Smart Card Alliance Adds New Certification Program

The Smart Card Alliance recently announced an additional smart card certification program for government identity and security professionals, the Certified Smart Card Industry Professional/Government (CSCIP/G) designation. The Alliance also announced its first two CSCIP/G exams, which will be held on June 29 and November 19 in Washington, D.C.

“The use of smart card technology has become a mainstay in the U.S. federal government, securing identities in programs like the FIPS 201 PIV card for all government employees, the DoD’s Common Access Card, the Transportation Worker Identification Credential and the First Responder Authentication Credential,” said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “We recognized that there is a pressing need for more detailed training about the government smart card market than the present CSCIP program provided. In response, we developed this intensive curriculum to train government professionals, contractors and security industry experts on the role of smart cards in future rollouts of the government standards for identity management and security technology.”

Part of the Alliance’s Leadership, Education and Advancement Program (LEAP), CSCIP/G is an extension of the Certified Smart Card Industry Professional (CSCIP) designation. The body of industry knowledge covered by the CSCIP/G certification includes the same fundamentals as the CSCIP certification, and adds in-depth content about U.S. government identity credentialing programs and technologies.

Leading smart card industry professionals have developed the series of educational modules forming the CSCIP/G certification body of knowledge. These educational modules prepare applicants for the CSCIP/G exam administered by the Smart Card Alliance. The CSCIP/G certification exam will cover:

  • Smart card fundamentals.
  • Smart card security features.
  • Smart card application and data management.
  • Smart card usage models.
  • FIPS 201 and common identity, security and privacy requirements.
  • PIV card, physical attributes, data elements, logical credentials and cryptographic specifications.
  • PIV card issuance and lifecycle.
  • FIPS 201 and biometrics.
  • Assurance levels.
  • Use cases for physical and logical access.
  • Federal PKI infrastructure.

Information about the CSCIP/G training materials is now available on the Smart Card Alliance Web site. Instructor-led training courses will be held in Washington, D.C. on June 28 and November 16 prior to the CSCIP/G. For more information, visit the Smart Card Alliance LEAP Web site at http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/activities-leap.

Featured

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

New Products

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”