By Philip Hudson, Chairman, International Hologram Manufacturers Association

New technology continues to push the boundaries of holography as an effective ID anti-counterfeiting device. One of the most significant advances has been polycarbonate (PC) security laminates.

In recent years we have seen polycarbonate-faced ID cards become increasingly widespread, aided by the use of smaller and lower cost laser engraving equipment. It is estimated that some 40% of passports worldwide and most national ID card programs use polycarbonate.

The main attraction of hard-wearing polycarbonate from a security perspective is that the layers that make up the card or data page are fused together during production, losing all laminar structure, and cannot be pried apart individually. This is a great benefit as any printing, personal data or security feature like a hologram contained within the depth of the card cannot be accessed using mechanical means by anyone trying to tamper with the document.

Holograms, recommended for passports by ICAO and mandatory in the European Union, have traditionally had metallic or high refractive index-coated acrylic bases. However, there are drawbacks: first, the brightness of the image can fade either during the heat and pressure of the lamination process or simply become dull over time. Second, the bond between the hologram and the polycarbonate is a weak point in the card and might result in a breakdown in the lamination of the layers.

But recently we have seen advancements in polycarbonate security laminates which could overcome both drawbacks.

The Holofuse from JDSU is a new polycarbonate film incorporating a clear holographic pattern into the surface without the use of adhesives. The technology, aimed at the identity document security market, is the first of its kind and will thwart counterfeiters as the holographic layer is integral and cannot be removed from the rest of the card.

The partially transparent and customized hologram within the polycarbonate film includes overt, covert and forensic security features.

The hologram is cast in to a coating which then fuses with the polycarbonate before being ready for lamination to the substrates used for ID and passport pages. It is also suitable for the laser engraving of the personal data–all of which avoids the need for a separate lamination step following the application of the variable data.

The cost saving benefit together with improved anti-counterfeiting capability will appeal to manufacturers of documents like passports, identity cards and driver licenses, where resistance to counterfeiting is vital.

There is already considerable interest in Holofuse, particularly as optical features can be incorporated into the hologram at the time of origination and more security layers in the form of tagants.

Another interesting polycarbonate development comes from Optaglio with its OVmesh, a perforated metallic holographic patch which embedded in the laminated polycarbonate card. OVmesh patches are metal and do not deteriorate under heat and pressure, retaining a high degree of brightness and clarity over a long period.

A key feature is the pitch of the mesh can be tuned to provide variable transparency over the area of the hologram, so that part of the hologram can appear fully metallised for improved verification of the overt and covert security features. Other areas can be transparent over personal data such as the photograph.

During the lamination process, the polycarbonate melts and flows through the perforations in the mesh to enable complete bonding between the layers, making it more resistant to delamination when compared to standard embedded holograms. Individual patches can be serial numbered by laser engraving to provide an audit trail of each holographic image, data page or card during the production process and in the finished product.

The product is compliant ICAO and EU requirements on standards for security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by members countries, and is already in production for use in the new electronic passport being produced in Europe.

It's certain that there are some exciting new developments out there to reaffirm holography's position as an effective, added value solution for putting eye-catching, hard to copy images onto brands without relying on the application of a label–providing an extremely cost effective anti-counterfeiting solution in the process.

The International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) - http://www.ihma.org - is made up of more than 80 hologram companies. IHMA members are the leading producers and converters of holograms for banknote security, anti-counterfeiting, brand protection, packaging, graphics and other commercial applications around the world. IHMA member companies actively cooperate to maintain the highest professional, security and quality standards.

With most states slashing budgets, cash-strapped institutions have had to make tough choices. Some have chosen to freeze salaries, others have laid-off people and many have put construction and other campus projects on hold. Operating a campus card program is a significant expense so CR80News sought the assistance of campus card providers to build a list of cost savings tips.

The following ideas were presented by Brian Adoff, Sales Manager, NuVision Networks; Fred Emery, VP Heartland Campus Solutions; Taran Lent, Vice President, CardSmith; and Read Winkelman, VP of Sales, The CBORD Group.

Operations

“Simplify campus card account plans to reduce administrative and financial reconciliation overhead. Eliminate meal and account plans that have less than 5% participation.”

“Use the reporting capabilities of your POS system to get a better handle on finances. For example, you can use the menu item sales report to compare items sold with actual production to determine potential waste. You can also analyze sales versus production over time to avoid under production that translates to lost sales.”

