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Letter from the Executive Director

Dear Smart Card Industry Professional,

Thank you for your inquiry about membership in the Smart Card Alliance.

As a not–for–profit, membership organization, the Smart Card Alliance mission is to accelerate the widespread adoption, usage, and application of smart card technology in North and Latin America by bringing together users and technology providers in an open forum to address opportunities and challenges for our industry. This balance makes the Smart Card Alliance a unique place where users, issuers and suppliers meet to exchange ideas, discuss common issues and work together to develop and expand the use of all types of integrated circuit “chip” cards and alternative form factor smart cards in the Americas. Members come from all industry sectors, including financial, retail, transit, corporate, government, healthcare and mobile, along with the technology and solution providers that service these sectors.

Your membership and participation will deliver these important benefits:

  • Networking–connecting with valuable contacts and making new ones.
  • Conferences - one complimentary registration for most Alliance meetings and conferences.
  • Visibility–putting your organization at the forefront of the industry.
  • Information, research and education–through conferences, training programs, council participation, white paper publications, and web-based resources.
  • Business and industry growth–lowering costs and increasing vendor choices through support for standards and industry interoperability.
  • Influence with policy makers, media and analysts–through association outreach to government and commercial organizations adopting smart card technology.
  • Innovation–exploring new ways of approaching common business goals.
  • Professional development–through education and training of industry professionals.

This is an excellent time to join the Smart Card Alliance. Smart cards are now solidly established in North and Latin America, with rapid market growth predicted over the next 5 years in the banking, transit, government, mobile, healthcare, and commercial security industries. Primary drivers for growth in North America include: the move by the banking industry to EMV credit and debit cards; the continued issuance of contactless credit and debit cards and increased contactless acceptance by merchants preparing for Near Field Communications (NFC) mobile payments; the further adoption of this technology by transit operators; the U.S. government issuance of millions of NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) standards-based Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards to federal employees, port workers, and first responders; and the millions more electronic passports issued to U.S. citizens. Emerging applications involving electronic health records and the continued push towards NFC-enabled mobile handsets mean that the Americas smart card market is rapidly expanding.

Two major initiatives are helping to expand the reach and influence of the Smart Card Alliance organization. First, the Alliance has five industry and technology councils to enable members to form focused groups that drive targeted initiatives and deliverables to reach specific industry segments and address specific market or technology issues more effectively. Councils empower individuals and groups to establish projects such as white papers, webinars, and research projects that meet immediate market needs. Secondly, the Alliance web site has become the most visited smart card industry web site in the world, with an average of over 80,000 unique visits per month. The web site provides a free resource where member organizations increase their market presence by posting press releases and listing company products and services, as well as dozens of reports, white papers, position documents, and web seminar presentation. Smart Card Alliance members are creating the educational resources, thought leadership, and outreach into the vertical markets that rely on chip card technology, accelerating the further adoption of smart cards across all industry segments.

Isn’t it time to place your company with the leaders and become part of the “voice of the smart card industry in the Americas?” Visit our Web site at http://www.smartcardalliance.org.

Sincerely,

Randy Vanderhoof
Executive Director

Smart Card Alliance at a Glance

Mission

The Alliance was established to accelerate the widespread adoption, usage, and application of smart card technology by bringing together leading users and technologists from both the public and private sectors in an open forum to address industry issues and create new opportunities for all.

Profile

  • Mix of nearly 200 global organizations from industry suppliers, integrators, and end user groups
  • Most active industry sectors: financial, government, electronic security, transit, mobile, healthcare, retail
  • Most active technology segments: suppliers of chips, cards, readers, POS terminals, application software/middleware, PKI, card personalization, biometrics, and integration services
  • Active card issuer groups: government, financial, mass transit, healthcare, corporate enterprise, mobile
  • International members by business type: card manufacturing and services, microprocessor chips, contactless chips and cards, readers, testing, and biometrics

Working Committees and Councils

  • Alliance Board of Directors–Consisting of elected members representing leading organizations to drive strategic and tactical direction of the Alliance
  • Access Control Council–Accelerating the widespread usage of smart card technology in secure ID badges for usage in physical and logical access control systems
  • Healthcare Council–Promoting the adoption of smart cards for security of electronic health records and for strong authentication when accessing medical information in healthcare organizations
  • Identity Council–Promoting the need for digital credentialing technologies and identity managment solutions regarding human identity information for electronic transactions over the internet or intranet
  • Payments Council–Facilitating the adoption chip-enabled payments and payment applications in the U.S. through education programs for consumers, merchants, issuers, acquirers/processors, government regulators, mobile telecommunications providers and payments service providers.
  • Transportation Council–Promoting the adoption of interoperable contactless smart card payment systems for transit and other transportation services

Education and Training

  • Leadership, Education, and Advancement Program (LEAP)–Individual membership program for professional development of smart card industry professionals. Provides exclusive access to educational resources, webinars, video workshops, conference proceedings, and social networking
  • Professional Certifications (CSCIP and CSCIP/G)–Professional accreditation programs for individuals and corporations involving written documentation, classroom training, and a certification exam to become a Certified Smart Card Industry Professional (CSCIP)
  • Educational Institute Workshops–Indepth subject matter-specific classroom training on smart card technology and applications offered for members and non-members
  • Educational InstituteOnline Training–Internet-based online foundational smart card training course for entry level individuals just beginning in the smart card industry (English and Spanish)
  • Council Webinars–Periodic free webinars on key smart card market trends that are shaping the payments, transportation, healthcare, identity management and security industry. Recent webinars include:
    • Smart Health I.D. Cards
    • Top 10 Reasons U.S. Should Consider EMV
    • Personal Identity Verification Interoperability (PIV-I) for Non-Federal Issuers: Trusted Identities for Cities across States, Counties, Cities and Businesses

