How can the security market bring salvation?

Abstract

Autumn is the time of year when the smart card industry takes stock. This year the theme is likely to be that the boom days are well and truly over. Tim Gower of Datamonitor tells me that annual growth for the next few years is likely to show an unspectacular 5%. The roll-out of EMV cards across Europe is now well under way and sales in the wireless telecoms sector is becalmed. However, there is one ray of light: Gower sees growth coming from the use of smart cards as a security enabler. Smart cards can be used for logical access to networks and applications, for physical access to buildings and rooms, to store private keys and digital certificates, and to store authentication information such as user data and biometrics. “Wherever you see a need for security,” says Gower, “smart-card-based solutions have been brought to market.”