PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., Feb. 20, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NFC technology has the potential to open up a world of innovative applications - for payments, ticketing, content sharing, physical access, device pairing, identity, healthcare, and much more. Every NFC implementation comes with its own unique security considerations, and many choices are available. To provide mobile application developers and the mobile community with the education they need to choose the best level of security for their NFC applications, the Smart Card Alliance Mobile and NFC Council is hosting a four-part webinar series, "Mobile and NFC Security Fundamentals." The series is held in partnership with GlobalPlatform and the NFC Forum.
"NFC applications aren't a one-size-fits-all security proposition; one may require a significantly different level of security than another," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "Attendees of this webinar series will come away with comprehensive understanding of the security options available with mobile devices, secure elements and NFC tags that will allow them to take advantage of all of the opportunities for innovation NFC technology has to offer, while implementing appropriate levels of security."
The webinar series will kick off on March 5th at 2:00 P.M. EST (11:00 A.M. PST) with "Anatomy of a Mobile Device: Security Architecture and Secure Provisioning." In this webinar, held in partnership with GlobalPlatform, expert speakers will describe the mobile device architecture, its security interfaces, use of secure elements and Trusted Execution Environment, and secure provisioning. Speakers include:
-- Randy Vanderhoof, Smart Card Alliance
-- Kevin Gillick, GlobalPlatform
-- Philip Hoyer, HID Global
-- Gil Bernabeu, GlobalPlatform
To register for this webinar, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/215137336
"The deployment of secure mobile NFC services requires a clear understanding of the security frameworks and specifications available to ensure applications achieve the highest level of protection, without compromising functionality and interoperability within the marketplace," said Kevin Gillick, executive director, GlobalPlatform. "As the ecosystem evolves, we are delighted to be part of the Smart Card Alliance webinar series to share our cross-industry knowledge on this landscape, and the GlobalPlatform Specifications that will assist stakeholders in effectively advancing their NFC deployments."
"We at the NFC Forum look forward to teaming up with our liaison partner, the Smart Card Alliance, on this important webinar series," said Debbie Arnold, NFC Forum Director. "We welcome the opportunity to share the built-in security features of NFC Forum specifications, and the efforts of our Security Working Group to ensure that tools are available for NFC applications to operate with the appropriate level of security."
The remaining three webinars will include a detailed look at security considerations using secure elements and NFC tags, and conclude with presentations on the security implementations for different use cases. The webinars are:
-- "Secure Elements 101"
March 28, 2013
1:00 P.M. EST (10:00 A.M. PST)
To register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/771731673
-- "NFC Forum Tags and Security Considerations"
April 18, 2013
1:00 P.M. EST (10:00 A.M. PST)
To register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/343614305
-- "NFC Application Use Cases: Security Perspectives"
May 9, 2013
1:00 P.M. EST (10:00 A.M. PST)
To register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/764423568
To continue its educational initiatives on NFC and applications, the Smart Card Alliance will host a full day workshop at ISC West 2013, "Mobile Devices and Identity and Access Control Applications." The interactive workshop will provide attendees with a detailed understanding of new uses for mobile devices in storing and presenting secure digital identity credentials for digitally signing email and accessing secure networks as well as using NFC-enabled mobile devices for physical access. To register, visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org/secureid.
The NFC Solutions Summit 2013 is coming this May 15--16 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, Calif. Presented by the Smart Card Alliance in partnership with the NFC Forum, the Summit is the leading annual conference for the entire NFC ecosystem. This year's conference will cover the state of this promising technology, developments in new NFC devices and add-ons, the status of the growing NFC ecosystem, the promise of NFC-enabled payments and other popular applications, NFC implementation, and American and international market forecasts. For more information, visit http://www.nfcsolutionssummit.com.
For more information about NFC technology and applications, visit the Smart Card Alliance NFC Resources website.
About the Smart Card Alliance Mobile and NFC Council
The Smart Card Alliance Mobile and NFC Council was formed to raise awareness and accelerate the adoption of payments, loyalty, marketing, promotion/coupons/offers, peer-to-peer, identity, and access control applications using NFC. The Council focuses on activities that will help to accelerate the practical application of the technology, providing a bridge between technology development/specification and the applications that can deliver business benefits to industry stakeholders.
The Council takes a broad industry view and brings together industry stakeholders in the different vertical markets that can benefit from mobile and NFC applications. The Council collaborates on: educating the market on the technology and the value of mobile and NFC applications; developing best practices for implementation; and working on identifying and overcoming issues inhibiting the industry.
About the Smart Card Alliance
The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.
Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. For more information please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.
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