Latest Smart card News

British police wants to expand business Neighbourhood Watch scheme
posted on 30/11/2006

The British police intends to expand a scheme that will see small and medium-sized businesses gather local intelligence on suspicious persons and activities for the benefit of all. The police are hoping to build on the success of Project Griffin, an innovative scheme that has involved private security personnel working at buildings in London’s financial hub reporting on anything they regard as suspicious. In particular, the authorities are keen to disrupt anyone perceived as undertaking “hostile reconnaissance” ahead of a potential attack. The move was disclosed by Detective Constable Ian Mansfield, Counter Terrorism Security Adviser to the City of London police, at a Reliance Security Services conference in London. Two pilot studies for “Project Griffin 2”, as the scheme is currently known, will begin early next year. If successful, DC Mansfield said it will be expanded to all UK Forces. “It will be a Neighbourhood Watch for all business,” he said. One business in a designated ar... [more]

New training courses in Germany on how to use biometric identification technologies
posted on 29/11/2006

Biometrics is becoming more and more part of our daily lives, with electronic passports, biometric visas, or payments via fingerprints. Many companies are now thinking of taking advantage of this new technology for internal security purposes. But which biometrics is appropriate for computer access, time recording or security control? It is a difficult choice to make as processes and offered products are constantly increasing in volume. Biometric & ID Consulting, Steinbeis Transfer Center for Identification Solutions and IDMC Biometrics Academy have agreed to work together and offer various training courses in Central Europe. The aim is to inform the companies and their employees correctly and extensively about different applications of biometrics. "It is the first time in Germany and other parts of Europe that one can find courses that are independent of suppliers and where expert knowledge is offered to everybody and we are pleased to have IDMC Biometrics Academy working with us o... [more]

First Security installs CCTV surveillance and IP monitoring system at new London office development
posted on 29/11/2006

First Security’s Specialist Services Division has completed the installation of a sophisticated CCTV surveillance and IP monitoring system at the new office development near Canon Street and Monument, 12 Arthur Street. In addition to the manned security provided by First Security 24/7, 365 days per year, the Specialist Services business designed and installed a CCTV solution comprising 16 CCTV cameras, a mixture of static and Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ), including a number with day/night capability thus ensuring that all angles of the building are covered at all times. The CCTV is run over IP, transmitting video to the main reception, where it is monitored by the duty First Security officers, and also to the office of the Building Manager, Dave Fanshawe. The decision to choose First Specialist Services was straightforward, as Dave explains: “First Security has always supplied manned guarding for the building and I have always been pleased with the service received. Given that the buildi... [more]

Sony Australia doubles memory capacity of FeliCa contactless IC smart card chip
posted on 29/11/2006

Sony Australia has announced that it has developed a new generation of its FeliCa branded contactless IC smart card chip, more than doubling its memory capacity. Developed jointly with Fujitsu Ltd, the memory of the new chip has increased from four to nine kilobytes. This augmented capacity makes the new chip a perfect fit for handling multiple applications on the same smart card. With improved processing speeds of 424kbps accompanying its increased memory capacity, the new Sony FeliCa smart card makes multi-application management, such as membership ID, Identification, e-ticketing, e-wallets and access control a truly viable option for a wide range of organisations. “Businesses and institutions across Australia are recognising the flexibility and convenience that smart cards can provide,” said Sony Australia Smart Card Product Manager, Adam Faulkner. “By improving the capacity of our IC chips so dramatically, and being able to keep our prices down, it makes our offering very attract... [more]

Crestra equips its fleet of service vehicles with satellite tracking and navigation system from Masternaut
posted on 27/11/2006

The Masternaut system enables the exact location of every vehicle to be monitored in real time through the web and also provides an historical record of both vehicle and driver activities. Visitors to the company's offices in Derbyshire can even view the movement of vehicles on a large screen in the reception area. Crestra was created in 2000 as the trading arm of Groundwork Creswell a charity which works with the local community to deliver practical projects to improve the environment, create jobs and boost the economic well being of the area. Crestra is primarily involved in the delivery of environmental home improvements such as the installation of cavity wall and loft insulation in domestic properties. Masternaut uses GPS to locate each vehicle with GPRS communication to transmit positions for viewing on Microsoft MapPoint online street mapping. This real time positional information can be accessed via any web enabled PC and activity reports can be sent to the fleet manager by e... [more]

Other Security news and resources