Industry Reports and White Papers (sample of recent publications):

  • Card Payments Roadmap in Latin America: How Does EMV Impact the Payments Infrastructure?
  • Card Payments Roadmap in the U.S.: How Will EMV Impact the Future Payments Infrastructure? Chip-Enabled Mobile Marketing
  • The Commercial Identity Verification (CIV) Credential–Leveraging FIPS 201 and the PIV Specifications: Is the CIV Credential Right for You?
  • Complementary Smart Card Guidance for the WEDI Health Identification Card Implementation Guide
  • Contactless Payments Security Q&A
  • EMV Frequently Asked Questions
  • Getting to Meaningful Use and Beyond: How Smart Card Technology Can Support Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records
  • A Guide to Prepaid Cards for Transit Agencies
  • Medical Identity Theft in Healthcare
  • The Mobile Payments and NFC Landscape: A U.S. Perspective
  • NFC Frequently Asked Questions
  • NSTIC Frequently Asked Questions
  • Personal Identity Verification Interoperability (PIV-I) for Non-Federal Issuers: Trusted Identities for Citizens across States, Counties, Cities and Businesses (collaboration with Access Control Council)
  • PIV-I Use Cases
  • New Fare Payment and Collection Systems: Cost Considerations and Procurement Guidelines
  • Smart Cards and Biometrics

  • Transit and Contactless Open Payments: An Emerging Approach for Fare Collection

    Additional white papers and reports can be found on our web site

Alliance Web Site (some resources are for members only)

  • The smart card industry “go to” resource, averaging visitor sessions per month (80,000 -100,000)
  • Member directory with descriptions and links to member web sites
  • Smart Card Products and Services Directory providing searchable database of products and services
  • Online Smart Card Reader Catalog providing searchable database of reader manufacturers
  • Industry news releases from member organizations accessible from the home page
  • Industry contact list (members-only)
  • Dozens of smart card industry primers, profiles, backgrounders and resource lists
  • Industry event calendar and online event registration
  • Industry reports, white papers, and case studies
  • Minutes and research from council and task force meetings and initiatives (council members-only)
  • Past conference speaker presentations (members-only)
  • Video-taped workshops including speaker presentations (members–only)
  • Past Alliance monthly newsletters with organizational announcements and industry news
  • Position statements on security threats related to smart cards
  • Links to government and commercial web sites to provide additional industry information

Government and Specific Industry Vertical Markets Outreach

  • Government: Federal Smart Card Inter-agency Advisory Board (meetings), NIST (standards review), Federal CIO Council, NSTIC (cybersecurity strategy program)
  • Mobile: NFC Forum, GSMA, CTIA Wireless, Mobey Forum, Federal Reserve Bank Mobile Payments Industry Workgroup
  • Security: ISC West, Kantara Initiative, International Biometrics Industry Association, Security Industry Association, NASCIO, Open Identity Exchange
  • Financial Payments: ETA, BITS Security Program, NACHA Payments, GlobalPlatform
  • Transportation: APTA, MIT Labs
  • Retail: Merchant Advisory Group, National Retail Federation
  • Healthcare: WEDI, HIMSS, AMA

International Outreach

  • Smart Card Alliance Latin America Chapter–representing Brazil, Mexico and all Latin American countries
  • Founding member of International Smart Card Associations Network (ISCAN)
  • Cartes and IDentification (Paris), Cartes Asia (Hong Kong), eSmart (France), ID World (Milan), Contactless Cards & Payments (UK) and other global smart card conferences and symposia

Smart Card Alliance Backgrounder

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology. Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America.

The Smart Card Alliance membership includes nearly 200 organizations that are leading companies in the financial services, computer, telecommunications, technology, healthcare, retail, security and transportation industries, as well as a number of government agencies. The Alliance brings together users and technologists from both the public and private sectors, with membership open to any organization focusing resources on the smart card technology.

Smart Card Alliance Priorities

  • Serve as an educational resource to its members and the industry on emerging smart card adoption issues.
  • Provide a forum for cutting edge discussions and group projects that positively influence the implementation of smart card technology.
  • Engage industry to Influence standards that are relevant to smart card adoption and implementation.
  • Maintain a voice in public policy that affects smart card adoption and implementation.

Smart Card Alliance Activities

Industry and Technology Councils. To accomplish its goals, the Alliance has member-driven Industry and Technology Councils that explore issues and define requirements in key markets or technology areas. Groups collaborate on specific deliverables, including reports, briefings and educational material. Active Councils currently include:

  • Access Control Council: Accelerating the widespread usage of smart card technology for physical and logical access control.
  • Healthcare Council: Promoting the adoption of smart cards in healthcare organizations.
  • Identity Council: Promoting the need for technologies and usage solutions regarding human identity information.
  • Payments Council: Facilitating the adoption chip-enabled payments and payment applications in the U.S. through education programs for consumers, merchants, issuers, acquirers/processors, government regulators, mobile telecommunications providers and payments service providers.
  • Transportation Council: Promoting the adoption of interoperable contactless smart card payments for transit.

Conferences. The Smart Card Alliance holds three conferences per year–the Payments Summit in February , the NFC Solutions Summit conference in the spring, and the identity/security-focused Smart Cards in Government Conference in the fall–plus periodic web seminars. These events provide information to attendees that will assist them in the development and implementation of smart card initiatives.

