identive-blog

[identive-blog]

Multicard Implements Statewide Standard Credential for Colorado’s Concealed Carry Handgun Permit

Standardized credential ensures consistency of permits issued across Colorado’s 64 counties DENVER, Colorado, March 20, 2012 – Multicard, a leading supplier of credential solutions, identity management and system integration services and a business unit of Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE: Frankfurt: INV), announced today that it has developed and implemented a standardized “concealed carry” handgun permit for Colorado’s county sheriffs’ association. For this latest secure identification project for public safety organizations, Multicard has designed and produced a secure, pre-printed identification card to be used statewide. 

Multicard was awarded the contract by the County Sheriffs of Colorado Association, an organization that advocates for the Office of the Sheriff across the state. “Carrying a concealed weapon” (CCW) permits are issued through the local sheriff’s office in each of Colorado’s 64 counties. While the application process is the same statewide, prior to this project there was no unified standard for the permit’s design or production. Steve Benitez, Vice President of Sales for Multicard explained, “Without a state standard, it was difficult for law enforcement to verify a valid permit if issued from other counties. This also left room for forgery and fraud. Our goal was to develop and implement a secure statewide standard for the permit so that all sheriffs’ offices will be issuing the same document. The permit design needed to address previously established requirements including the permit holder’s photograph and other identifying information, as well as the signature of the sheriff issuing the permit.” The county sheriffs’ organization contracted with Multicard to develop the permit design, securely produce the pre-printed card templates, and consult on implementation. A design template incorporating all required information and additional security features was created and pre-printed on standard CR80 size PVC card stock, which is similar to a credit card in size and thickness. The pre-printed card stock was then distributed to the counties for issuance. Additionally Multicard is supplying the fully compatible ID systems needed to print the final permit, which include a configured production software module and printer.  “The CCW permit project was an important initiative and Multicard has fulfilled our expectations for a standard, easily recognizable credential statewide. We are very pleased with the results and with the speed and professionalism of Multicard’s service in designing and implementing this solution for the State of Colorado. Tamper-proof security features make it virtually impossible to recreate the permit and law enforcement can be assured that a CCW permit is state-approved and legal,” said Gary Cure, Assistant Director, County Sheriffs of Colorado.

[identive-blog]

Hirsch Identive Implements Physical Access Control System for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation

SANTA ANA, Calif., March 20, 2012 – Hirsch Identive, a leading provider of integrated security and identity management systems, today announced the implementation of a total enterprise Physical Access Control System (PACS) for Tallahassee, Florida-based Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.  Citizens has replaced its legacy access control system with Hirsch Identive’s physical access hardware and award-winning Velocity™ Management System software throughout its Florida offices. Hirsch Identive’s Velocity enables Citizen’s staff to manage and monitor access control operations from a central station in each facility.

“Citizens had long outgrown its legacy system which was in disrepair,” says Don Crawford, Citizens Corporate Facility Manager.  “Hirsch Identive’s Velocity was selected primarily for its scalability, interoperability and reliability.”  Velocity delivers a broad range of security management features bundled into a single package.  In addition, it allows seamless integration of access control, intrusion detection, alarm monitoring, credential enrollment, photo badging, video surveillance and database management.  The system installation is straightforward and includes user-friendly tutorials.  Crawford explains, “We found Hirsch Identive’s Velocity tutorials to be a great feature to move our small project team up the learning curve quickly.  Due to an inaccessible legacy system database, the new system had to be built from the ground up.  Considerable effort was required to maintain an aggressive installation schedule, but in the end the transition of the new system was virtually seamless and appeared to be almost effortless.”   To provide a complete solution for Citizens, Hirsch Identive teamed with its local integration partner, Viking Security of Kissimmee, Florida, which specializes in multi-location, enterprise-wide project installations.  This implementation is the result of a two-year project in which Citizens and Viking Security visited multiple current Hirsch Identive customer locations and Hirsch Identive staged product demonstrations and development meetings at Citizens’ sites, providing Crawford and his team the confidence to move forward with the project.   

