Tyfone and IQT ink deal for mobile ID and smartcard security

Tyfone has announced a strategic investment and technology development agreement with In-Q-Tel to bring mobile security in cloud and NFC transactions for the U.S. Government.

Tyfone provides software, security and Near-Field Communication (NFC) solutions and In-Q-Tel (IQT) is an independent nonprofit that identifies innovative technology solutions to support the U.S. Government.

“A key benefit of our strategic partnership with IQT is the ability to take our innovative mobile security and NFC platform to the U.S. Government,” Dr. Siva Narenda, CEO and co-founder of Tyfone said. “Our platform includes high volume manufactured hardware that brings smartcard security and NFC to virtually any mobile phone, tablet or PC. In addition, our mobile platform’s software has processed over 7 million secure financial transaction and we look forward to extending it to IQT’s government customers.”

As smartcards become increasingly common as a means for identification carrying biometric information, many companies are working to become the best platform for mobile smartcard authentication. A major competitor in this space, the Tactivo smartcard reader for iOS devices from Precise Biometrics is designed as a “smart case,” and facilitates strong multi-factor authentication with smartcard and fingerprint recognition implemented separately or combined. Tyfone’s solution, called SideSafe is a micro SD memory card that can access any ISO7816 smartcard functions. According to the company, SideSafe comes in 2GB and 4GB models, with an 8GB model planned.

A recent BiometricUpdate Biometric Research Note looks at the implementation of government eID programs, including smartcards, and suggests systematic processes are needed to implement programs successfully.

Article Topics

biometric cards  |  identification  |  identity verification  |  secure identification  |  security  |  smartcard