Shopping on the Internet has quickly become a major part of the U.S. economy. People have grown to rely on the Internet for everything from CDs to airline tickets. Although online shopping is safe in reality, many people still wonder about the security of their credit and debit card information.

Be Discriminating When Providing Personal Information
Never give out your personal or account information to anyone you do not trust. And make sure to verify a business’s legitimacy by visiting its Web site or calling a phone number obtained from a trusted source.

Keep Your Passwords Secret
Some online stores may require you to register with them via a user name and password before buying. Online passwords, including your Verified by Visa password, should be kept secret from outside parties the same way you protect your ATM PIN (Personal Identification Number).

Look For Signs of Security
Identify security clues such as a lock image at the bottom of your browser or a URL that begins with https://. These signs indicate that only you and the merchant can view your payment information.

Never Send Payment Information via Email
Information that travels over the Internet (such as email) is not fully protected from being read by outside parties. Most reputable merchant sites use encryption technologies that will protect your private data from being accessed by others as you conduct an Online transaction.

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“Want to provide a secure and attractive solution for your citizens, staff, members or drivers to prove their identity?”

Drivers license, National ID, Voter Registration, Gun license, Proof-of-Age card, and Employee ID are all examples of real world ID card applications, and they all have one thing in common: They must be completely protected against forgery.

An ID card that can be forged is worse than no ID card at all, because anyone with the basic skills, or the cash, can rapidly obtain a counterfeit version. The number of web sites offering fake US drivers’ licenses is a testament to that problem.

The Magicard printer family contains everything you need to create colorful, practical, ID cards and ID badges for every application, plus it offers complete protection against counterfeiting through the use of either a hologram laminate, or by the use of Ultra’s unique, low cost, HoloKote; technology.

ID Card Design
For any photo ID application, getting the initial card design right is essential, and one of the most important factors is ensuring that the portrait is large enough to be identified clearly in the circumstances in which the card is to be used.

For “hand held” identification applications like a drivers license, portraits of around one inch square are likely to be adequate, but if viewing at a distance, or in poor light is required, as with airport photo ID badges for example, then portraits should be as large as practicable : 2 inches square will work reliably at viewing distances of up to fifteen feet, for example.

Another design issue is whether to use a “portrait” or “landscape” format, with “portrait” orientation offering advantages for photo ID badge applications, and “landscape” being preferred for cards, which are carried in a purse or pocket.

The design of content is very dependent on the individual application, and any kind of background design, corporate logo, and textual information can of course be accommodated.

For clear crisp text and Barcodes, the use of the black resin, or K panel, is advisable, although many card designs use a mixture of large “color” text with smaller “black resin” data.

If there is more data than can conveniently fit on one side of a CR-80 card, or which is not normally required for public display, then this can be printed on the reverse of the card using the Magicard Avalon Duo or Tango duplex printers. The most economic dual sided card would use full color and black resin on the front, with black resin only on the reverse. Our LC8 six panel dye ribbon has an YMCKOK arrangement for exactly this application, printing 300 dual-sided cards per roll.

It is also possible to put full color and black resin on both sides of the card, using the Avalon Duo or Tango printer and two sets of LC1 YMCKO dye ribbon panels. This approach is more costly however, giving 175 double sided cards per roll of dye ribbon.

Card Security & Protection
With the card layout and usage determined, the subject of physical protection and the prevention of counterfeiting becomes the next priority.

Questions such as:

■How will the card be carried/used?
■Will the card suffer wear through being physically “swiped” through a reader?
■What card lifetime do we require?
■What level of security protection do we need?
For long life cards (at least 5 years) which will be carried everyday in a purse or pocket, and which must also offer the highest level of tamper-proofing and counterfeit protection (e.g. drivers licenses) the only solution is to use the Tango +L Integrated Printer & Laminator to apply a thick polyester laminate.

Cards produced in this way are very well protected against physical wear and tampering, and the optional optical security device will be very effective in preventing attempts to produce realistic copies.

