Secure Identity and Cloud Security Leaders Headlin

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., Oct. 3, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Smart Card Alliance Government Conference , known as the leading event for ID security, is returning to Washington, D.C. with comprehensive coverage of efforts toward implementing strong authentication technology in government identity programs.  The 12 ^th Annual Conference will feature industry leaders speaking on PIV ¹  credentials, developments in the NSTIC ²  initiative, trusted ID on mobile devices, developments in state and local ID programs, advancements in health IT security, and global trends in secure identification.

The 12 ^th Annual Smart Card Alliance Government Conference will be held October 15-16, 2013 with pre-conference workshops on October 14, at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.  Details on this year's agenda and registration can be found at www.GovSmartID.com .

New this year is the User-Centric ID Live Conference & Expo co-located at Washington Convention Center.  The User-Centric ID Live Event  is a comprehensive forum to address business challenges and commercial opportunities surrounding the new digital identity ecosystems. Government Conference badges include access to this event, with sessions featuring executives from AOL, Google, IBM, LexisNexis, Microsoft, Symantec and more.

The combined event will kick off on October 15 with special keynote presentations and executive roundtable discussions on emerging technologies addressing digital identities and experiences from implementations of government and commercial identity applications.  Keynote speakers include:

• Michael Butler, Department of Defense on "Convergence of ID Security and Mobile"
• George Fletcher, AOL on "Federated Identity from the Trenches: What AOL Learned about Identity as a Service while Providing High Value Consumer Services as a Relying Party"
• Jeremy Grant, NIST on "The State of the NSTIC"
• Doug Glair, USPS and Scott Lowry, SecureKey on  "U.S. Postal Service Pilot for the Federal Cloud Credentialing Exchange (FCCX)"

Attendees will be able to choose among multiple identification, security technology, and policy track panels to create their own customized conference experience.  Conference speakers, panels, and roundtable discussions will cover the latest identity management and security trends affecting government and commercial security programs, including mobile credentials, healthcare, cybersecurity, and international e-government programs.   Attendees can also visit the exhibit hall to see technology demonstrations from more than 50 exhibitors.

"The conference program topics are especially timely, with the new pilot projects awarded by the NSTIC, and recent government efforts in securing identities in the healthcare sector with the Medicare Common Access Card Act of 2013," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance.  "I encourage attendees to plan out their time at the conference to make the most of the numerous sessions being offered, including the concurrent User-Centric ID Live."

 "The identity community has changed radically in the 24 months since the announcement of the NSTIC," said User-Centric ID Live Conference Chair Chris Corum, publisher of Re:ID Magazine and SecureIDNews. "The inaugural User-Centric ID Live will bring together for the first time the traditional identity world - what I call the hard token world - and the digital identity world to share experiences and collaborate on ways to best protect and authenticate identities in-person and online."

Special Events

In addition to the main program, the Smart Card Alliance is holding a number of pre-conference and other special events in conjunction with the conference:

• Kantara Initiative Identity Summit (Oct 14): The Kantara Initiative is dedicated to providing platforms and resources for the growth and enrichment of the identity landscape.
• CSCIP & CSCIP/G Training & Certification Exam  (Oct 14 & 16): A full-day training and exam preparation course for the  Certified Smart Card Industry Professional  (CSCIP) and government-oriented CSCIP/G certifications. The CSCIP and CSCIP/G exams will be administered at the conference on October 16. Information on CSCIP requirements, training modules, exam registration and fees can be found on the Smart Card Alliance  LEAP  website.
• Smart Card Alliance Educational Institute Workshop: Federated Identity, Strong Authentication, NSTIC and the Identity Ecosystem (Oct 14): This full day in-depth workshop presented by leading industry executives from the Smart Card Alliance will provide attendees to an in-depth review of the technologies necessary to support NSTIC, including the federated identity infrastructure, authentication approaches supporting different levels of assurance, and use cases for different authentication tokens.

The conference is open to all individuals and organizations who wish to learn about the role of smart cards in government.  Smart Card Alliance member organizations and government employees receive complimentary or discounted pricing for single day or full conference registrations.  Early registration discounts are available through October 15.  Conference badges include access to the concurrent User-Centric ID Live Conference and Expo.  Visit www.GovSmartID.com for more details.

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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¹  Personal Identity Verification (PIV)

²  National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC)

Megan Shamas Montner & Associates Tech PR Agency 203-226-9290 www.montner.com