Citizens Property Insurance is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt government corporation whose public purpose is to provide insurance protection to Florida property owners throughout the state. The corporation insures hundreds of thousands of homes, businesses and condominiums whose owners otherwise might not be able to find coverage.

[identive-blog]

Innovative Access Control Technology from Identive Revolutionizes Integrated Identity Management

New reader family enables rapid convergence of physical and logical access  SANTA ANA, Calif. and ISMANING, Germany, March 13, 2012 -- Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE: Frankfurt: INV), today introduced TouchSecure OpenAccess™, a family of revolutionary access readers that enable a broad range of organizations to upgrade and integrate their physical and logical access control systems quickly and cost-effectively while retaining existing proprietary physical access systems.

“To enhance security of personnel and assets within their facilities, government agencies and businesses of all sizes are working to integrate their physical and IT network access systems using open standard platforms, so that a single identity credential can be used for employees across the entire enterprise, from door to network,” explained John Menzel, vice president Access Control ID Solutions for Identive. “In order to bridge logical and physical systems with a single identity, door readers need to combine support for proprietary legacy systems with secure and open IT network communication capabilities. This principle is the basis for the new TouchSecure reader family.”   As one of the world’s first physical access readers capable of reading a multitude of access card formats, the TouchSecure OpenAccess supports the convergence of physical and logical access systems around the use of a single trusted identity credential. When installed at a facility’s entrance points, the reader becomes a secure open platform to unify and enhance building security within a single site or across different sites using different card systems. The reader also offers complete scalability from local to cloud-based management and reporting.

“Physical access systems are notoriously difficult to upgrade because they are deeply embedded within buildings,” noted Mark Diodati, research vice president at Gartner. “An intelligent reader can provide stronger authentication, mobile device support, and simpler IT convergence without a potential multi-year upgrade of the entire physical access system.”

TouchSecure OpenAccess provides this intelligence. For companies that wish to upgrade their access control systems from older proprietary systems to newer technologies that offer higher security and more flexibility, the reader provides a migration path that allows a gradual swap-out of employee credentials over time, without the need to rip out and replace existing controllers, wiring or access readers.

“TouchSecure readers are ideally suited for organizations implementing card technology migration or support for multiple types of credentials, as well as those just seeking a reader with maximum performance and security options for the future,” stated Dr. Manfred Mueller, Executive Vice President of Identive and Managing Director of the Company’s ID Infrastructure division. “An open architecture design enables broad applicability for small/medium enterprises of 100 employees all the way up to the largest corporations that maintain multiple campuses spanning the globe. Compliance with the industry’s most stringent security standards ensures the reader’s suitability for use in high-security government facilities, as mandated under federal directives. TouchSecure OpenAccess is truly designed for the 21st century, able to take you from your current door reader technology to wherever you want to migrate in the future." TouchSecure OpenAccess readers support multiple proximity and smart card formats, including proximity-125 kHz (all major building access formats), NXP MIFARE® Classic, DESFire®  EV1, ISO14443A/B CSN, PLAID, ISO 15693, NFC and U.S. government personal identification verification (PIV), including PIV-I. The TouchSecure OpenAccess reader is based on international standards including ISO14443A/B, ISO7816, FIPS201, FIPS140-2 and PLAID. With remote connectivity capabilities, firmware technology updates can add new compatibilities in the future, making the TouchSecure OpenAccess a long-term solution, available today. In addition to traditional Wiegand and RS-485 communication to a controller, TouchSecure OpenAccess readers offer support for Ethernet and Wi-Fi, enabling remote management from the desktop and overall system management in the cloud. Configuration, firmware updates and diagnostics are easily accomplished with just a few clicks.

Identive’s TouchSecure OpenAccess readers are available now.

For more information, visit www.identive-infrastructure.com/touchsecure.

[identive-blog]

Identive and WPG Americas Team to Deliver NFC Pairing Solution for Transferring Medical X-Rays

SAN JOSE and SANTA ANA, Calif. and ISMANING, Germany, March 12, 2012 - WPG Americas, Inc. and Identive Group Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE, Frankfurt: INV) today announced that they have teamed to deliver a near field communications (NFC) solution that allows data from high-end medical imaging devices to be transferred to multiple exam room monitors throughout a provider’s office, without cables, wires or additional network investment.