If the card is mainly going to be worn as a photo id badge, or if a shorter lifetime is acceptable then Ultra’s patented HoloKote technology will provide adequate physical protection, together with complete protection against forgery, at zero cost in consumables.

The capital cost is also zero if the built-in “Ultra Secure” logo included in the Rio and the Tango printers can provide adequate security protection, although the use of a unique,”custom” logo is recommended.

The use of a Custom Key security logo actually increases the security protection to better thanthat provided by a custom laminate, yet it still maintains the zero consumable cost and entails only the very low start-up cost and turn around time of Ultra’s unique Custom Key solution.

HoloKote with Custom Key is more secure than an laminate solution because of the ease of safeguarding the authentication device. Even a few panels of hologram laminate left on a roll for disposal could be retrieved from the garbage and used to produce fully authenticated fake cards. With HoloKote however, the authentication device is a single encrypted electronic key which cannot be duplicated and which is easily accounted for and safeguarded by locking it in the office safe when not in use.

HoloKote; puts a daylight visible frosted security logo over the entire face of the card, which makes it ideal for cards which are carried or worn as badges.

To make the security logo more obvious at distances of up to 15 feet, the HoloKote; system can be used with Ultra’s HoloPatch; card stock which highlights one of the security logos with a gold, superdiffuser patch.

Whatever your ID card needs, Ultra’s Magicard range has the solution.

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Company Overview

Our new Lanyard & Attachments factory
in Xiamen, China
Brady People ID (formerly Comprehensive ID Products, Inc. – CIPI) is a manufacturer and worldwide distributor of ID products serving the identification, security, promotional advertising, and awards & engraving industries. We own and operate manufacturing facilities in China and the United States, and distribute our ID products through a global network of authorized resellers.

Brady People ID is a division of Brady Corporation, a company whose mission is… “We identify and protect premises, products and people.”

Founded in 1914 in Eau Claire, Wis., as W.H. Brady Co, the company went public in 1984 and currently trades on the NYSE under the symbol BRC. It was renamed Brady Corporation in 1998 and currently employees over 9000 people around the world in more than 100 locations. Corporate Headquarters is in Milwaukee, WI.

For more information on Brady Corporation visit www.bradycorp.com.

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Chicago, United States – August 4th, 2009TechTrex Inc. receives certification from Chase-Paymentech for its PrimeTrex IP POS terminal.

TechTrex Inc. (TTI), a leading provider of turnkey custom solutions for the Card Issuance and Payment Industries, today announced that its PrimeTrex IP POS terminal has received Class B certification from Chase-Paymentech. This certification allows Chase-Paymentech to offer the fast, secure and reliable PrimeTrex IP to its merchant base for both dial and IP transactions (optional GPRS wireless). The affordable PrimeTrex IP supports a 32-bit ARM9 processor for amazing dial and IP processing capacity. Its 64 MB of memory provides ample space for multiple merchants and multiple applications.“A strong combination” says Dave Ninesling, Sr. VP of Sales, TechTrex, Inc. “The addition of this robust application to our USA flagship PrimeTrex IP offers Chase-Paymentech customers flexibility and reliability at the terminal level. As well, it provides access to unparalleled business building products and support capability behind the scenes.”About TechTrex Inc.TechTrex Inc. (TTI) is a leading provider of turnkey custom solutions for the Card Issuance and Payment Industries. The company’s strength lies in its ability to provide a comprehensive blend of superior technology and customized software solutions. These range from the most basic dial terminal to custom applications to branding to complex networking solutions.TechTrex leverages its international manufacturing and software development capabilities to provide unique, innovative and cost-effective products around the globe. TTI has operations in Canada, the United States, Japan, China, Korea and authorized dealers worldwide.

Website: www.techtrex.com

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Transguard’s Security Solutions is the physical and electronic security systems integration division of the Transguard Group. We boast an international team of specialist engineers and consultants and have built a reputation for excellence in the design and installation of bespoke integrated security solutions. Our clients span government agencies, multinational and large national organisations.

