Smart Card Manufacturers in Canada

August 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
eToken PRO smart card

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Smart cards look exactly like credit cards, but hidden beneath the surface is something completely different. These cards contain embedded microprocessors beneath gold contact pads that appear to serve the same purpose as the usual magnetic stripes on the backs of credit cards.

This microprocessor is an extra level of security that other credit cards simply don’t have. The card can literally communicate to the host computer like a compact disk would with a CD player. This allows the data to be easily accessed, updated, or deleted with the proper technology.

Smart cards are quite popular in Europe and have become widely-used in Canada. The country has even implemented this technology into loyalty card and gift certificate programs. Around the world, more than one hundred countries have swapped out coin-operated pay phones for phones that use smart cards.

Canada has become a major manufacturing center for smart card technology. Some of the leading manufacturers are ABnote North America, Allcard Limited, Giesecke & Devrient, Imprimerie Graphica, and Quatro Card Technology. To look up any of these smart card manufacturers in Canada, Canada 411 is your best source.

With smart cards being used to pay for items in vending machines, to authenticate users on personal computers, and increase banking security, the future for this technology is incredibly bright.

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Protecting Your Smart Card and Your Identity

July 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment
CP8 smart card (recto) - first commercially av...

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Many European countries are making the switch to something known as the eEurope Smart Card. This is a card that contains a small microchip on it that stores personal data such as birth certificates, visas, passports, bank information and employment history. While this might be ideal and convenient for some people, it is an identity thieves dream.

With all this personal information in one place, hackers and identity thieves only need to gain access to the card and they have all your information in one place. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to make sure you protect your eEurope Smart Card and your identity.

Only Give Your Smart Card to Trusted Sources

Lots of people may ask for your smart card for a variety of reasons but make sure that you only give your smart card to trusted sources. This will prevent you from having your identity stolen from someone who is trying to collect the information on the smart card. If  you are unsure if someone should be asking for your eEurope Smart Card you can contact the proper authorities who can help you.

Keep the Smart Card in a Protected Barrier

It might be tempting to keep your smart card in your wallet but identity thieves and hackers can get your information from there. With the use of a small computer scanner they can scan the card through the wallet or your purse and gain your information. To prevent this only carry your card when you need it, and try to keep it in a protective compartment even if its in your wallet or purse.

Following these tips can help you protect your identity and keep your eEurope Smart Card information safe.

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How to Make Your Smart Cards Secure

July 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Scans of different types of contact pads on Sm...

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Smart cards are quite secure, although there are always some dangers as crackers develop ways to extract data. While they are secure, there are some things to watch for and do to make your smart cards safer. As it contains very sensitive data, you would do well to follow through and learn more about this topic.

You should be aware that smart cards contain a microprocessor that stores and processes information. As opposed to data in the magnetic stripe of a credit card, smart cards require a special reader. From the financial industry to cutting edge cell phones such as the Galaxy S, you’ve likely come across a smart card or two, whether you know it or not.

In order to protect yourself, you should make sure that you make purchases that are secured, as your information could be at risk either locally or where it is being sent, of course. Thus, for instance, when you buy apps or a program, ensure that it is from the platform’s marketplace (as opposed to an unsecured website).

You must also be extremely careful with your smart card. Don’t take it out of your device or allow someone to use it in any way. If the smart card is lost or stolen, take action immediately with the company that issued it.

Having knowledge of smart cards and what to do in certain scenarios can ensure your safety. Thankfully smart cards are rather secure devices, and will continue to evolve and protect sensitive data.

 

Filed Under: General, Smart Card, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Smart Credit Cards

May 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Credit cards 

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Smart card credit cards are continuing to become more and more popular. Smart card credit cards contain an electronic microchip which stores information. Smart credit cards are designed to help people to make checking out faster. Since smart credit cards can hold extra data there should be less need for store merchants to ask to see drivers licenses and other forms of identification.

Some retail stores are even starting to install new types of credit card machines where smart card users can simply wave their credit card in front of the machine to pay for a purchase. There is no swiping or signing. Some consumers love this new technology while others are still a little uncomfortable with the change.

Smart cards can also eliminate the need for multiple cards. In the past, a consumer may have needed to carry a plastic store membership card to gain points and the store credit card to pay. Due to smart card technology, consumers at certain stores can ditch the membership card and all purchases and points will be recorded on the same card that they are using to pay for their items.

Some smart cards will also give users the choice of paying for a purchase with money from their bank account or a line of credit without having to change cards. This creates a debit/credit card combo. While this reduces wallet clutter, some consumers are scared about security. If card fraud was to occur, the account thief would now have access to both the consumer’s line of credit and the consumer’s bank account.

 

Filed Under: Smart Card, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Europe Smart Cards

January 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Smartcard used for paying for public transport...

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The use of the smart cards in Europe has acted as a revolution in the market. Everybody in the market seems to talk about this new revolution of the market. This small smart card has been talked about because of its great use, as this small card can be fitted to anyone’s wallet and can store the information about themselves and their personal identifications as well.

There are various people in the society who were taking this use of the smart card as the hindrance in their privacy and which can allow persons to check and access the information of people. While the other community of people is there who are taking the use of the smart cards as the way to keep their all-important information handy.
The smart card was generally used to store the information about their bank accounts, financial details and their personal records such as their location and health records and these all details are being gathered in a single place and can be accessed very easily.