Educational Institute. The Educational Institute was launched in 1996 to meet the increased demand for smart card educational resources. The Educational Institute engages industry professionals to provide objective and timely educational programs on smart cards, related technologies and smart card-enabled applications. Workshops are developed and delivered at Smart Card Alliance conferences and at selected industry vertical events internationally.

LEAP/CSCIP Professional Development and Certification. The Smart Card Alliance launched the first official certification program for smart card professionals (CSCIP) in 2009, along with a personal membership program providing comprehensive educational resources and social networking services–the Leadership, Education, and Advancement Program (LEAP). Over 250 people from 10 countries have enrolled in LEAP/CSCIP. These programs provide world-leading smart card training for industry professionals to further their knowledge.

Latin America Chapter. The Smart Card Alliance offers its programs internationally with the Latin America Chapter. Established in July 2005, the Latin America Chapter has developed bi-lingual education programs and established membership activities to stimulate the understanding, adoption, and use of smart cards in Latin America.

Industry Networking. The more than 1,100 mostly mid- to senior-level industry professionals participating in Smart Card Alliance activities represent engineering, marketing, business development, and sales for major supplier, integration and issuing organizations.

For more information about the Smart Card Alliance, please visit the Alliance web site at http://www.smartcardalliance.org or contact the Alliance office via email at info@smartcardalliance.org or via telephone at 1-800-556-6828.

Smart Card Alliance Membership Value Statements

Membership dollars go to support the council and task force initiatives, networking meetings and industry events, web site development, marketing programs, newsletter, Educational Institute, industry advocacy and media outreach efforts. These activities all contribute to the growth of the smart card industry in North and Latin America.

Our strategy for the coming year is to continue to engage the many diverse aspects of our industry and to bring together the providers of the technology and the users of the technology in a friendly, open community.

The Alliance has extended its reach globally by engaging international smart card organizations to join the Smart Card Alliance to bring their experience and innovation to the organization. This enables the Alliance to keep a global perspective on how the smart card industry is evolving elsewhere in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

The Alliance is a founding member of ISCAN, an international network of smart card associations with representatives from smart card industry organizations from Europe, Canada, India, Asia, South Africa, and China. ISCAN facilitates sharing information and market trends involving the smart card industry around the world.

The Alliance delivers value to its membership. Below are some quotes
From Council participants about their experience as a member of the
Smart Card Alliance:

Identity Council

“The Alliance is a wonderful place to meet and exchange ideas with industry professionals
hav¬ing similar interests. The public output from the councils provides benefit to all
members and the industry at large, but there is another whole layer of opportunity that
comes with council participation. It is here that small groups with a more narrow focus
regularly exchange ideas and strategies to expand the awareness and understanding of smart
card technology and ap¬plications.”
– Linda Brown, Business Development Manager, Infineon Technologies

“The Smart Card Alliance has done a tremendous amount of work in terms of raising awareness
and stimulating thought leadership around smart card technology. Through the events and
edu¬cation programs, our employees and our clients are better connected to the latest information
on issues surrounding smart cards.”
– Gordon Hannah, Principal, Deloitte Audit & Enterprise Risk Services

“One of the most important member benefits of the Smart Card Alliance has been for both
the industry and key members of the user community to be able to speak to important issues
of our collective industries’ technology adoption and provide education, as one trusted voice.
This has proven very effective in supporting the roll out of several programs, such as
ePassports, PIV and PIV-I, along with educating policy makers and consumers about the benefits
of the technology for their applications. Of course the other benefit, as always, is the very active
interaction with the user community and in particular those in the federal government. The
Alliance has played an invaluable role in providing a vendor-agnostic forum where industry
and government decision makers can work out the practical issues towards creating interoperable
standards-based solutions for government applications.”
– Neville Pattinson, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Gemalto

Healthcare Council

“The Smart Card Alliance’s Healthcare Council is focused on improving the security and privacy
issues facing the U.S. healthcare system as we move our antiquated paper-based systems into
the electronic world. Through educational initiatives and collaboration, Council members
are focused on increasing the adoption of secure and standards-based smart card technology
in the U.S. healthcare system. Gemalto is pleased with the opportunity to actively
participate on the Healthcare Council and help drive adoption of this technology.”
– Michael Magrath, Director, Business Development - Government & Healthcare,
Gemalto and Council Chair

“We at LifeMed/SMART have been tremendously pleased with our participation with the
Smart Card Alliance. Not only are we getting front-line information as to the other goings-on
around the globe, we are able to help shape policy that will not only forward our industry,
but establish the foundation for years to come. We could not be more pleased with the Smart
Card Alliance–it has been the best investment we have made as a company!”
– Dale Grogan, Director of Smart Card Initiatives, LifeMed Card, Inc. and Council Vice Chair

“The interest in smart card technology in the healthcare industry continues to grow as hospitals, insurance companies and providers, including state and federal agencies for Medicare/Medicaid, are turning to the Alliance for unbiased, educated information to make knowledgeable decisions. Oberthur Technologies is proud to be part of an organization that places a focus on educating all members of the value chain on the importance of the security that smart cards can provide through identity validation, personal health record protection, elimination of fraudulent activity, and the recognition of provider/patient authenticity. Involvement in the Alliance is a win-win for all involved and the smart card industry.”
– Gurpreet Manes, Technical Marketing Manager - Health Markets, Oberthur Technologies of America Corp.