We pride ourselves on our holistic approach to systems design and we place great emphasis on our status as independent integrators. Our focus is on providing total security solutions that enhance our customers’ operations while helping to secure the business effectively.

In addition, we are a leader in the design, supply and installation of CCTV systems. As a result of our independence, we have unrivalled experience with all major systems and equipment, including analogue, digital/analogue hybrids and IP systems.

We are recognised specialists in the design, supply and installation of enterprise access control systems. Using the latest in smart card technology, our installed systems are capable of integrating a variety of functions, including time and attendance, biometrics and logical access.

Transguard’s Security Solutions have expertise in:

CCTV

From single camera to multiple site, multiple camera systems, Transguard’s Security Solutions offers the very latest in digital and network IP camera system technology for a wide range of applications, from schools to extreme industrial environments.

Access Control and Security Management Solutions

From simple four door solutions up to multi site national or international enterprise class access control systems Transguard’s Security Solutions can provide specific solution for each client incorporating the latest biometric and visitor management technologies.

Barriers and Turnstiles

Transguard’s Security Solutions can design and install security barrier systems that control vehicle or pedestrian movement as a stand-alone system or integrated with other systems such as CCTV and Access Control.

Control Room Infrastructures

Turnkey solutions are provided to design, fit out and integrate all services for command and control centres, including video display walls, audio, acoustics and ergonomic technical furniture.

Perimeter Protection

Transguard’s Security Solutions design and install physical security fencing incorporating a full range of perimeter and open ground electronic protection equipment.

Converged IT Solutions

Transguard’s Security Solutions provide the design, installation and maintenance of integrated security systems into a single networked solution.

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Datacard Group Announces Instant Issuance Pilot Implementation With Mountain America Credit Union

Innovative flat card program designed to better serve existing customers and attract new members

Minnetonka, MN – November 4, 2009 – Datacard Group, the world leader in secure ID and card personalization solutions, is pleased to announce an instant issuance pilot program implementation with Mountain America Credit Union (MACU).

MACU is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, thanks in large part to their commitment to delivering quality products and services to their nearly 320,000 members. Instantly issued credit cards are a service that MACU has offered for some time, but they approached Datacard Group when they wanted to increase the quality and overall value of the program.

“MACU has seen higher activation and card utilization with our branch issuance program, and customers like the convenience of getting a card right away”, said Tony Rasmussen, SVP of MACU. “The Datacard® solution will help MACU build on this successful program and deliver more attractive, higher quality cards to our customers”.

Working with Problem Solved, Datacard developed, implemented and supported instant card issuance software that is integrated with MACU’s existing Symitar host system, and is also interfaced with Pemco, a payment solutions company, for card activation.

For card production, MACU utilizes the Datacard® RP90i™ financial card printer, which offers security features that meet established specifications for the instant issuance of Visa® cards. The RP90i card printer delivers brilliant, full-color retransfer printing with over-the-edge coverage, enabling the production of unique designs to help build member loyalty.

“Image quality on the card was an important consideration for MACU in selecting a partner for this program,” said Russell St. John, vice president of global marketing for Datacard Group. “They compared competitive products side by side and were impressed by the color reproduction and clarity of the cards printed using the RP90i printer”.

About Datacard Group
Datacard Group is building on a 40-year heritage of innovation and customer success. Our portfolio of solutions, backed by expert service and support, enable card and secure ID programs for financial, government and other markets worldwide. With an unmatched commitment to customer satisfaction, Datacard remains the industry’s leading brand of secure ID and card personalization solutions. www.datacard.com

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Patient-Safety Center Tests RFID-enabled Hand Sanitizers
The system, designed to decrease the number of patient infections, warns health-care providers if they fail to properly wash up before treating a patient.