The use of the smart cards can act as a storage device which is easily accessed and can store a great amount of information. These information if not being stored in it can be kept into papers which will not be easy to maintain and access by a person and the papers may be required to be kept safe to be put as different places.

These smart cards are so much secured that each one of them have an individual number into it and its advanced technology that scratches the number in such a manner that no other person can intercept it. These smart cards are also in great use all because of the feature through which they are easily portable. These are also so small to store the information into itself.

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Smart Cards

January 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment
eToken PRO smart card

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The need for portability is very important in today’s world. As modernization increases, people tend to lessen their work and stress by depending on one thing or another. Smart cards are the new entry to it. It is a small sized card similar to a credit card. The main purpose of using smart card is to store information. Large amounts of information and other details can be fed into it and can be carried anywhere we want. In simple words, smart cards are the next generation of information carrying device.

A smart card is an integrated circuit card. The IC chips are placed in a plastic coating. It is different from a credit card because it uses microprocessor storage unlike credit card’s magnetic tapes. While credit cards only holds the account details of a person, the smart cards can be used to store large amount of data. It is also more secure than a credit card.

In terms of security a smart card is far more superior because the data in it cannot be obtained easily by a third party person unlike credit cards. Because of its security feature, smart cards are used widely today. Most of the multinational companies issue smart cards to its employees to store their personal information and identification details. These details can be read using a smart card reader. It can also be used as a storage medium for the transfer of large amount of encrypted information.

Smart cards have application in every field of work today. Most of the schools use smart cards as an ID for its students. Various details such as attendance and marks will be stored in it. Employees from various private and government firms use smart card as a signing in device. It also holds other details such as payment, number of days attended and their personal information.

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Overview of an Smart Card in Europe

December 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

In Europe, paying for something with a credit card might mean tapping the card on a reader. Transferring health records might not require bulky files, but a small card. Smart card technology is much more popular in Europe than in the United States. Europeans use smart card technology for identification purposes, banking applications, health care uses and for mobile phones, just to name a few areas.

A smart card looks much like a typical credit card but is completely different on the inside. It has a chip that’s an embedded microprocessor. The processor is found under a gold contact pad on one side of the card. This microprocessor is used instead of the magnetic strip to transfer information from the card. But, the chips contain much more information than a typical credit card.

In Europe, smart cards are so common that every German citizen carries one for a universal health care card. Smart cards have been in use in Europe for over a decade. The reason for the popularity in Europe is that the typical magnetic strip technology in the United States is something that can easily be hacked and used for unlawful reasons. In the United States, computer technology developed to protect the readers, but this technology never developed in Europe as widely. Europeans embraced the smart card technology.

Some of the specific uses of smart cards in Europe include: government identification, satellite television, banking, loyalty cards (like frequent shopper’s cards), wireless systems and of course credit cards.

Europeans embraced smart card technology where it’s wide spread to this day. The technology has been around more than a decade and is starting to spread to the United States. Europeans have used smart cards in credit cards and other cards for years. The cards allow information to be transferred securely and quickly.

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Different Types of Smart Cards

December 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Smart cards allow information to be shared quickly, easily and securely. The portable storage method is a card made from plastic and usually the size of a credit card with an embedded microprocessor inside. There are two main types of smart cards out there, both are different in the way the information is shared. These two types are contact cards and contactless cards.

These two types are also called chip cards because the microprocessor is covered in many panels of gold foil and looks like a small chip on the card. These cards are sometimes included on the plastic card the size of a credit card, but these smart cards can also be much smaller like the SIM cards found in cell phones, particularly in Europe.

Contactless cards use a radio frequency between the reader and the card to share information. This means the cards only have to be in proximity of the reader to complete transactions. An example of this type of card is an entry card carried by users to get into a building that is simply swiped in front of a reader for a user to gain access to the building.

Contact cards are the most common type of smart cards. They too have the foil covered chip. They work because electrical contacts connect when the card is inserted into a reader like when an ATM card is put in an ATM machine. Contact cards are found in many applications, like in credit cards, although most credit cards in the United States do not use this type of technology. United States credit cards usually use magnetic stripe technology.

Smart cards are an easy way to share information and allow users to carry a great deal of secure date in a pocket or wallet. There are more than one type of smart card.

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European Smart Cards in Mobile Technology

December 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

In Europe, most users don’t have a contract with their phone company. They use mobile GSM smart card technology to pay for phone service as they need to add funds. In Europe, smart cards in mobile GSM technology has been in place since the 1990s.

The smart card in a mobile phone is called a subscriber information module card or SIM card. At least one American company uses this technology, but it is much more rare and not used for the pay and go capabilities like Europe.

The chip inserted into a phone contains the subscriber’s phone number. This means if the card is switched to another phone, the new phone has the old phone number. Allowing users to easily switch between phones and keep the same phone number.

Also included on a SIM card is the account information for the subscriber. This account information tells the phone what network the phone is using, or who the service provider for the card and the phone are. This allows a user to use a different phone with a different provider. This is quite different from phones in the United States. Often a phone can only be used with the original carrier and can’t be used on another network.

Europeans often switch providers. They pay for phone usage as they go by adding minutes to a card or by buying a new card to sign up for new service.

Some European companies lock their SIM phones so that they cannot be used with other companies. This makes switching companies more expensive and is an incentive for Europeans to stick with their current company. This is especially more common in the United Kingdom, where contract plans are also more common than in the rest of Europe.

Smart card technology allows European flexibility in using mobile services and paying for those services.

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