Payments Council

“The Smart Card Alliance provides Visa with valuable research and first-hand information on trends and directions in the smart card and mobile payments space. The Alliance work on new developments in chip cards and authentication makes the organization an invaluable source of current and relevant market intelligence.”
– Simon Hurry, Sr. Business Leader, Visa Inc.

“Participation in the Payments Council enables member companies to directly tackle the challenges which face our industry. Without effectively run industry groups like the Council, members would be individually trying to overcome issues which are greater than our respective companies. However, the collaborative efforts of the Council have enabled tangible advances to occur through informative white papers, thought-provoking conferences and responsive PR.”
– Garfield Smith, Vice President, Marketing, Oberthur Technologies

“The Smart Card Alliance has inspired collaboration across the payments industry and provided a valuable resource for Chase Card Services. By fostering a non-competitive environment, the Alliance allows for companies to bridge gaps in information sharing that would otherwise not happen–creating success for all involved.”
– Dori K. Skelding, Sr. Business Operations Manager, Chase Card Services

“Being a part of the Smart Card Alliance is one of the best career decisions I’ve ever made. The Alliance has provided a platform combining networking, collaboration, learning, and moving the industry toward a more positive future. In addition, active involvement in industry councils is an ideal way to build up your reputation!”
– Deborah Baxley, Principal | Banking, Capgemini Financial Services
Global Business Unit

“It is a great time in emerging payments and there is a strong interest in new payment technologies. American Express wants to partner with key industry players to provide emerging technologies for our issuers and acquirers. The Smart Card Alliance provides opportunities for us to interact with the payments industry and discuss how to progress new technologies in North America.”
– Patricia Partelow, VP of Innovative Payment Solutions, American Express

“The Smart Card Alliance provides an ideal forum to discuss and debate topics of great relevance to the industry, such as chip, mobile and authentication. Beyond that, we gain great insights through market research, white papers and first hand information. The interaction with others in the ecosystem also allow us to build new relationships and stay abreast of current and emerging trends.”
– Oliver Manahan, Vice President, MasterCard Worldwide

Access Control Council

“The Smart Card Alliance has provided me with knowledge that has helped me succeed with my previous jobs as a Federal Government employee and now as a contractor. My job within the Federal Government and now would have been much more difficult without the Smart Card Alliance.”
– Lolie Kull, U.S. Government Solutions, HP Enterprise Services

“The unbiased, collective industry expertise of the Smart Card Alliance continues to, in a leading role, serve both industry as well as government agencies with accurate, current and relevant information necessary to make informed decisions.”
– Lars R. Suneborn, Director, Government Program, HIRSCH Electronics

“The public private partnership that the Smart Card Alliance and specifically the Access Control Council provides is an important and unique opportunity. It affords collaboration between security industry leaders and government agency leaders which few forums provide. With the rapidly changing requirements from government concerning HSPD-12, the Access Control Council is on the leading edge of developing white papers, communicating government standards and expectations to industry and the members of the Access Control Council are recognized leaders throughout the security profession.”
– Jason Rosen, NASA EPACS Program Manager

Transportation Council

“The Smart Card Alliance and its Councils are valuable drivers for the market and the full adoption of interoperable smart card technology. G&D is proud to be an active participant, helping in thought leadership, education, and networking for total industry improvement.”
– Brian Russell, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Payment, Giesecke&Devrient

“The Transportation Council is a leading proponent of open standards in the evolution of smart card technologies for transit systems. INSIDE Secure shares the same commitment, and our relationship with the Council has been mutually rewarding. We value the strong relationships among Council members and look forward to great advances in smartcard technologies as we move forward.”
– Linh Huynh, VP Business Development, INSIDE Secure

“The success and continuing growth of the Transportation Council reflect the enterprise and enthusiasm of its membership, who exchange ideas and share information in a variety of forums to promote innovation, increase knowledge, and return value to their organizations.”
– Jerry Kane, Senior Project Planner, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation
Authority (SEPTA)

“As a transit agency that is travelling the long and winding road in exploring the use of emerging payments technologies, we have found in the Transportation Council an invaluable resource and trusted chaperone. Put simply, we could not have progressed to the point we are today without the Council’s leadership and work in assembling subject matter experts and industry leaders from across the broad spectrum of the payments ecosystem to engage in thought-provoking discussions that serve to inform and educate. Equally important is the work of the Transportation Council in sponsoring and publishing timely and extremely informative white papers on topics that grow the collective knowledge base of the membership at large, collaborative efforts that serve to provide an unbiased, consistent base understanding of the technologies and processes relevant to public transit’s development of new fare payment systems.”
– Michael DeVitto, Vice President, AFC Program Management and Sales Operations, MTA New York City Transit

Smart Card Alliance Councils Briefs

Payments Council

  • Mission: The Smart Card Alliance Payments Council was formed to focus on facilitating the adoption of chip-enabled payments and payment applications in the U.S. through education programs for consumers, merchants, issuers, acquirers/processors, government regulators, mobile telecommunications providers and payments service providers. The group is bringing together payments industry stakeholders, including payments industry leaders, merchants and suppliers, and is working on projects related to implementing EMV, contactless payments, NFC-enabled payments and applications, mobile payments, and chip-enabled e-commerce. The Council’s primary goal is to inform and educate the market about the value of chip-enabled payments in improving the security of the payments infrastructure and in enhancing the value of payments and payment-related applications for industry stakeholders.