Digital radiography cameras are rapidly replacing traditional x-ray systems in medical offices of all sizes, because they expose patients to less radiation, provide higher quality images and greatly simplify record keeping.

“By making it easier to transfer x-ray images from digital sensors to computer viewing monitors in multiple exam rooms, we can help doctors, dentists and other healthcare providers extend the value of this expensive equipment while ensuring the images are associated with the correct patient,” explained Dave Bowers, VP Supplier Marketing for WPG Americas. “With their growing portfolio of NFC readers and tags, Identive is becoming known as the go-to company for NFC solutions. We are excited to continue our successful collaboration as we work together to extend this NFC pairing solution to other applications.”

The innovative new solution utilizes NFC tags and readers from Identive with software from WPG Americas that associates the images from a digital x-ray camera with the patient records. An NFC tag is affixed to the digital radiography camera. The tag is simply tapped on one of Identive’s SCL3711 NFC readers that are attached to the computer in each exam room. The associated software then reconfigures the wireless communication between the camera and local computer to transmit the x-ray images from the camera and associate them with the appropriate patient record.

“NFC technology makes it possible to move much of what we do in the physical world to the virtual world, in a way that is easier and more convenient. In the healthcare market there are dozens of areas that will benefit from the use of NFC, from making treatment information available to managing patient records. Partnering with WPG Americas on this NFC transfer solution allowed us to benefit from their extensive understanding of the medical office environment and their strong engineering expertise,” said Dr. Manfred Mueller, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Identive’s ID Infrastructure division.

About WPG Americas, Inc. Headquartered in San Jose, California, WPG Americas Inc. is a member of WPG Holdings, a $13B worldwide distributor of semiconductors, passive, electro-mechanical and display products. Founded in November 2007, WPGA is a franchised partner for leading technology suppliers. As a member of WPG Holdings, WPGA is uniquely positioned to offer total solutions to its diverse customer base. WPGA continues to introduce new leading edge technologies, quality service and design-in focus through its superior engineering programs. For additional info visit: www.wpgamericas.com.

[identive-blog]

Identive Announces NFC Transponder Product Line Based on Sony FeliCa Lite

Identive First to Offer Transponders for All Four NFC Types Globally

TOKYO, Japan, March 4, 2012 -- Identive Group, Inc., provider of products, services and solutions for the identification, security and RFID industries, today announced a new line of near field communication (NFC) transponder products based on Sony Corporation's FeliCa Lite chip technology. The announcement coincides with the NFC and Smart World Conference in Tokyo this week, where Identive will be previewing its new FeliCa Lite designs for NFC Forum Type 3 engineered inlays for tag and label applications as well as its ultra-thin SmartCore(TM) technology for card applications.

Sony's FeliCa Lite technology is designed to offer a lower cost alternative to conventional FeliCa chips thanks to a compact and energy saving design, streamlined security features and an optimized simple file system, making it ideal for high-volume NFC applications where cost is critical. FeliCa Lite is backward-compatible within FeliCa environments.

"FeliCa contactless technology has been widely deployed in Japan and several other Asian countries for many years for public transportation, customer loyalty programs and payment applications, and there is a growing need for NFC infrastructure products to capitalize on and expand this success," said Shunichi Fujii, President of Identive Japan.

Scott Austin, Vice President International Sales of Identive's Transponder Division added: "Identive offers a full range of Type 1, 2 and 4 NFC products including tags, labels, cards and other products for the commercial and consumer markets. We plan to expand our smart FeliCa Lite offerings to include smart tag, sticker and label offerings in the near future. We are pleased to be expanding our range of NFC designs to include the highly respected FeliCa technology from Sony and to strengthen Identive's NFC transponder offering with an important technology that is in demand by our customers and NFC developers worldwide. We are particularly pleased to be the first company to offer a wide range of designs for all fours types of NFC tags globally."