Aug. 17, 2009—The University of Miami-Jackson Health System (UM-JMH) Center for Patient Safety is piloting an RFID-based system intended to track the hand-washing compliance of hospital employees, thereby combating an age-old problem of infection transmission that occurs in medical facilities. The system tracks who washed their hands, and when. If a doctor or nurse visits a patient’s bed without first washing his or her hands, an audible alarm offers a reminder. The Center for Patient Safety hopes to increase the rate of staff hand-washing, thus decreasing the number of patient infections.

The system, which includes Versus Technology’s hybrid infrared-RFID tags, as well as interrogators installed by RTLS health-care systems integrator Dynamic Computer Corp. (DCC), is the latest effort, this time a technological one, to address the problem of hospital-acquired infections, often occurring in intensive care or emergency units.

“We have found that the largest factor in reducing these infections is tight control of hand hygiene,” says David J. Birnbach, a medical doctor and the director of the UM-JMH Center for Patient Safety. All health-care providers are advised to wash their hands immediately before and after visiting every patient. However, Birnbach says, this procedure is missed between 10 and 60 percent of the time in the United States.

“Study after study suggests that physicians and nurses are not complying,” Birnbach says. Reasons for that failure include rushing or simply forgetting. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has tried to address the problem for years, he notes, non-technology solutions have been insufficient. Encouraging patients to remind doctors to wash their hands, for instance, creates an adversarial relationship between the doctor and patient, and encouraging nurses to report physicians who don’t wash their hands creates similar problems. Many hospitals employ a monitor to walk the floors and watch the hand-washing activity of doctors, but these employees don’t enter patient rooms, and thus can’t know what is happening at all times.

According to Birnbach, showing videos and Web-based instruction to health-care workers regarding the risks of infection from failure to wash hands may be effective, but there is no way to measure that effectiveness. For these reasons, he began turning to technology to solve the problem.

“They contacted us looking for an automated solution for hand washing,” says Farida Ali, DCC’s president and CEO. The company investigated the Versus system, and determined that its technology would offer an accurate solution. With the Versus system, personnel are issued ID badges containing a tag that can transmit infrared and RFID signals encoded with a unique ID number. A Versus sensor, installed above a hospital bed or a hand sanitizer, contains an IR interrogator that reads the badge ID number. The sensor also contains an active RFID tag to transmit the data from the sensor to a reader.

The pilot, which launched on July 29, is taking place at the UM-JMH facility, where health-care workers receive safety training. To test the DCC-Versus solution, several health-care providers are wearing a battery-powered tag, either on a wrist or hung around the neck. The tag has two chips—one for RFID, the other for infrared transmissions—and both can transmit the tag’s unique ID number, which is linked to the staff member’s name in the back-end system. In this case, however, the badges transmit only IR signals, to make sure a sensor reads only the tag within its vision. By having the badge tags transmit IR signals instead of RF, explains Henry Tenarvitz, Versus’ chief IP officer, a Versus sensor is less likely to pick up stray reads from other tags in the vicinity—such as those worn by personnel standing near the dispenser but not using it.

When a staff member presses the hand-sanitizing dispenser containing soap or a waterless disinfectant such as Purell, a Versus sensor installed in the dispenser activates, scans for an IR signal and then captures the tag’s unique ID number. The sensor’s built-in RFID tag then transmits the badge’s ID number—along with the date, time and sensor tag’s ID number and location—to a reader wired to a PC. There, Versus software interprets that data, links it to an employee and confirms that the individual washed his or her hands.

The system software measures the passage of time between the moment when a care provider finishes the hand-sanitizing process and that person’s arrival at a patient’s bed—typically, less than 20 seconds later. For the pilot, Tenarvitz says, DCC installed a Versus sensor above one patient bed, which captures the ID number on the employee’s badge, then transmits that information to the reader via 433 MHz RFID. Versus software determines whether the badge owner washed his or her hands, as well as how long ago that occurred, and saves all of that data on the server. If too much time has elapsed (more than 20 seconds, for example), or if the badge owner has not washed his or her hands at all, a computer-generated voice warns the physician or nurse, by name, to go back to the sink or Purell dispenser for proper hand hygiene.