  • Recent and planned activities

    • Developing white papers and hosting web seminars and conference workshops on chip-enabled payments to provide educational resources to the industry.
    • Developing industry positions on key issues in deploying chip-enabled payments and collaborating as an industry to address challenges.
    • Maintaining an active, public voice on chip-enabled payments topics, serving as a resource for authoritative information and responding to reports that contain misinformation about the technology.
    • Developing educational material and guidance on the use of EMV and chip-enabled solutions to address fraud and counterfeit cards in the U.S. payments industry.
    • Researching and developing guidance on the emerging use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology for mobile contactless payments.

Healthcare Council

  • Mission: The Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council brings together payers, providers, and technologists to promote the adoption of smart cards in U.S. healthcare organizations and within the national health IT infrastructure. The Healthcare Council provides a forum where all stakeholders can collaborate to educate the market on the how smart cards can be used and to work on issues inhibiting the industry.

  • Recent and planned activities

    • Providing educational resources for healthcare organizations, consumers, government organizations and members to foster deployment of smart cards in the healthcare marketplace
    • Identifying the challenges and opportunities in the emerging healthcare marketplace for applications that can be supported by smart card technology;
    • Promoting the development and use of standards for healthcare applications.

Identity Council

  • Mission: The Smart Card Alliance Identity Council is focused on promoting the need for technologies and usage solutions regarding human identity information to address the challenges of securing identity information and reducing identity fraud, and to help organizations realize the benefits that secure identity information delivers. The Council engages a broad set of participants and takes an industry perspective, bringing careful thought, joint planning, and multiple organization resources to bear on addressing the challenges of securing identity information for proper use.

  • Recent and planned activities

    • Developing white papers and briefings on key identity topics to provide educational resources to the industry.
    • Developing industry positions on key identity issues and offering perspectives on solutions.
    • Maintaining an active, public voice on identity topics, promoting the positive aspects of identity technology solutions and responding to reports that contain misinformation about identity technology.

Access Control Council

  • Mission: The Smart Card Alliance Access Control Council is focused on accelerating the widespread acceptance, use, and application of smart card technology for physical and logical access control. The group brings together, in an open forum, leading users and technologists from both the public and private sectors and works on activities that are important to the access control community and that will help expand smart card technology adoption in this important market.

  • Recent and planned activities

    • Developing white papers and briefings on best practices for using smart card technology for access to facilities, networks, devices and information systems.
    • Providing industry resources to assist the Federal, international, state and local governments, and enterprises in leveraging FIPS 201 Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards and PIV interoperable policy and credentials for access control.
    • Providing industry resources to assist organizations in using standards-based smart cards for access control.
    • Participating in the development of standards and specifications for using smart cards in physical and logical access control systems.
    • Collaborating with other industry organizations to influence standards and develop best practices.

Transportation Council

  • Mission: The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council is focused on promoting the adoption of interoperable contactless smart card payment systems for transit and other transportation services. The Council is engaged in projects that support applications of smart card use. The overall goal of the Transportation Council is to help accelerate the deployment of standards-based smart card payment programs within the transportation industry.

  • Recent and planned activities

    • Enabling targeted smart card demonstrations across transportation and other industries useful for advancement of technology and applications for smart card-based payments, credentialing, or other appropriate products or services.
    • Identifying the challenges and opportunities in the evolving transportation marketplace for multiple smart card applications that can be supported by smart card technology.;
    • Serving as a technical resource for, and participating in the development of specifications at appropriate national and international - and voluntary - standards for smart card technology which can support multiple user applications in an efficient, secure manner.
    • Providing educational and research resources for members, consumers and government organizations to foster deployment of smart cards in the transportation marketplace.

Benefits of Membership in the Smart Card Alliance

We’d like to invite you to join the Smart Card Alliance. Below are the benefits to your organization:

  1. Visibility – Active participation puts your organization at the forefront of leaders in industry and government through meetings, conferences, news bulletins, web resources and the organization’s outreach efforts promoting the industry and our members.

  2. Networking – Establish valuable contacts that can help your organization improve and grow, using meeting facilities and events to maximize business opportuntities.

  3. Innovation – Work with peers to explore new ways of approaching common business goals and preparing the infrastructure and end users in different vertical markets for change. Stimulate and plan changes in multiple levels of the value and service chain to prepare for doing business with smart cards.

  4. Lower research or implementation costs – Sharing work with peers from other organizations reduces the time and cost needed to evaluate new business models, think through and plan complex implementation details, develop best practices and resolve industry issues.

  5. Standards support – Influence standards bodies and contribute input as an industry organization into standardization efforts.

  6. Information, research and learning – Gain priority access to new policies, technology advances, and legislative changes, through meetings, conferences, exhibitions, council participation, white papers, and educational programs.

  7. Business and industry outreach – Carrying your message promoting the value of smart cards into many sectors is good for expanding business opportunities for industry providers, and for end users looking for vendor neutral information.

  8. Public opinion influence – An association provides a unified, credible voice that no single member can achieve alone with policy makers, media, analysts and other influencers.

  9. Advance knowledge – Gain market advantage by getting information and acting on it before many “outsiders” even know it is happening.

  10. Growing the pie – Work collectively with other organizations and end users to help to grow the size of the smart card industry.

Membership Profile

Associations, Other

ACT Canada
ICMA
NACHA

Biometrics, Identity Solutions

Cogent Systems
L-1 Identity Solutions

Card Services, Personalization

Bell Identification B.V.
Collis America, Inc.
Data Card Group
Fiserv
Global Enterprise Technologies Corp
NBS Technologies Inc.
Ultra Electronics Card Systems Inc.

CHIP/OS/Testing

Atsec Information Security
Cryptography Research, Inc.
Exponent, Inc.
FIME
Renesas Electronics Americas, Inc.
FCI Microconnections
InfoGard Laboratories

Digital Media Set Top Boxes

DVN (Holdings) Ltd.

