Executive Director's Letter

Dear members and friends of the Alliance:

We made it!  The 2005 Fall Annual Conference is over.  The mysterious sounds you may be hearing are the collective sighs of relief from the Alliance team who put this event together and especially myself – who is the person everyone would come to if we did not live up to our usual standards.
 
It is not possible for any one person to take credit for another great annual conference event.  There are so many people who did their parts to make it successful that even beginning to single out people risks understating the efforts of someone else.  But, I believe three things are essential for a good conference, so I will limit my accolades to only those in this letter, but remember that so many others are appreciated for their work but will go unmentioned.
 
The most important, I think, are the speakers.  Those who attend these Smart Card Alliance conferences know that they are not going to hear commercials from vendors, but are going to listen to subject matter experts who have first-hand experience as an issuer or end-user, or who are qualified to speak on an application- or technology-related topic because of their professional experience.  I believe all of our speakers lived up to that expectation, so they deserve the lion’s share of the credit. Our conference program committee did a magnificent job in lining up high-level speakers from financial institutions, merchants, government, transportation, mobile telecom, healthcare, and enterprise security.  I can’t recall another conference I have attended that had so much diversity among its presenters. Having the Latin American perspective, in addition to the U.S. and Canadian experiences, added to this mix.  

Member Profile

This month Smart Card Talk spoke with Ken Indorf, Vice President of Sales for CardLogix.   Ken manages sales operations including interface with CardLogix suppliers, customers, sales representatives, and system integrators. He combines an extensive technical background with management expertise to focus customers, sales representatives, and system integrators on solutions for customers. He has held management positions including positions with Exar and Siliconix. Ken received a BS degree in Electronics Engineering from Hofstra University.

1. What are CardLogix's main business profile and offerings?

CardLogix provides smart card technology platforms for the secure exchange of data and value. We manufacture and design smart cards, development environments, operating system and targeted application software.   Our customers are integrators and end users who use smart cards in their computing systems where there is a clear business case for increased transaction efficiency and/or security. These applications include stored value, secure ID/access, loyalty and healthcare.   We partner with our customers to create complete card systems geared to individual applications. Today, we have over 600 customers worldwide in a very wide range of applications, from events promotions to national healthcare systems.

Feature of the Month

Implementing a FIPS 201-Compliant Physical Access Control System

A physical access control system (PACS) has many benefits, foremost among which is the use of mature and proven technologies that can strengthen the trust relationship between an organization and an employee and enhance the security for personnel entering, leaving, or working within a building.   As a result of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and the publication of the Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 201 (FIPS 201), Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees and Contractors, Federal agencies are moving quickly to implement FIPS 201-compliant identification processes and systems.   This article summarizes the components and operation of a typical FIPS 201-compliant PACS.  

A typical FIPS 201-compliant PACS is composed of the following components:

1. PIV card
2. PIV card reader/keypad
3. Biometric reader [1]
4. Control panel
5. Access control server
6. Cardholder data repository
7. Control points [2]

Essential to the understanding of a FIPS 201-compliant PACS is an understanding of the basic card used to request physical access.   The PIV card is the physical artifact issued to an individual that allows the claimed identity of the cardholder to be verified.   The PIV card stores a cardholder photograph, cryptographic keys, biometric data and the cardholder unique identifier (CHUID). The card allows the identity of the cardholder to be verified.   The card is presented to a card reader to initiate an authentication transaction and to request access authorization.

Smart Card Talk is the monthly electronic newsletter of the world's largest smart card industry organization, providing members with the latest news and information about what's happening within the Smart Card Alliance. If you have news you would like to share, please send it to info@smartcardalliance.org. If you know someone who does not receive this newsletter and would like to be added to the list, please send an email here.

Copyright 2004-2005 · Smart Card Alliance · 191 Clarksville Rd. · Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
Phone: (800) 556-6828 info@smartcardalliance.org · www.smartcardalliance.org