SCM Microsystems, Inc. announced the three portable smart card readers SCR3500 SmartFold, SCT3511 and @MAXX lite. The new handheld, USB or Near Field Communication (NFC) connected readers are designed to be carried – on key rings, in pockets or purses – and used every day with contact or contactless smart cards, regardless of technology or manufacturer.
Smart cards are being used worldwide to secure identities in many applications, such as bank payment cards, employee access badges, government identity cards and healthcare IDs. SCM’s new readers enable cardholders to use their smart cards anytime, anywhere with PCs, the Internet or other terminals.
“Our new readers address […] the growth of contactless technology and the convergence of physical access and IT security systems,” said Felix Marx, chief executive officer of SCM Microsystems. “Organizations making large scale deployments need to provide their end users with ways to use smart cards for secure physical entry, as well as with PCs and over the Internet at home or at work. […]”
The SCR3500 SmartFold is a small, portable contact smart card reader that fits easily on a key ring and in every pocket. Online services can be accessed and payments can be made from anywhere, with full protection from password stealing spyware. The reader is unfolded and inserted into a free USB port. Then, the smart card in ID-1 (credit card) format is inserted into the reader to enable secure access to bank accounts, online payments, Web services or company information systems.
The SCT3511 is a USB token with both contact and ISO 14443 and MIFARE contactless capabilities. It acts as a contact reader for ID-000 (SIM card format) smart cards, and has an antenna for use with a dual interface contact/contactless smart card that supports an antenna connection. This device is suited and used for contactless payment and ticketing applications, converged physical and logical access control in the enterprise and more secure physical access to buildings.
The @MAXX lite is – like the SCT3511 – a token with both contact and contactless smart card-based functionalities. It adds on-board Flash memory for secure storage of sensitive data. With a smart card in PC-connected mode, @MAXX lite encrypts data on a hard disk and the onboard Flash memory, and protects access by requiring a PIN entry. Other uses include contactless payment, ticketing applications, secure logon to PCs and networks with a digital identity certificate, storing encrypted and PIN protected logins and passwords in the smart card or Flash, or filling Web forms using securely stored personal information.
SCM will make the new smart card readers available in August through both OEM and distribution channels. (Source: SCM Microsystems, Inc./GST)