[identive-blog]

idOnDemand and Fuji Xerox Australia Partnership Enables Single Credential for Building Entry and Secured Printing

PLEASANTON, Calif. and CANBERRA, Australia, February 29, 2012 -- idOnDemand, the pioneer in smart identification and a business unit of Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE: Frankfurt: INV), and Fuji Xerox Australia have formed an OEM partnership in which Fuji Xerox has incorporated idOnDemand's highly secure identity readers into their multifunction devices (MFD) for secure copying and printing. idOnDemand’s TouchSecure™ readers enable Fuji Xerox to offer its customers a converged access solution that allows employees to use a single identity card to enter the workplace and to use shared secured multifunctional copiers and printers across an organization’s physical sites. Fuji Xerox’s secured access multifunction devices are used by a wide range of customers to control and track printing expenses, reduce waste and safeguard data in shared resource environments. To print or copy a document, a user simply presents an ID card to the device for authorization. idOnDemand’s TouchSecure reader replaces the need to use a dedicated card or token to access a secured multifunction device, as its unique technology makes it capable of reading a wide variety of ID and building access cards, so the same access card that unlocks the door of the building can be used to print or copy documents. "idOnDemand's innovative reader design, which is based on the convergence of secure IT open platforms and physical access compatibility, directly aligns with our product portfolio," says Adrian Halliday, Market Development Manager at Fuji Xerox Australia. "The TouchSecure readers provide a logical extension to our product offering and help us meet the ever-growing demands of our customers. Many of our customers are demanding secure MFD access across all their sites, but differing card formats have historically prevented the use of a single reader or staff ID card." Card technologies and formats supported by the TouchSecure reader include proximity - 125 kHz (all major building access formats), NXP MIFARE® CSN and ISO 15693 CSN. The TouchSecure reader is based on international standards including ISO14443A/B and PLAID, which guarantees an open and interoperable platform design that supports current and future chip technologies and card formats. "Fuji Xerox has consistently delivered innovative solutions that help customers streamline business processes," states Craig Parker, APAC Vice President Sales at idOnDemand. "They continue to demonstrate a focus on leveraging base systems to simplify user experience and leverage information. We are gratified to partner with Fuji Xerox to help them expand their integration to include their customer’s building access technologies and offer their customers even more value." About Fuji Xerox Australia Fuji Xerox Australia is part of a world leading enterprise for business process and document management services. We optimise IT and print infrastructures to deploy document strategies that are efficient, productive and waste-free. This enables our customers to meet their business challenges in new ways with measurable results. For more information, visit www.fujixerox.com.au. About idOnDemand idOnDemand, a business unit of Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:INVE; Frankfurt: INV) delivers a standards based, single trusted identity and smart card solution. Using the idOnDemand managed service, organizations can quickly, easily and cost effectively grant trusted access for employees, customers and partners to information and assets. idOnDemand’s TouchSecure reader line was designed to offer customers a highly secure, open standards solution with maximum card technology flexibility. For more information, visit www.idOnDemand.com. idOnDemand is a business unit of Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE: Frankfurt: INV). For more information, visit www.identive-group.com. Note: TouchSecure is a trademark of idOnDemand.

[identive-blog]

Visitors at Mobile World Congress 2012 that come to the RIM stand will have the chance to engage with them like never before...via NFC. If you don't have an NFC-enabled device, you can still share content through RFID by heading to our registration desks. Check out this video demonstrating how RIM is bringing social sharing to MWC12 this year. Don't forget to look out for your content being shared on Facebook and Twitter.

[identive-blog]

Identive Provides Logical Access With Smart Cards for Dutch Ministry of Defense

Identive Group, , a provider of products and services for the identification, security and RFID industries, announced that it has provided the Dutch Ministry of Defense (MoD) with 59,500 smart card readers that enable secure access to the ministry’s computer network for MoD employees working remotely. Read more 

[identive-blog]

Identive Group Announces Promotion of Manfred Mueller to COO, Identification Products

SANTA ANA, Calif. and ISMANING, Germany, February 20, 2012 – Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE; Frankfurt: INV), a provider of products, services and solutions for the identification, security and RFID industries, today announced that effective April 1, 2012, Dr. Manfred Mueller will assume the position of Executive Vice-President and COO, Identification Products, with operational responsibility for Identive’s global product business, which comprises approximately 45% of the Company’s revenue. Identive’s Identification Products are used in the government, enterprise, and consumer markets for a number of identity-based and related applications, including cyber and physical access, eHealth, eGovernment, citizen ID, mobile payments, loyalty schemes, transportation and event ticketing.