The pilot will continue for several more weeks before DCC and Jackson Memorial Hospital consider installing it in a 30-bed unit to be tested in a real health-care setting. “This is the cleanest, easiest solution available,” Ali says, noting that it does not require any additional procedures by the health-care providers who use it, and that it is easy to install onto soap and Purell dispensers.

“So far, it’s working fantastically,” Birnbach reports, though he is still conferring with DCC and Versus on details, such as whether an audible warning would be the best alert system, or if it should use flashing lights. He says he has requested that the sensors read the IR tags at a range of 12 inches from the bed, in order to catch the problem before a physician touches a patient or the bed, by sending an alert as soon as the physician or nurse comes within close range of the bed.
“If the system works” Birnbach says, “it will be a very appropriate paradigm for changing the culture in the U.S. to washing hands appropriately” before meeting with a patient, and afterward.

In 2007, Resurgent Health and Medical introduced a system that utilizes RFID to identify each person using its hand sanitizer, and to measure how long the sanitizer was used (see RFID Debuts as Hand-Washing Compliance Officer).

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Earth-friendly plastic. The future is now.

ABnote is proud to introduce three new plastic cards into their GreenLineTM suite of environmentally friendly products.

Plastic cards which are manufactured from corn, an abundant and annually renewable resource,
Non magnetic stripe cards which are made from 100% recycled plastic, and
Biodegradable and compostable cards made from plants such as alfalfa, beets, corn, potato skins, switch grass and wheat.
ABnote – leading the way in the greening of the plastic card industry.

Corn plastic is manufactured from corn, an abundant and annually renewable resource. Corn plastic can be disposed of in a more earth-friendly method, such as incineration, commercial composting, or mechanical recycling, without Carbon Dioxide emissions.

CornCard™ is virtually identical in look and feel to traditional credit cards, and provide all the same convenience and functionality. ABnote uses the same high quality printing and personalisation on all their plastics, corn or traditional.

CornCard™ is perfect for gift card programs, specialty and promotional cards and any short life cards.

The AB RecycledCard™ is another alternative to standard plastic cards. It is virtually identical to traditional plastic cards in look and feel, offers the same reliability and functionality, and costs the same. If it’s speckled and white, it’s the AB RecycledCard™ made exclusively from Earthworks™ recycled plastics. It’s manufactured with the same high quality printing and personalisation processes used for our traditional plastic cards. Non magnetic stripe products are made from 100% recycled plastic. Magnetic Stripe products are made from 88% recycled plastic.

The AB RecycledCard™ is ideal for Membership, Loyalty, Hotel Key Cards, Casino Players’ Cards, Promotional Cards, Specialty Cards & Signs, Direct Mail Programs, and Gift Cards.

The AB Biodegradable Card™ is a cutting edge biodegradable and compostable material, with a similar look and feel to traditional plastic. The new material is industrial compostable according to international standards. The material composts in a period of 180 days or less and breaks down into water, biomass and CO2 in a professionally managed industrial composting facility. While not yet available in all areas, industrial composting facilities are expected to become more prevalent in the future.

In addition to being biodegradable, the AB Biodegradable Card™ is made from plants such as alfalfa, beets, corn, potato skins, switch grass and wheat. The material is also produced using 100% renewable energy.

The AB Biodegradable Card has multiple features that provide customers with a unique and exciting way to help the environment.

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About Us
Creation of Value for the Future – NiSCA’s Continuing Challenge – Giving our customers what they want – quality assurance

Continuing with R&D to reliably meet market demands. NiSCA constantly strives for the clear goal of meeting the market demands in its ventures into new technologies. No matter how satisfying a project may be to our engineers, it is the market that ultimately passes judgment on its value. It is precisely for this reason that we are ready to boldly challenge the perceived limits of current engineering when it may yield what our customers need. This stance of ours will not change. NiSCA is also working to further raise the level of professionalism of each of its engineers, with the goal of “one achievement per person.”