Federal/State Government

Defense Manpower Data Center
Dept. of Homeland Security
Federal Aviation Admin/Internal Security
General Services Administration
NASA
National Institute of Standards & Technology
U.S. Department of State
U.S. Government Printing Office
U.S. Senate Sergeant At Arms

Financial Cards, Payments Processing

American Express
Bank of America
Blackboard Inc.
Capital One
Chase Card Services
Discover Financial Services
First Data Corp.
Heartland Payment Systems
JCB International Credit Card Co., Ltd.
MasterCard Worldwide
TSYS
United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
Visa
Wells Fargo

Financial Consulting

Capgemini USA Inc.
Connexem Consulting
Consult Hyperion
Dale Laszig
Double Diamond Group
LoyaltyOne, Inc.
Quadagno & Associates, Inc.
Toni Merschen Consulting

Financial Terminals

Ingencio, North America
Multos International PTE LTD
OTI America
Verifone
ViVotech, Inc.
XAC Automation Corporation

Healthcare Services

LifeMed Card, Inc.

Mobile Devices, Services

Apriva
Device Fidelity, Inc.
CASSIS Americas, Inc.
Tyfone

Payments, Services

ACI Worldwide, Inc.
Benefit Resource, Inc.
Epay North America
Ready Credit Corporation
TSYS
SecureKey Technologies

Security Consulting

Angelo Buscemi
IDmachines LLC
LF Consulting
Roehr Consulting

Security Integrators

Booz Allen Hamilton
Deloitte & Touche, LLP
Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services, LLC
Lockheed Martin
Northrop Grumman IT
SAIC
Unisys Corporation

Security Systems, Services

Activeidentity
AMAG Technology, Inc.
Athena Smartcard Solutions Inc.
Axway Federal
CardLogix
CodeBench
Computer Science Corp (CSC)
Datawatch Systems, Inc.
Diebold Security
E & M Technologies, Inc.
Emergent, LLC
ENTRUST
FEITIAN Technologies Co., Ltd
Hirsch Electronics Corporation
Honeywell
Identification Technology Partners, Inc.
Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies
Intellisoft, Inc.
Intercede Group Plc
Lenel Systems International
Lieberman Software Corporation
Monitor Dynamics
Probaris, Inc.
Raak Technologies
SafeNet, Inc.
SCM Microsystems
Shane-Gelling Company
Thales
Tyco Software House
XTec, Inc.

Smart Cards Mfg & Services

Avery Dennison RFID
Bell and Howell
CPI Card Group
GEMALTO
Giesecke & Devrient
HID Global
Identive Group
Infinite Power Solutions, Inc
Infineon Technologies
INSIDE Secure
KEB Technology Co.
Morpho
Nagra ID Security
NXP Semiconductors
Oberthur Technologies LAC
PPG Industries, Inc.
Q-Card Company
Schreiner Group
ST Microelectronics
Smartrac Technology
Valid
Watchdata Technologies Pte Ltd

Transportation Agencies

Chicago Transit Authority
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Metropolitan Transportation Comm.
Marta
MTA New York City Transit
Port Authority of NY and NJ
Regional Transportation Authority
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
The Utah Transit Authority
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)

Transportation Services, Parking

Accenture
ACS Government Solutions
Acumen Building Enterprise, Inc.
Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc.
JC Simonetti & Associates, Inc.
Keville Enterprises, Inc.
LTK Engineering Services
Parkeon Incorporated
Scheidt & Bachmann USA
TransitCenter, Inc
US Department of Transportation/Volpe Ctr
William Blair & Company, LLC

Universities

Czech Technical University
Georgetown University

Smart Card Alliance Membership Levels October 2011

Smart Card Alliance membership period starts on the first day of the month that the completed membership agreement is received and runs for 12 months. Renewal notices will sent approximately 45 days prior to the one year anniversary date.

Leadership Council - Annual Dues US $12,000

Leadership Council membership is the premier level of membership, reserved for those organizations that choose to be not only smart card industry leaders, but to help lead the Smart Card Alliance as the primary voice of the smart card industry as well. Those commercial organizations who aspire to become leaders in the industry will join at this level. Leadership Council members hold the majority of voting seats on the Smart Card Alliance Board of Directors and chair the various Industry Councils. Leadership Council members are showcased in all Alliance activities to promote their companies’ industry leadership and have priority for participation in and direction of Alliance conferences, webinars, workshops, and other organizational activities. 88.5% of Leadership Council members serve as committee members and participate on a regular basis to help shape the Alliance.

Leadership Council Members are eligible for all special working group meetings and advisory panel groups where the Alliance may bring in special political, legislative, or technical experts to discuss industry issues and problems regarding the industry. Additionally, Leadership Council Members can be invited to provide Alliance industry perspective at input sessions or educational sessions.

