Fargo Electronics joins GlobalPlatform
4 December, 2006 – Fargo Electronics has joined the membership of international standards body, GlobalPlatform, in a move which demonstrates the company’s commitment to the development and marketing of interoperable standards across the entire smart card infrastructure.
Fargo Electronics, a leading player in the development of secure technologies for identity card issuance systems, joins GlobalPlatform as a Participating Member and will add its voice to the work of the GlobalPlatform Systems Committee.
The Systems Committee designs infrastructures for single and multi-application smart card programs and develops associated requirements, specifications and guidelines. A current work priority of the committee is to finalize the GlobalPlatform Systems Compliance Program, the first phase of which was launched in November 2006.
"Fargo is driven to provide security solutions based on open specifications for smart cards," comments John Ekers, Fargo's Director of Product Marketing for Software and Systems. "GlobalPlatform's cross-industry membership helps us collaborate with key industry players to develop these solutions.”
Fargo Electronics will also join other member organizations by serving in an advisory capacity on GlobalPlatform’s Advisory Council. The Council not only proposes work tasks and initiatives for the association, but also serves as a consultant body to the GlobalPlatform Executive Director and Board of Directors with regard to business and implementation issues.
Bob Beer, GlobalPlatform Chairman, adds: “Fargo Electronics is a very welcome addition to the GlobalPlatform membership. Participation of its representatives on the GlobalPlatform Systems Committee will not only add great value to the committee’s work efforts, but will also help to strengthen the visibility of GlobalPlatform Specifications as a relevant and future-proof technology option within the global ID market place.
“A number of high profile ID deployments across the world, such as the US Department of Defense’s Common Access Card and the national ID programs in countries such as Qatar, Oman and Morocco are already based on GlobalPlatform standards. Working alongside Fargo and other members, GlobalPlatform’s goal is to extend the reach and implementation of its specifications even further in the ID space, making GlobalPlatform technology the open platform of choice for ID deployments worldwide.”
-ENDS-
For further information please contact:
| GlobalPlatform | Fargo |
| Lee’ann Connell iseepr +44 113 274 5252 Lee'ann Connell |
Sharon Steinhoff-Smith Fargo Electronics +1 952 941 9470 Sharon Steinhoff-Smith |
About Fargo
Founded in 1974, Fargo Electronics is a global leader in the development of secure technologies for identity card issuance systems, including secure card printer/encoders, materials and software. The company has sold more than 120,000 systems in the U.S. and over 80 other countries worldwide.
Fargo card issuance systems reduce vulnerabilities and potential for loss of time, money and lives by continually improving the security of identity credentials. Fargo provides physical, information and transaction security for a wide variety of applications and industries, including government, corporate, national IDs, drivers' licenses, universities, schools and membership.
Fargo is part of HID Global, a leading supplier and manufacturer in the access control industry, serving customers worldwide with proximity and contactless smart card technologies; central station managed access controllers; secure and custom card solutions; photo ID and ID application control software; and electronic cylinders. HID Global is a member of ASSA ABLOY Global Technologies Division. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, Fargo markets its products through a global distribution network of professional security integrators.
About GlobalPlatform
GlobalPlatform is a member driven organization with world-wide cross-industry representation. GlobalPlatform is the leading, international association, focused on establishing and maintaining interoperable specifications for single and multi-application smart cards, acceptance devices and systems infrastructure that deliver benefits to issuers, service providers and technology suppliers.
These specifications are known as the standard for smart card infrastructure, thanks to their balance of technical superiority and business justification.
GlobalPlatform specifications are freely available and have been adopted in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas by many public and private bodies. Currently, there are over 40 GlobalPlatform-based smart card implementations world-wide and approximately 100 million GlobalPlatform smart cards and more than 1 billion GSM implementations worldwide.
GlobalPlatform is an independent, not-for-profit organization and its strategy is defined and prioritized by a Board of Directors. GlobalPlatform is currently chaired by Robert E. Beer, Vice President Business Development, Datacard Group, and vice-chaired by Marc Kekicheff, Vice President Product Technology, Visa International. Didier Begay, Prospective Manager, Corporate Directorate for Security at France Telecom is GlobalPlatform’s Treasurer and Kevin Gillick serves the membership on a full-time basis as its Executive Director.