NiSCA Corporation was established in 1960 and today has over 830 employees in four locations. Our motto of “Creation of Value for the Future” is evident in its investments for future success:

•A reinforced quality assurance program through ISO9001 certification. In January 1995, NiSCA received ISO 9001 certification, an international standard for quality assurance. Our QA program has received recognition on an international level. In addition to our customers in Japan, we are striving to offer products which will satisfy our overseas customers as well, through reliable quality extending from all stages from design through after-sale service.
•An environmental conscience view through ISO 14001 certification. In this irreplaceable world in which we live is now undergoing environmental turmoil, even as science and technology continue to surge forward. As a corporation contributing to society with the motto of “creation of value for the future” NiSCA has received, in September 1999, international ISO 14001 certification for our environmental management system. Specifically, we have begun making efforts to use power and water more efficiently, appropriately reducing such waste as building materials and scrap paper, and other similar activities. While each of these is in itself is insignificant, we are confident that they will all add up to have a substantial effect. All of us at NiSCA are committed to working together as a whole, in the same spirit of accepting challenges that has served us well in R&D, to grappling with this problem.
Since the NiSCA Plastic Card printer’s introduction into the marketplace in 1994, NiSCA printers have been producing high quality full color plastic cards for Corporations, Education, and Government organizations. With thousands of hard working printers and hundreds of loyal Dealers, VAR’s, and System Integrators around the world, NiSCA continues to be the leader in the Identification Card Printing market place.

NiSCA Corporation offers a broad product line from plastic card printers to document scanning systems to paper handing systems for the photocopier industry. The company’s ability to manufacture many of its required components is critical to our success in controlling quality and reliability in our product offering. NiSCA technological leadership is obvious market wide:

1.delivered the first dual sided printer, 1994
2.delivered the first easily changeable ribbon cassette, 1994
3.delivered the first self-aligning print head, 1996
4.delivered the first modular lamination unit, 1996
5.delivered the smallest dual printing and laminating system, 2000
NiSCA plastic card printers are sold through the Team NiSCA sales organization, located in Somerset NJ USA. The facility in Somerset provides sales, stocking and warranty services for NiSCA products sold globally.

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Actions announced today by Prime Minister John Key to target methamphetamine are welcome, Police Association President Greg O’Connor said today.

“The Prime Minister’s package of announcements shows a welcome recognition, at the highest level of Government, of the extent of the ‘P’ problem,” Mr O’Connor said.

“The ultimate success of some the initiatives, like restricting access to pseudoephedrine-based medicines, will be measured in terms of ‘P’ availability and street price. Information from our frontline investigators is that large scale, organised crime-linked ‘P’ labs already tend to use imported ContacNT, rather than locally-sourced cold and flu pills, so moves to increase Customs’ focus in this area are critical.

“As the Prime Minister himself said, we won’t solve the problem overnight – but there is a clear determination on Mr Key’s part to take firm action which has at some times in the past been lacking.

“The Police Association first started warning about the threat of a looming methamphetamine epidemic as far back as 1997. Unfortunately, those warnings were largely ignored by the Police and political leadership of the day and written off as scare mongering. It needs to be understood that as a result, we are now dealing not just with a drugs problem, but also a serious organised crime problem.”

Mr O’Connor also welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement that confiscated criminal assets would be put back into policing and treating methamphetamine addiction.

“New Zealanders will see the poetic justice in criminals being stripped of their ill-gotten gains, and seeing that money poured back into the fight against gangs and drugs,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Obviously, there are issues of detail that will need to be worked through. For example, overseas experience shows it can take several years before asset restraining actions actually result in money being confiscated, because of legal processes and challenges. The amount of money confiscated each year can also vary wildly. Combating organised crime requires long-term commitment of resources to in-depth investigations, so vital policing tasks mustn’t grow to be dependent on delayed and unpredictable cash flow from proceeds of crime recoveries,” Mr O’Connor warned.

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