Executive Director’s Letter

Dear members and friends of the Alliance,

Last month ended with the conclusion of our 3rd Annual Payments Summit in Salt Lake City and March has been a continuation of non-stop conferences one after the other involving IT security (RSA Conference), healthcare (HIMSS), mobile (International CTIA Wireless), physical access security (ISC West), and banking (BITS Financial Services Roundtable Fraud Steering Committee meeting). And April will start with the joint government Interagency Advisory Board (IAB)/Smart Card Alliance meeting on April 1st. Despite the strain of a seemingly endless flow of planes, trains, and automobiles related to attending all but one of these events, having the opportunity to be engaged in so many different markets in a compressed period of time is one of the most stimulating aspects of my work for the Smart Card Alliance.

In addition to getting the chance to meet and talk to many of our Alliance members and devoted “fans” in all of these markets, the events give me an opportunity to get a reading of where smart cards and applications are being newly adopted and where these markets are heading in the future. I will use a familiar measurement for how “well baked” each of these markets is, like a chef preparing a fine steak (rare = just getting started, medium = getting there soon, warming up nicely, well done = fully baked, ready for the next course). Excuse my silly food analogies while I share my observations from my many stops this month. There is no science backing this assessment, and future momentum builders or speed bumps along the way are hard to predict.

Member Profile

This month Smart Card Talk spoke with Stafford Mahfouz, manager of the government vertical for Tyco International’s Access Control and Video Systems. Stafford is responsible for providing input to the product management teams for product development of access control, video, and integrated systems to meet the specific needs of government customers and related markets.

Stafford is actively involved in developing standards for the integration of biometrics and smart card technology in physical access control systems (PACS). Previously, he was involved in assessing, testing, and implementing a wide range of integration and consulting engagements for electronic physical security and served as Program Manager for Data Center Management for a federal agency.

Feature of the Month

Assurance Levels Overview and Recommendations

The Smart Card Alliance Identity Council developed this brief to lay out an interpretation for the four assurance levels outlined in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) M04-04, E-Authentication Guidance for Federal Agencies.

OMB M04-04 states the following levels for authentication:

“2. Assurance Levels and Risk Assessments

   2.1. Description of Assurance Levels This guidance describes four identity authentication assurance levels for e-government transactions. Each assurance level describes the agency’s degree of certainty that the user has presented an identifier (a credential in this context) that refers to his or her identity. In this context, assurance is defined as 1) the degree of confidence in the vetting process used to establish the identity of the individual to whom the credential was issued, and 2) the degree of confidence that the individual who uses the credential is the individual to whom the credential was issued.

New CSCIP Accreditations

Congratulations to the LEAP members who have successfully completed the requirements for professional accreditation as Certified Smart Card Industry Professionals. Most recent additions to CSCIP certifications listed in bold type.
	Deborah Baxley, Keypoint Edgar Betts, Smart Card Alliance Dana Blegen, Paragon Application Systems Douglas Deckert, Booz Allen Hamilton John Fessler, Exponent, Inc. Dale Grogan, LifeMed Card, Inc. Sarah Ming Hsi, MARTA Bryan Ichikawa, Unisys Michael Magrath, Gemalto Brad McGoran, Exponent, Inc. John McKeon, IBM Robert Merkert, Sr., CardLogix Barry Mosteller, Oberthur Technologies Ken Pantin, The Bank of New York Mellon Neville Pattinson, Gemalto Myles Roberts, FAA Michael H. Smith, Montner & Associates, Inc.
Click here for more information about LEAP and CSCIP certification program.