PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J. - Technologies that can enable fast, secure transactions of all types - including secure payment with mobile devices -and new identity will be the focus of the 15th annual Smart Card Alliance Conference, slated for Oct. 9-11 in Boston.
The theme of this year's conference, "Smart Cards: The Future of Digital Transactions," is reflected in an agenda that takes an expanded look at payment and identity applications. Sessions are expected to feature speakers with firsthand knowledge about recent smart-card implementations covering payments, mobile/NFC, identity, security, government, healthcare and transportation.
"2007 has been a watershed year for the smart card industry," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "We have seen technology advances and further market adoption of secure identity management systems and secure mobile payment, and lively debates about which authentication platforms are best for different government and commercial programs. This year's Smart Card Alliance conference will help attendees understand the significance of these events, and provide information to help them make critical decisions around mobile commerce and identity security."
Several sessions over the three-day conference will include industry analysts and a series of roundtable discussions with payment brands, issuers and merchants discussing the dynamics of global payments and new retail opportunities in contactless smart cards. Sessions on mobile applications and NFC will explore the trend toward consumers using their mobile devices for an increasing number of applications, including payment at retail points of sale.
Other sessions will address identity policy and government IDs, and include back-to-back sessions focused on the status of various state and federal identity initiatives, as well as the policy and technology issues being debated for programs issuing secure identity credentials to both government employees and citizens.
A look to the future of smart card technology and new applications will be covered by the "Emerging Technology and Innovation" track, which will cover advances in biometrics, Internet security standards and next-generation SIM technology.
For more information and to register for the conference, visit the conference Web site.
