alliance helping Datacard become successful? The Smart Card Alliance is unquestionably the "voice of the industry" for smart cards. Datacard plays a critical role in helping the industry advance its knowledge and understanding of smart cards - most specifically around our core competencies of data security, card data generation, card production, card personalization and issuance, card delivery and ultimately, card life cycle management. Bringing to the industry "thought leadership" in these areas is important to Datacard, and the Smart Card Alliance is an ideal forum for working with other industry leaders to advance the adoption of smart card technology across many markets. Networking with industry and government representatives, participating in panels and white papers, and maintaining current insight into the latest industry trends and best practices are clear benefits to Datacard in being a member of the Alliance's Leadership Council.
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This month Smart Card Talk spoke with Gerald Hubbard, Government Business Development Manager for Datacard Group. Mr. Hubbard is responsible for supporting Datacard's government initiatives, working closely with key U.S. government agencies and system integrators to implement Datacard solutions in secure document management and production. 