Mueller currently serves as Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of Identive’s ID Infrastructure division (formerly SCM Microsystems), which develops and sells contact, contactless and mobile smart card readers and terminals and development products. In his new role, Mueller will have responsibility both for ID Infrastructure and the Company’s Transponder product lines consisting of radio frequency identification (RFID) inlays and smart tags, as well as NFC tags, labels and cards. “Manfred‘s leadership of our ID Infrastructure division over the past two years has resulted in the successful turnaround of this business, with innovative new product releases, strong sales growth in Asia/Pacific and Europe, improved margins and the division’s move towards profitability,” said Ayman S. Ashour, chairman and CEO of Identive. “Bringing our fast-growing Transponder business together with ID Infrastructure under Manfred’s leadership will allow us to leverage the global structure of our reader operations and to align our RFID and reader offerings to address common market opportunities, in particular NFC and converged physical and logical access.”  As COO for Identification Products, Mueller will work to drive the sales growth of the Company’s NFC tags and readers, which enable the market’s increasing array of NFC-enabled phones to perform transactions, download information or launch applications. He will also oversee the Company’s recently announced initiatives to build on its strong base of network access and Software as a Service (SaaS) technologies to address the rapidly growing market for converged access products. “RFID and reader technologies are at the very heart of electronic ID applications and Identive’s market-leading products provide our partners and OEMs with important building blocks for the identity ecosystem. I am excited to take on this next challenge in my career and look forward to further expanding Identive’s role in the identity markets,” said Mueller. Over the past eleven years, Dr. Manfred Mueller has served in a variety of management roles at Identive, with a primary focus on sales, marketing and operations for the Company’s ID Infrastructure division. He holds a Master's degree and a PhD in Chemistry from Regensburg University in Germany and an MBA from the Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

[identive-blog]

Identive Provides Secure Remote Network Access for Dutch Ministry of Defense

SANTA ANA, Calif., and ISMANING, Germany, February 7, 2012 – Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE; Frankfurt: INV), a provider of products and services for the identification, security and RFID industries, today announced that it has provided the Dutch Ministry of Defense (MoD) with 59,500 SmartFold smart card readers that enable secure access to the ministry’s computer network for MoD employees working remotely.

The Dutch MoD selected the Identive readers based on their security and flexibility. Much of the information being accessed from the ministry’s network is restricted or sensitive, which creates specific policy requirements for how the data must be managed. The SmartFold readers fit easily into the MoD’s existing network security infrastructure and allow remote PCs to unlock applications and data with the same level of security as internal workstations. Technology solutions provider SCC, Identive’s distribution partner in the Netherlands, assisted the Dutch MoD in selecting the SmartFold readers.  Dr. Manfred Mueller, executive vice president of Identive Group and managing director of the Company’s ID Infrastructure division said, “We are pleased that the Dutch Ministry of Defense has standardized on an Identive smart card reader for remote network access. We are also pleased to add The Netherlands to the growing list of more than 30 government customers for which we provide solutions to help protect their IT assets.” The SmartFold SCR3500 mini USB reader is a fully ISO7816 compliant contact smart card reader suitable for a wide range of application areas for government, enterprise and home use. Due to its small design, the SmartFold reader is ideal for remote access applications.

[identive-blog]

Identive to Acquire Majority Stake in Payment Solution AG

Acquisition Expands Identive’s Position in Cashless Payment Systems in Europe

SANTA ANA, Calif., MUNICH and HAMBURG, Germany, February 1, 2012 – Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE; Frankfurt: INV), a provider of products, services and solutions for the identification, security and RFID industries, today announced that it has agreed to acquire a majority stake in payment solution AG, a German-based provider of integrated cashless payment solutions for sports stadiums, arenas, theme parks and other venues for leisure and entertainment throughout Europe.

payment solution’s systems enable consumers at sporting and similar events to make quick, cashless payments for food, beverages and merchandise using contactless smart card technology. The systems consist of comprehensive payment management software, smart cards, and reader and communication infrastructure, all supplied and implemented by payment solution. The company offers its customers the option of purchasing of a turnkey solution or entering into a multi-year contract under which payment solution continues to operate and maintain responsibility for the cashless payment system over a set period, in return for sharing in the revenue generated at various events held in the stadium or other venue.