“Review annual maintenance contracts to determine the ongoing costs to maintain your system. Campuses may be able to install a cost-effective system for the same amount of money it would cost to maintain a pricier system for one year and then begin realizing cost savings the following year.”

“Be sure to pass costs to vendors. For example, campuses should be recovering fees charged by software providers to connect to bookstore or dining POS systems.”

New technology

“Reduce or eliminate paper waste by enabling cardholders to purchase tickets for events using their debit or e-purse account tied to their card. Cardholders would then swipe their card at the event to gain entry. This eliminates printing and distribution of paper tickets. It also increases security for events by letting organizers know who is going in and out and at what time.”

“Implement card-based electronic access control over key-based mechanical with a payback of less than two years. On a campus with mechanical keys when the semester ends students leave and the campus needs to lock them out. Some students will still have their keys so the university has to physically visit every exterior door and switch out the lock core. A schedule-based lockout via an online electronic access control system enables locks to be changed from one location.

Additionally, a mechanical lock system will have a master key or a set of master and sub-masters. Loss of one of those keys represents a huge liability and a cost to re-core all affected locks. Lost cards can be turned off immediately via an online electronic access control system.”

“An Internet protocol (IP) public address system can supplement an emergency notification system and can be more effective and less costly than text messaging. The quickest path to the brain is through the ear and there is no per message or per student cost with a public address system.”

“Use virtual card readers where feasible. The purchase of a card reader is not necessary in some areas of campus. If a location that needs a card reader already has a desktop computer in place the school can use a virtual reader in place of a physical one for a fraction of the cost.

A virtual reader has the same functionality as a physical card reader except that it runs on a computer and uses a keyboard with a card swipe. Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania currently uses five virtual readers in places like the catering center, mailroom and copy center. By opting for virtual as opposed to physical readers, Bryn Mawr saved almost $7,000 in purchasing costs.”

Payment processing

“Evaluate your current merchant services statement to ensure that your effective credit card rate (total fees for the month divided by total sales volume) does not exceed 2.1%.”

“Request interchange plus pricing from your merchant service provider. Not all transactions are priced the same. For example, check card transactions cost about 10% less than credit card transactions. Deals structured this way give you the best rate on every transaction.”

“For in office payments, swipe cards to get card present (vs. card not present) rates that are about 10% lower.”

“Re-evaluate the payment processor, making sure the school is not being charged “hidden” or “junk” fees. Some processors include fees that the merchant (or in this case, colleges) don’t know about, such as bill-backs or various card type fees. Sometimes processors will not disclose fees if a merchant does not batch out by a certain time. These add up.”

Marketing

“Collaborate with other card programs to negotiate bulk prices on print materials such as brochures, pre-printed card stock and “accepted here” stickers. Larger orders are easier for printers to manage and reduce the set-up/fixed costs for everyone. Also, cross-market and cost share with other on-campus departments/groups, especially dining services, first-year student orientation and campus tours.”

“Carding a new incoming class is hard work and expensive. Carding events can cost $5,000 or more when you account for card stock, print ribbons, and labor. Turn this high student traffic into a valuable sponsorship event. For example, let a local community merchant or third-party partner sponsor carding events for incoming students.”

IT and system architecture

“Explore professionally hosted, managed IT and software as a service (SaaS) transaction processing models. Also consider outsourcing the campus card program to a managed solution provider.”

“Use a comprehensive system from a single source to cut down on gateway/integration charges commonly incurred when trying to integrate multiple third-party systems as a primary solution.”

“Implement an online self-service account center to reduce phone calls and walk-in traffic. Done right, this can also automate value transfer to the campus card discretionary account.”

“Use open source community-based software such as Linux (operating system), MySQL (database), JasperReports (reporting).”

“Partner and collaborate with neighboring schools to share and centralize IT infrastructure costs.”

Potential revenue generators

“Off-campus merchant payment processing: This revenue sharing program could generate revenue for the campus and provide collaboration with the local merchants. And it doesn’t cost the school anything to implement.

When campuses want to take the card program off-campus they have startup costs–buying readers, phone lines, marketing to merchants, negotiating merchant agreements. Ongoing they have the costs of cutting checks to merchants for the purchases made in their store (minus whatever transaction fee they extract), reporting to merchants and terminal support.

