With 1.3 million workers at 3,200 port facilities and on 10,000 U.S. flagged vessels, the initial TWIC roll-out seemed like a good place to start securing U.S. transportation locations. The Transportation Security Administration is requiring all port employees to use tamper-resistant smart cards, which include encrypted magnetic stripes, bar codes, and contact and contactless technologies.
- By Terry Wheeler
- Feb 01, 2009
The City of San Francisco recently launched an identification card system for its residents, whereby anyone who can prove that they live in the city can get a photo ID card.
The Department of Homeland Security recently announced upgraded biometric technology is in place at major U.S. ports of entry, and most international visitors should expect to use the new technology when they enter the United States.
The National Science Foundation has awarded a team of University of Virginia engineers $1 million to improve the privacy and security of RFID chips, computer chips the size of a grain of sand that wirelessly send and receive information over short distances (generally 10 feet or less) via very low-power radio waves.
The Department of Homeland Security recently announced that it is expanding the categories of non-U.S. citizens required to provide digital fingerprints and a photograph upon entry to the United States through the US VISIT program.
If the security market in 2009 is anything like the one in 2008, it will be brimming with technology to help protect people, property and assets. Thanks in part to the digital revolution, end users can choose from a variety of technical solutions ranging from basic stand-alone video surveillance, alarm intrusion or card access systems to comprehensive and integrated enterprise-wide IP-based systems.
- By Robert Gailing
- Jan 01, 2009
Background screening has grown in importance as employers seek to confirm the credentials of potential new hires. It is equally important for employers to verify whether job candidates are legally eligible to work in this country.
- By Jim Collins
- Jan 01, 2009
At the 2007 Financial Symposium held in Europe, Sir Chris Fox, former president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in the United Kingdom, focused his remarks on the strategic and corporate responsibility of partnerships for security in the finance and banking sector. His comments of yesteryear couldn’t have been more appropriate for today’s banking and financial institution leadership.
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Jan 01, 2009
The training college for firefighters in the Austrian town of Tulln now has a modern security system. Combined with wireless linking via card (CardLink) and LEGIC contactless technology, the Kaba exos access control system allows simple cost-effective management, quick expandability and administrative flexibility.
SCM Microsystems and Hirsch Electronics Corp. recently announced the companies have entered into a definitive agreement to merge.
Just seven months after the production of the first document, the Kingdom of Morocco’s national security service has already issued its millionth biometric, contactless ID cards.
City Credit Union, headquartered in Dallas, recently purchased and implemented US Biometrics’ AccessQ system for controlling physical access to entrances with fingerprint biometrics.
Thanks to a biometric facial recognition system, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department in Washington State recently made an arrest that helped break up a local identity theft ring. With the MorphoFace Investigate system from Sagem Morpho, the sheriff’s office identified the suspect by comparing a photo taken by an ATM to the department’s database of more than 350,000 mugshots.
- By Brent Dirks
- Dec 11, 2008
A recent survey conducted by Unisys finds a majority of Americans are comfortable using common biometric technologies for authentication.
Facial recognition systems perform some very challenging tasks such as checking an individual’s photo against a database of known or suspected criminals. The task can become nearly impossible when the systems acquire poor facial images -- a situation that occurs all too often in real-world environments.
Emprise Bank is a name well known in Kansas for leadership, integrity and service to its customers and to the community. Headquartered in Wichita, the privately owned bank has more than 40 locations in 20 communities across the state. Its culture of commitment and customer service is strongly instilled in its nearly 500 staff members.
- By Del V. Salvi
- Dec 01, 2008
HID Global recently announced that its Connecticut manufacturing facility is to be honored by Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, in recognition of the company’s efforts and continued support of the Connecticut Career Choice program.
Most people already know what ‘authentication’ is and how closely it is tied to accessing resources on the network. After some form of authentication, users typically either access resources directly or via technologies like SSO (Single Sign-On), which are then relied upon by the IT and security management as a central management console for controlling and managing access to resources across the enterprise. Unfortunately, most of us, including certified security professionals, assume that these technologies are enough to thwart fraudulent attempts to steal sensitive information.
- By Thomas Varghese
- Nov 18, 2008
Long the domain of government and law enforcement agencies, biometric systems are increasingly moving into the market for personal data management and security, according to information from ABI Research.
The Department of Defense issues Common Access Cards to more than 4 million military, retried military and contractors throughout the world. DoD was tasked with complying with the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 201. FIPS 201 is a federal government standard that specifies Personal Identity Verification requirements for Federal employees and contractors.