A dramatic shift in the national ID landscape is changing the face of government identity programmes. Providing effective defences against large-scale forgery attempts while adopting a multi-faceted approach to projects have compelled the global adoption of electronic ID (eID) programmes.
Heightened security concerns, high traffic border crossings, and a growing requirement for streamlined government services delivery have led to a call for powerful multi-purpose ID credentials that maintain the highest levels of security while addressing objectives such as entry to secure facilities, faster border crossing, and access to health and social services.
By 2015, 85% of all credentials issued annually will be eIDs, and countries issuing eIDs will exceed those still using traditional IDs by four-to-one, according to Acuity Market Intelligence.
Multi-functionality and durability: an incompatible pairing?
With the multi-functional credential becoming the norm, fraud prevention, end-to-end programme implementation and integration expertise are at the forefront of government ID requirements. This is vital in order to eliminate issues with technology interoperability, post-issuance card or system updates and credential longevity – all of which can lead to cost overruns.
Considerable design, technical and manufacturing expertise must be employed to ensure the end result conforms to international standards in terms of size, security, functionality and durability.
Building to last
A key factor in delivering these objectives is ID durability. Modern ID documents are required to stand up to many types of stress. Polycarbonate has won the trust of governments as the material of choice for durability and tamper resistance. The industry, however, has now found that the addition of on-board technologies such as RFID or contact and contactless chips may create unexpected stresses in polycarbonate structures. This has generated innovative new technologies such as crack prevention technology (patented by my company HID Global) to protect the structural integrity of the credential.
Post issuance updates
Much debate regarding the ROI of advanced, and therefore more costly eID programmes, revolves around initial project cost versus ROI, which is calculated not only according to the functionality but also the lifecycle of the card. The ability to apply post-issuance updates to the card is vital to programme design and budget allocation. Why pay for a card that will be exchanged every twelve months?
In such scenarios, smart cards deployed as part of an end-to-end card management system enable updates after the card has been issued. These systems also provide the ability to upgrade the on-card information with new applications and services as they become available. Such systems give governments the capability of securely evolving their programme even after the card is in the citizen’s hands.
Innovative technologies such as optical security media (OSM) accommodate flexible, secure post-issuance updates. A proven, flagship deployment of OSM can be found in the U.S. Green Card programme. The information contained on the ID card’s stripe cannot be fraudulently altered, but can be updated by authorised sources without requiring the replacement of the card.
The realities of the ten-year document
The move from traditional IDs to digitally-enhanced ID cards, the integration of one or more smart card technologies into credentials, and industry innovation addressing physical durability issues are combining to future-proof the credential of tomorrow.
In our view, the next five years will see a new focus on improving the functionality of multi-technology cards, ever-tighter integration of card design, delivery systems, and post-issuance capabilities, and innovation in card manufacturing and construction. These and other factors will turn the concept of the ten-year, smart card-enabled eID credential into tomorrow’s reality.
Craig Sandness is vice president, Government ID Solutions at HID Global.
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