Leadership Council Benefits:

  • Showcased as industry leader in Alliance activities and publications. (examples: featured position on Alliance web site, special promotions in Alliance publications and conference events, first option for speakers)
  • Entitled to participate in special programs available only to Leadership Council members (e.g., speaker’s bureau, advisory panels)
  • Priority position for sponsorship in Alliance events and speaker selection for all conference activities
  • Eligible to be a voting member of the Board and Executive Committee
  • Entitled to vote at the annual, general, and special meetings of the Alliance
  • Entitled to vote on Industry Council and Work Group strategies and project selection
  • Entitled to an unlimited number of individuals joining and participating in an Industry Council or Work Group projects and discussion groups
  • Entitled to up to three (3) representatives attending each in-person Industry Council or Work Group meeting at no charge
  • Entitled to two (2) complimentary registrations, in most circumstances, for all general and special Alliance meetings and conferences. Additional representatives can attend meetings at discounted member fee.
  • Entitled to three (3) complimentary LEAP first-year memberships for individuals seeking professional training
  • Eligible to serve as chairperson of any Industry Council, Work Group, the Executive Committee and the Board
  • Free access to the members-only section of the web site with copies of all working documents, studies, meeting minutes, conference proceedings, member-restricted Alliance reports, Alliance Newsletter, and other general membership mailings.
  • Entitled to receive free Smart Card Industry Daily News Summary containing news clips from global news services
  • Entitled to have company listing with logo and link to company web site on the Alliance web site
  • Entitled to post all company press releases on Alliance Industry News home web page
  • Entitled to list all company products, services, and areas of expertise in searchable database for web site visitors

General Member - Annual Dues US $5,000

Smart Card Alliance General Membership is open to any non-government organization that is interested in the supporting the mission of the Smart Card Alliance. General Members make up the majority of the Alliance membership. Typically, these organizations are committed leaders in their respective markets as it pertains to the smart card industry but do not possess the financial or personnel resources to participate at the Leadership Council level. General members are invited to participate in all Alliance activities, attending conferences and member meetings and participating in Industry Councils and Work Groups.

General Member Benefits:

  • Eligible to be elected to the non-voting Observing seat on the Board of Directors for the General Members
  • Entitled to one (1) vote for the Observing seat on the Board of Directors for the General Membership
  • Entitled to up to three (3) individuals joining and participating in an Industry Council or Work Group projects and discussion groups
  • Entitled to have up to two (2) representatives attending each in-person Industry Council or Work Group meeting, as determined by the Executive Committee (which may also establish a fee or other conditions for attendance)
  • Entitled to one (1) complimentary registration, in most circumstances, for all general and special Alliance meetings and conferences. Additional representatives can attend meetings at discounted member fee.
  • Eligible to apply for Leadership Council membership by either paying the Leadership Council annual membership fee or by applying to the Board for acceptance based on “exceptional active contribution.” Such “exceptional active contribution” will be from participation in different working groups and/or events throughout a period of at least one year, with acceptance determined by the Alliance Board of Directors.
  • Entitled to vote on Industry Council and Work Group strategies and project selection
  • Entitled to one (1) complimentary LEAP first-year membership for individuals seeking professional training
  • Exclusive access to certain Alliance deliverables
  • Free access to the members-only section of the web site with copies of all working documents, studies, meeting minutes, conference proceedings, member-restricted Alliance reports, Alliance Newsletter, and other general membership mailings
  • Entitled to receive free Smart Card Industry Daily News Summary news clips from global news services
  • Entitled to have company listing with logo and link to company web site on the Alliance web site
  • Discounted member pricing for Alliance deliverables
  • Entitled to post all company press releases on Alliance Industry News home web page
  • Entitled to list all company products, services, and areas of expertise in searchable database for web site visitors

Government Membership - Annual Dues US $1,750

Smart Card Alliance Government Membership is open to any federal, state, or local government agency or government-run public authority (e.g., public transit agency). Government members are invited to participate in all Alliance activities, attending conferences and member meetings and participating in Industry Councils and Work Groups.

Government Member Benefits:

  • Eligible for appointment to the Board of Directors as an Observing Government Board Member
  • Entitled to vote on Industry Council and Work Group strategies and project selection
  • Entitled to up to three (3) individuals joining and participating in an Industry Council or Work Group projects and discussion groups
    • Entitled to one (1) complimentary representative attending each in-person Industry Council or Work Group meeting at no charge
  • Entitled to one (1) complimentary registration, in most circumstances, for all general and special Alliance meetings and conferences. Additional representatives can attend meetings at discounted member fee.
  • Entitled to the discounted member rate for LEAP membership for individuals seeking professional training
  • Exclusive access to certain Alliance deliverables
  • Free access to the members-only section of the web site with copies of all working documents, studies, meeting minutes, conference proceedings, member-restricted Alliance reports, Alliance Newsletter, and other general membership mailings
  • Entitled to receive free Smart Card Industry Daily News Summary news clips from global news services
  • Entitled to have company listing with logo and link to company web site on the Alliance web site
  • Discounted member pricing for Alliance deliverables
  • Entitled to post all company press releases on Alliance Industry News home web page
  • Entitled to list all company products, services, and areas of expertise in searchable database for web site visitors

University Membership - Annual Dues US $1,750

Smart Card Alliance University Membership is open to any not-for-profit post-secondary college or university. University Members are invited to participate in all Alliance activities, attending conferences and member meetings and participating in Industry Councils and Work Groups.

University Member Benefits:

  • Eligible for appointment to the Board of Directors as an Observing University Board Member
  • Entitled to vote on Industry Council and Work Group strategies and project selection
  • Entitled to up to three (3) individuals joining and participating in an Industry Council or Work Group projects and discussion groups
  • Entitled to one (1) complimentary representative attending each in-person Industry Council or Work Group meeting at no charge
  • Entitled to one (1) complimentary registration, in most circumstances, for all general and special Alliance meetings and conferences. Additional representatives can attend meetings at discounted member fee.
  • Entitled to the discounted member rate for LEAP membership for individuals seeking professional training
  • Exclusive access to certain Alliance deliverables
  • Free access to the members-only section of the web site with copies of all working documents, studies, meeting minutes, conference proceedings, member-restricted Alliance reports, Alliance Newsletter, and other general membership mailings
  • Entitled to receive free Smart Card Industry Daily News Summary news clips from global news services
  • Entitled to have company listing with logo and link to company web site on the Alliance web site
  • Discounted member pricing for Alliance deliverables
  • Entitled to post all company press releases on Alliance Industry News home web page
  • Entitled to list all company products, services, and areas of expertise in searchable database for web site visitors

Associate Member Level - Annual Dues US $1,200

The Associate Membership level is open to individual consultants or contractors, who are not full-time or part-time employees of a public or privately-held company or government agency. Associate Member applicants who meet the qualifications must be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. Associate Members are invited to participate in all Alliance activities, attending conferences and member meetings and participating in Industry Councils and Work Groups.

