HID Corporation Joins Fargo Technology Alliance

Fargo Electronics, Inc. (Nasdaq: FRGO) announced that HID Corporation of Irvine, CA, an ASSA ABLOY Group company, has joined the Fargo Technology Alliance (FTA), a global technology group that promotes effective, advanced smart card solutions. HID is the largest manufacturer of contactless access control readers and cards for the security industry.  Fargo creates innovative printing systems that personalize plastic identification cards, complete with digital images and text, lamination, and electronically encoded information. The announcement came at CeBIT, which runs March 12-19 at the Deutsche Messe AG Convention Center here.

“HID is the recognized leader in the growing contactless card market in the U.S. and worldwide,” says Neil O’Mara, Fargo’s Director of E-card Business Development.  “We’re excited to have HID as part of the Technology Alliance because their products work hand-in-hand with Fargo printer/encoders.  Because of HID’s leadership position, we have proactively worked to ensure that our printer/encoders are compatible with their technology.  Our products have already been integrated into complete solutions for several Fortune 500 companies.   And as both HID and Fargo develop innovative technologies in the future, we’ll be able to offer compatible, complementary technology card solutions.” 

One such innovation is HID’s iCLASS® 13.56 MHz contactless smart card technology, optimized to make physical access control more powerful.  With the ability to store biometric templates and useful data, iCLASS enables new applications to be implemented at any time without issuing new credentials.  iCLASS supports all existing HID card formats, including Corporate 1000, and is offered in both a 2kbits (256Bytes) or 16kbits (2kBytes) configuration. 

“Membership in the Fargo Technology Alliance facilitates a closer relationship with Fargo,” says Debra Spitler, HID’s Vice President of Marketing.  “Working together, we can provide complete, seamless solutions to organizations that use technology-enabled credentials to protect or manage facilities, information, or people.”

The Fargo Technology Alliance now unites 30 smart card solution providers with Fargo’s international and domestic network of distribution partners. Together with the Alliance members – smart, optical, and proximity card application software developers and manufacturers – Fargo’s distribution partners are able to provide a wide range of complete solutions for end users.

“The primary goal of the Fargo Technology Alliance is to increase the sale of smart card products, card personalization systems and services,” O’Mara noted. “The program is pulling together a wide range of expertise and products providing information on technology and markets, and creating a network of relationships to promote successful business-to-business partnering.  The Alliance has quickly become a valuable resource that sets our combined solutions apart from everyone else.”