When a program like this is outsourced to a provider that works in a revenue sharing model, the startup and ongoing costs can be eliminated. Instead, the outsourced provider handles all of the infrastructure, marketing, support, and payment to the merchant. The transaction fee paid by the merchant is shared by the university and outsourced provider.”

“Gain revenue through off-campus card use. For example, with Heartland’s Give Something Back Network, schools receive a portion of the purchase price from every off-campus transaction when cardholders use their OneCards.”

“Off-campus student discount programs offer special discounts from national and local merchants, such as Target.com, American Airlines, Amtrak, among others. Students pay a fee to participate in the program and access the discounts negotiated by the discount program provider. Discount program providers will often pay the university a commission for each student membership that the university is active in signing up. Card offices can offer student discount memberships and generate revenue through commissions with no initial costs.”

“Adding card-based payments to vending, copying, laundry environments can increase sales volume and revenues. A modest 15% increase in volume would return your hardware investment costs in less than three years. Many institutions experience much higher lifts. State University of New York at Fredonia saw a 97% increase in vending sales as a result of implementing online card-based vending while Plymouth State University in New Hampshire saw a 93% increase.”

Gemalto launched a bio-sourced degradable smart cards. The card body is made from renewable material, is recyclable and compostable, and can be incinerated without emissions of toxic fumes.

Gemalto also offers packaging made from recycled paper and vegetable inks that significantly reduce the product’s environmental impact. Gemalto’s bio-sourced smart cards will be ready for mass production in the first quarter of 2010.

This innovation breakthrough answers a long-standing demand from banks and operators around the world. To meet this market need, Gemalto offers a bio-sourced smart banking card and a bio-sourced SIM card, each compliant to the industry standards in their respective sector. At Cartes & IDentification this year, Gemalto will be presenting both products on its stand.

The bio-sourced smart cards complement Gemalto’s portfolio of eco-friendly cards, made from paper-based materials for short-term use, for example scratch cards, as well as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styren and Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol based products, a chlorine-free alternative to PVC cards. The company opted for non-chlorine polymers in the late 1990’s and today, adopting material stemming from agro-products is a major step forward in promoting sustainable solutions for card vendors and end users alike.

That’s the word from Stanford’s Information Technology Services in response to phony emails that have been sent to students that seek their user name and password. The emails are similar to scammers seeking bank account numbers. For example, one email sent to Stanford students included the subject line “Webmail users maintenance notice,” and requested recipients to send their user email ID and password to the fictitious “email Management Team.”

Some fake messages use fear. One email that circulated on campus last summer carried the subject line “Warning Notice!!!” and asked recipients to send their SUNet ID and password to a phony “upgrade team” to avoid having their email accounts “terminated immediately.”

Read more here.  

The CBORD Group is helping colleges and universities protect their one-card access control investments by integrating its campus ID card systems with Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies’ new Schlage AD-Series security platform. The modular design of the new AD-Series lets higher education users customize door openings by credential reader, networking, finish and levers without replacing the lock or even taking it off the door.

Additionally, the system is built on an open architecture platform, allowing for seamless integration with CBORD solutions for campus ID systems. By combining these products, CBORD is providing campus administrators with adaptable and scalable security solutions they can tailor to their campuses while being able to improve their one-card solution in the future as needs and industry technologies evolve.

“Components that have been traditionally located around the door are now integrated into the lock itself to yield a smarter solution and more value for the investment,” said Cindy McCall, CBORD’s vice president of marketing. “Few campus administrators can predict their electronic access needs years in the future. This new AD-Series platform allows customers to plan for today and be ready for the future.”

“From classrooms to sports complexes, labs, residence halls, common areas and beyond, the AD-Series was designed with the understanding that no two campuses or their security applications are the same,” said Beverly Vigue, Ingersoll Rand’s vice president for education markets.

ITC Systems represents itself as the source for “transaction control solutions for tomorrow.” The company designs, manufactures and implements card-based solutions to campuses for their micropayment transaction needs. Additionally the company maintains a healthy channel partner relationship with key resellers to the higher education market.

ITC Systems started in 1989 through the acquisition of a card systems group owned by Hudson’s Bay Vending in Toronto. From the beginning the company’s focus was on the campus market. “I saw an opportunity with regard to card systems in general and specifically for those applications that accepted coins for the small purchases,” says Cam Richardson, ITC’s president and CEO. As the company gained traction in the Canadian higher education and library markets, it began to design and manufacture its own products, both terminals and software.