Associate Member Benefits:

  • Entitled to vote on Industry Council and Work Group strategies and project selection
  • Entitled to one (1) representative attending each Industry Council or Work Group meeting at no charge
  • Entitled to one (1) complimentary registration, in most circumstances, for all general and special Alliance meetings and conferences
  • Entitled to the discounted member rate for LEAP membership for individuals seeking professional training
  • Exclusive access to certain Alliance deliverables
  • Free access to the members-only section of the web site with copies of all working documents, studies, meeting minutes, conference proceedings, member-restricted Alliance reports, Alliance Newsletter, and other general membership mailings
  • Entitled to receive free Smart Card Industry Daily News Summary news clips from global news services
  • Entitled to have company listing with logo and link to company web site on the Alliance web site
  • Discounted member pricing for Alliance deliverables
  • Entitled to post all company press releases on Alliance Industry News home web page
  • Entitled to list all company products, services, and areas of expertise in searchable database for web site visitors

Smart Card Alliance Membership Application

If you are interested in joining the Alliance, please contact us. You may also download the membership application, print and review the document, and sign and return the membership application.

The Smart Card Alliance membership year begins on the first day of the month that the application is received. The anniversary date of the membership start date becomes the renewal date for continued membership in the Smart Card Alliance. Members may upgrade to a higher membership level at any time during the membership year. Please contact the Alliance office at 1-800-556-6828 for details.

The Smart Card Alliance does not lobby and no allocation of dues is necessary for tax purposes.

Membership FAQ

Who are current Smart Card Alliance members?

Smart Card Alliance membership includes both U.S.-based and international organizations covering the full spectrum of industry suppliers, integrators and end user organizations. Members include participants in all active industry sectors–financial, government, enterprise, transportation, mobile telecommunications, healthcare, and retail–and suppliers of the full range of products and services supporting the implementation of smart-card based systems. Membership is open to anyone focusing resources and energy on the utilization of smart card technology.

What membership levels are available?

Five membership levels–Leadership Council, General, Government, University, Associate–are available to accommodate different types of organizations. There is also a Smart Card Alliance Latin America Chapter organization that has a separate membership than with the main SCA organization.

What is the membership year?

The Smart Card Alliance membership year begins on the first day of the month that the membership application is received. The anniversary date of the membership start date becomes the renewal date for continued membership in the Smart Card Alliance.

Can I upgrade my membership level?

Yes, any member can upgrade to Leadership Council level before their member year expires. However, they can only do so by starting a new 12 month membership year and paying $12,000 less any unused months in this current member year.

How can an organization apply for Leadership Council membership without paying the $12,000 fee?

Members can apply to the Board for consideration for acceptance based on ‘exceptional active participation’ such as from significant and sustained participation in work groups and/or events over a minimum period of 1 year. Acceptance will be determined by the Board of Directors.

Can non-Leadership Council members participate on councils?

Yes, any member is eligible to participate on a council. It is at the discretion of the council steering committee and chair to decide how many people can participate and what role each individual can play in council activities.

Why should I consider becoming a Leadership Council Member?

Leadership Council Members have a leadership voice in the industry through the Alliance. Leadership Council Members have priority for the participation in and the direction of Alliance activities. In the future, they may have exclusive access to certain Alliance deliverables and events, or be invited to Leadership Council-only programs. The Board of Directors is elected by the Leadership Council member organizations and candidates who wish to run for the Board must be Leadership Council Members.

Why do you have an Associate member level for individuals?

There is a strong base of individual smart card experts who are contractors or who have chosen to be independent consultants. These individuals have a great deal of knowledge and expertise that they can contribute to our organization and the industry. We created this category to include them in our organization and give them access to all that the Alliance offers other members. We have put in some controls for qualification as an Associate level member to protect the membership value of other organizational members.

What is the Latin America Chapter and where can I find more information about this chapter?

The Latin America Chapter (America Latina or SCALA) was created in 2005 to service the smart card industry needs for Latin America. Since the market drivers, educational requirements, and smart card industry providers and customers vary significantly from the United States and Canada, a separate Chapter organization was formed. Individuals and organizations based in Latin America or North American organizations with business interests in Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean and other Latin American regions can participate in SCALA or both organizations. Visit the Latin America Chapter web site for more information or contact the Latin America Chapter office in Florida at 1-954-922-1564 .

Do you have to be a member of the Smart Card Alliance to receive smart card training and certification?

No, the Smart Card Alliance offers education and training opportunities to members and non-members. There is information about Smart Card Alliance Education and Certification Programs on the web site. Individuals who are employed by member organizations, receive discounts and other benefits reserved for member organizations.

Where can I get more details about member benefits?

Additional information about member benefits can be found on the Alliance web site. You can also contact the Alliance main office at 1-800-556-6828 or at info@smartcardalliance.org.
 

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