“The acquisition of payment solution enhances our direct connection to consumers and extends our ability to deliver payment systems in Europe,” said Ayman S. Ashour, chairman and chief executive officer of Identive Group. “payment solution has proven that they can help stadium operators and merchants increase their revenues through faster transactions in the limited time available for retail at sporting events and concerts. We are also impressed with the company’s success in penetrating the Eastern European cashless payment markets and highly value their long-term operations and revenue share agreements.”

Hemjö Klein, Chairman of payment solution, stated, “Joining forces with Identive is the right next step for both companies and the market. We have built a strong installed base particularly in the German Soccer Leagues and are convinced the combination with Identive will allow us to expand further into other markets and internationally.” Achim Hirz, CEO of payment solution, commented, “We have worked with Identive as our supplier of cashless payment readers and contactless cards for many years and this partnership has expanded as we have collaborated to develop integrated solutions for various smart city projects. We look forward to deepening our relationship with Identive, which provides us the opportunity to leverage the company’s worldwide presence and to further expand our offerings beyond our current base in Germany.”

On January 30, 2012, Identive’s Swiss-based subsidiary, Bluehill ID AG, entered into agreements with 18 shareholders of payment solution, representing approximately 58.8% of the outstanding share capital of that company. The transaction values 100% of the shares of payment solution at approximately €4.0 million (or approximately $5.3 million). Additionally, the company has outstanding debt of approximately €4.5 million (or approximately $5.9 million). Under the terms of the agreements, Identive will issue 1,357,758 shares of its common stock to the selling shareholders, representing approximately 2.4% of Identive’s outstanding common stock, in exchange for the payment solution shares.  The Identive common stock has not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and will be issued in reliance upon the safe harbor exemption provided by Regulation S and, therefore, subject to restrictions upon transfer.

About payment solution payment solution provides complete and truly integrated payment solutions for stadiums, arenas, theme parks and other venues for leisure and entertainment. Using multi-functional customer cards based on RFID contact-less chip technology and comprehensive management software, the system ensures the seamless interaction of all relevant components such as ticketing, access, point-of-sale, parking, etc. Through increased convenience for guests and visitors, faster transactions and enhanced marketing options, operating companies will enjoy higher revenue and profit.

[identive-blog]

Identive Launches New Converged Access ID Group

SANTA ANA, Calif. and ISMANING, Germany, January 26, 2012 – Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE; Frankfurt: INV), a provider of products, services and solutions for the identification, security and RFID industries, today announced that it has formed a new product group focused on addressing the growing need for standards-based, integrated access control from the door to the network. The new Converged Access group aims to build on innovative technology specially developed for the Identity as a Service / SaaS offering of idOnDemand as well as the traditional strength of Identive in network access smart card reader technology. The new group will be headed by access control industry veteran John Menzel, as vice president Access Control ID Solutions.  “The uniqueness of our SaaS offerings from idOnDemand lies, in addition to our exceptional software and infrastructure backbone, in a new range of converged readers and credentials; we needed to develop readers and credentials that work across a large number of different technologies to be able to offer a truly pioneering SaaS solution covering both physical and cyber access. It is these unique, patent pending, product technologies that we now launch to the wider industry as part of our ID Infrastructure offerings,” said Ayman S. Ashour, CEO of Identive. “John Menzel is a true visionary in the ID industry and was amongst the first to pursue a standards-based approach in the physical access world. I am thrilled that John is joining us as we apply our traditional strength in network access products to the larger market for physical access control and the rapidly growing market of converged access products.”  John Menzel has over fifteen years of senior management experience in a range of successful enterprises. In 2003 he co-founded XceedID, an innovative, high-growth secure RFID reader and credential company, where he served as CEO and President until its acquisition by Ingersoll Rand in 2008. Following the sale, he continued with Ingersoll-Rand Security Technologies in General Manager and Director of Marketing Strategy roles. Prior to XceedID Menzel held senior executive positions with major security industry companies, including Director of Business Development & Technology Integration for embedded proximity technology and Product Marketing Manager for iCLASS® smart card products at HID Corporation, a division of Assa Abloy. Most recently he was Vice President of Marketing for CNL Software, a leading provider of physical security information management software. Menzel earned a B.S. from the College of Architecture, School of Building Construction, at the University of Florida. “After decades of proprietary systems dominating the physical access market, there is a permanent trend towards standards-based solutions, which is helping to fuel the convergence of cyber and physical access credentials within organizations,” explained Menzel. “This has created a very natural opportunity for Identive to provide converged solutions that draw from a robust and growing IP portfolio and years of experience with delivering tens of millions of smart card readers, in order to leverage the new wave of highly secure identity credentials. I am excited to join Identive, be reunited again with several colleagues from earlier years and to be able to deliver next generation converged access solutions.”