In 1994 ITC opened a U.S. subsidiary in Atlanta, targeting the same market that it had gained a reputation for in Canada. “The market was somewhat fragmented and we were ready to expand,” says Richardson. “We continued to develop our products including one of the first photo ID programs in DOS for a Fargo Electronics printer. Fargo is now part of HID Global, and continues to be an ITC Systems partner.”

In 2001 ITC Systems acquired Access Control Technologies, the St. Louis-based stored value card reader manufacturing company that had been ITC’s primary supplier for this type of technology. The acquisition brought ITC one step closer to vertical integration, explains Richardson, as it now had the ability to produce in house almost everything it supplied its clients.

ITC Systems became a major supplier of smart card terminals to international transaction companies such as Smart City and Mondex. One of its clients was the campus card provider Cybermark (a Smart City reseller). In 2002 ITC worked with the owners to provide a transition for the university clients during the wind down of Cybermark. After the Cybermark assets were distributed, ITC reached out to the former Cybermark customers and took a greater role in the campus card market.

“Cybermark brought us the ability to reach out and touch other schools that we hadn’t previously had an opportunity to meet, thereby expanding our ability to serve this market in the U.S.,” says Richardson.

Today ITC provides products and services for many higher education campuses worldwide. “Our largest installed base is in Canada where we started out,” says Richardson. “For instance, in Toronto all of the colleges, universities and public libraries employ our solution in one form or another.” He estimates that ITC has manufactured more than 60,000 terminals, sold more than 25 million cards and enabled more than one billion transactions.

The company’s first one card university client was Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. It had 10,000 students in 1989 when ITC implemented a single card for copy, print, laundry, vending and food service. The campus continues to work with ITC Systems 20-years later.

“Our largest campus account is the University of Toronto with an enrollment of 65,000 students, each with a chip-based ID card,” says Richardson. ITC has worked with Toronto since 1989 when it started with a copier solution for the library. Today the card is used across the campus for applications including food service, vending, copy, print, laundry and back end reconciliation and settlement software.

ITC’s first product was a stored value magnetic card solution. In the mid-1990s the company moved to chip-based stored value, and now the offering includes online TCP/IP based products. All of the traditional applications found in a micropayment environment are supported by the online products.

Card types accepted by the readers include standard ABA encoded mag stripes, barcoded media, HID prox, HID iClass, and MiFare contactless cards. Richardson sees the industry moving towards contactless technology. “It makes sense in our fast paced world. It’s great for security and convenient for the user.”

“Our product research and development cycle is primarily based on input received from our customers and their desires,” says Richardson. “The key to success in this environment lies in listening to your marketplace and understanding technology.”

Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, with a student enrollment of 22,000, initially implemented ITC’s online solution with a mag stripe card for administrative copy and print tracking as well as student pay for print/copy functions. “After a year of running the copy/print program they came to us inquiring about adding food service to the mix,” says Richardson. “We then implemented cash register stations at their food outlets linked via TCP/IP, online to their account-based back end.”

Adds Gary Dalton, Kennesaw’s associate director for auxiliary services: “We wanted to receive payment on a per impression basis and we needed a management system that involved swiping the card and paying for copies used. Since the solution put in by our copier contractor included ITC Systems’ Multiplan back end database product, we were able to add retail food management and our bookstore to the system.”

“Each card has an account, even guest cards,” adds Dalton. “You can put money on those accounts or have charge privileges. Every KSU ID card issued is managed by Multiplan.”

At the new dining hall, ITC integrated biometric hand scanners to the system with turnstile access. “We needed a way to insure, that for the unlimited plan only the individual card holder is the one eating,” says Dalton. “We found that parents wanted to know that their child was being fed so the card matching with the hand scan ensured this occurred and that the card was not being given to or used by another.”

Value can be added to debit accounts at any of the seven K-Cash Loaders located at strategic locations on campus. KSU is expanding the applications to include the vending machines and parking.

“We use a lot of what ITC offers,” Dalton adds. “We continually interact with them and I know that if we need to have a report or a feature added, they’ll put it in. They build the products we need, for a reasonable price and if there are any problems or issues they’ll fix it. What more do you need from a vendor?”

That type of praise is what keeps the team at ITC Systems going after more than two decades in the campus card business. “One of our claims to fame is that we supply cost recovery solutions that won’t leave you recovering your costs,” concludes Richardson. “We listen to our customers and our mandate is theirs.”