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March 2008 • Volume 13 Number 3
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Executive Director's Letter
In the February issue of this newsletter, I wrote about several much-anticipated Alliance events that were soon to take place. Before I talk about new business and the additional events that lie ahead, allow me to first give a brief report on the February events. The biggest event was the first-ever Smart Card Alliance Payments Councils Summit that was held in Salt Lake City, UT (February 27 – 29th). This Alliance members-only event brought together over 100 people involved with our Contactless Payments Council and Transportation Council to participate in 2 days of council-specific and combined presentations, panel discussions, work group meetings and future project planning. Industry leaders representing financial institutions, payments brands, transportation agencies, POS systems providers, financial processors, card manufacturers and integration services also interacted in small groups over coffee or networking lunches and receptions, making the event a rich learning experience. It was particularly enlightening to see so many divergent interests, opinions, and experiences shared so openly between our most knowledgeable members and the new, less experienced participants who were there to absorb it all. We didn’t solve all the challenges or even come to agreement on all issues, but everyone left with a better understanding of how the transportation markets, the payments markets, and the mobile markets are likely to shape the future of smart card usage in America. If you are not a member of one of these councils, you “won’t know what you don’t know.” A second, smaller event organized by the Healthcare Council at the 2008 Annual HIMSS Conference proved to be successful as well, taking on important early education evangelism in the healthcare market. Engaging the end users and decision-makers within the healthcare industry in an open dialog is the first step in understanding what the industry sees as its upcoming needs and priorities. Smart card usage is still in the early adopter phase in the U.S. healthcare system. Paul Contino, the new Healthcare Council Chair and VP of IT Services at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, held the attention of the 20 attendees throughout the 3 hour meeting. Paul led an active discussion by describing his own hospital’s experience with piloting health ID cards and asking other healthcare administrators what they saw as their urgent needs to manage patient records and private healthcare information across multiple service providers. Each person who attended the session left with a better understanding of the issues and opportunities that smart card technology brings to the discussion, such as standards, interoperability, privacy, and records management. Looking forward on the calendar, the Smart Card Alliance will be front and center at a number of big industry gatherings in April. It begins with ISC West in Las Vegas (April 2-4) where we have an integrated end-to-end FIPS 201 PIV demonstration in our shared booth and a panel session on the agenda. Next is the RSA Conference 2008 in San Francisco (April 7-10), where the Alliance Educational Institute will deliver a full day workshop on IT security and we will host the Smart Card Pavilion in the sold-out exhibit hall. We finish our April events with Cards 2008 Brasil Conference in Sao Paulo (April 14 – 16), where our Latin American presence will be felt in a transportation user panel, smart card workshop, and Smart Card Pavilion. Like missionaries, the Alliance will continue to engage the growing smart card markets here and abroad to bring our knowledge and experience to where it is needed the most. I can’t end this letter without saying a word about CTST2008 – The Americas Conference/SCA Annual Conference (May 12 – 15) in Orlando, FL. The agenda is being updated regularly and we continue to add new and interesting topics and speakers. There are still good exhibit spaces and sponsorships left if you are late to joining the party – but don’t wait too long. Finally, make sure you register early and plan to attend the Smart Card Alliance Annual Conference OSCA Awards and Networking Reception being held at the Rosen Centre Hotel on May 12th. We will be kicking off the big conference week with plenty of food and drink, plus you will be first to hear about the winners of our 2008 OSCA Awards. I also recommend booking your hotel at one of the two Rosen Hotel properties for the event. You can’t appreciate the true value of staying across the street from the huge Orange County Convention Center unless you’ve tried to park or catch a taxi to a neighboring hotel a few miles away when it is crowded, hot, and you are at the end of a long day. They are great hotels and the conference rate is worth every penny! Finally, I hope every Alliance member is enjoying the new daily Smart Card Industry News service they began receiving last month. Each day, I find something interesting to read about what is happening in one of the news categories somewhere in the world. My only complaint is that there are too many stories to choose from and not enough time to read them all. If you are not receiving this valuable member benefit, let me know. Until next month, I wish you all good health and success, and hope that you wish the same for the Alliance and our staff.
Randy Vanderhoof
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