[identive-blog]

Multicard to Supply Innovative Multi-Functional Corporate Credentials for Global Consumer Products Company Henkel

Secure ID credential enables physical and cyber access as well as payment, time and attendance VILLINGEN-SCHWENNINGEN, Germany, January 10, 2012 – Multicard, a leading supplier of credential solutions, identity management and system integration services and a business unit of Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE, Frankfurt: INV) today announced that it is providing a worldwide multi-function identity credential service for Henkel, a global consumer products company. Multicard’s platform will enable a single ID credential in the form of a contactless smart card to be used for physical access to buildings, time and attendance tracking, cashless payments in the cafeteria, as well as PKI (public key infrastructure) applications to access the company’s computer network. Multicard is providing ongoing project management services for the program, as well as ID card issuance.

Based in Düsseldorf, Germany, Henkel operates worldwide in three business areas: Laundry & Home Care, Cosmetics/Toiletries and Adhesive Technologies. Henkel’s globally recognized brands and technologies such as Purex/Persil detergents, Schwarzkopf, Dial soap and Loctite adhesive hold leading positions in the international consumer and industrial markets. Michael Strenger, responsible for Site Security for Henkel Düsseldorf, said, “Carrying one multi-purpose card is more convenient for employees, but it is the security that the new system provides that makes it particularly useful for Henkel. Rather than having to issue and manage separate credentials for each secure application, such as physical and logical access, we can now ensure that all credentials for an employee are issued or revoked at the same time. In addition, Multicard has helped us to lower the costs of our credential logistics by providing us with professional card fulfillment services, which gives us more flexibility in how we manage the day-to-day issuance.”  Another important criterion for Henkel was Multicard’s ability to encode, personalize and deliver any number of cards for employees, from one to several thousand, cost effectively and within a short turnaround time.  Juergen Mueller, managing director of Multicard Germany, stated, “As an ID systems integrator, Multicard is focused on providing our customers with tailored solutions that address their needs, both now and in the future. We are proud to be chosen by Henkel to develop and implement a system that allows them to meet some ambitious goals: a fast and efficient card order process, high flexibility in multiple card variants, and high quality of the credentials – all provided through Multicard’s professional card issuance service.”

[identive-blog]

Hirsch Identive’s Velocity™ Software Verified Compliant with Trusted Computing Group’s IF-MAP Standard

SANTA ANA, Calif., January 5, 2012 – Hirsch Identive, a leading provider of integrated security and identity management systems and a business unit of Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE, Frankfurt: INV) today announced that its Velocity™ Access Control and Security Management software has been tested and verified to be compliant with the IF-MAP computing standard by the international industry standards organization, Trusted Computing Group. IF-MAP is a standard computing protocol that supports dynamic data interchange among a wide variety of IT networking components. By becoming IF-MAP compliant, Hirsch Identive’s systems can now allow organizations to implement more effective, integrated security systems alongside their IT networks.

“IF-MAP enables a tight level of integration between physical and network access control that solves many security issues,” says John Piccininni, Vice President of Business Development for Hirsch Identive. “The initial use case for IF-MAP integration with Velocity is the convergence of physical and network access control policies and permissions. For example, information about an employee’s location can be dynamically communicated from Hirsch’s physical access control system to the IT network via IF-MAP, and then access to network resources can be granted or denied based on a person’s presence in a given area or building. This minimizes the tendency of employees to tailgate behind their co-workers through access controlled doors, while ensuring that anyone logging onto the network is actually in the building.” Employees must present their credentials to specific readers at doors in the area or network access may be denied or limited. Those requesting VPN network privileges or access to wireless points and even industrial controls can be granted or denied based on their presence. This capability begins to fulfill the long discussed promise of security convergence: enhancing physical and network security and improving operational efficiency and compliance, while at the same time containing organizational risk and cost.

The Trusted Computing Group’s IF-MAP standard is attracting many security providers, including those of wireless access points, firewalls, SIEM and SCADA systems, all of which can share events and data through published search and subscribe schema defined under the standard. As a result of Hirsch Identive’s adoption of the IF-MAP standard, Velocity can now publish physical access control and security events to an IF-MAP server just as other IT network devices do. Other compliant devices can subscribe to the information and act upon it accordingly.  IF-MAP compliant network devices and systems can then share data without the need to develop costly customized and easily broken point-to-point integration.  As an added benefit, the nature of this application does not require users to change access credentials.  Users can still use the same cards, personal identification number and/or biometrics as before. Additionally, users can utilize existing user name and password network access credentials and leverage the existing network infrastructure.

[identive-blog]

Last night while watching the 2004 blockbuster movie, “The Bourne Supremacy” with Matt Damon, we took note of something rather fascinating. Within the movie, Jason Bourne (played by Matt Damon) clones a SIM card in a matter of seconds using a CHIPDRIVE card reader and our SIM/ID1 adaptor (Twoitoko logo on it). 

For more, visit: http://askidentive.com. 

[identive-blog]

Multicard Implements New Fuel Card Program for Australia’s Neumann Petroleum

BRISBANE, Australia – December 15, 2011 – Multicard, a leading supplier of credential solutions, identity management and system integration services and a business unit of Identive Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE, Frankfurt: INV), today announced it has implemented a new fuel card program for Neumann Petroleum, a privately owned oil company based in Queensland, Australia. To date Multicard has rolled out the payment system to 130 locations throughout Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. The credit-based fuel cards are used by long-distance trucking fleets and individual consumers alike and can be used to purchase fuel and other items.

“Neumann Petroleum made a decision to expand our fuel card offering and went looking for a partner to provide a robust card solution to assist in this process. With Multicard, we now have a solution that is helping us not only to grow our fuel card business but can also provide our customers with online access to important fuel usage and account information. The Multicard solution is also securely integrated with our financial system, ensuring a transparent experience for customers and a smooth transaction flow for Neumann,” stated Stephen Litherland, Finance Manager, Neumann Petroleum. Customers will be able to apply for the fuel card online, and once an application is approved, a request is sent automatically from Neumann’s ERP system to the Multicard Bureau Service, where a customized transaction card is personalized for the new customer account and each nominated cardholder and mailed out by Multicard. The card can then be used throughout the network of Neumann or Matilda-branded service stations throughout Queensland and New South Wales. The Neumann Fuel Card is used like any other credit card with a magnetic stripe and is swiped at point of sale in a POS terminal provided by Multicard.   All transactions are batch uploaded from the POS terminal to Multicard Manager, a Web-based administration portal that provides an easy-to-use interface for Neumann Fuel Card account holders. Via the secure Multicard Manager portal, Neumann Fuel Card holders will be able to review their purchases online, compare logbook data and produce usage reports. Multicard Manager also sends the purchase information to Neumann’s ERP system, where the information is compiled for accounting purposes and used to generate monthly account notices to Neumann Fuel Card customers. “Neumann’s Fuel Card program is an important service for drivers that reinforces Neumann’s already strong brand. Multicard’s extensive experience with developing and integrating secure ID systems for payment, loyalty and access control enabled us to create and deploy a custom solution for Neumann Petroleum that addresses their requirements for a highly secure, reliable service that provides a positive experience for their customers,” said Ross Head, Managing Director for Multicard Australia.