HID is the world’s leading provider of trusted identity solutions, including security and identity card issuance systems that enable the creation and management of secure identity (ID) and access cards. HID’s comprehensive suite of secure issuance solutions is designed to meet different needs across multiple sectors and includes direct-to-card printers, retransfer printers and financial instant issuance solutions.
HID’s mission is to power trusted identities of people, places and things. Its Secure Issuance business covers a wide range of products and solutions from national ID cards to cloud printing and financial documents.
Mr. Lee Wei Jin
We sat down with Mr. Lee Wei Jin, Regional Director of FARGO, Secure Issuance at HID, to gather his expert opinions and viewpoints on the latest secure issuance trends and developments facing organisations in Asia Pacific, as well as the rise of digital IDs and the impact on physical card issuance.
Can you tell us what are some of the latest trends in secure card issuance and issues facing organisations in Asia Pacific?
In 2024, organisations in the Asia Pacific region are navigating through a landscape of evolving technologies and shifting security paradigms, especially in the context of secure card issuance. Several key trends are shaping the future of this sector, driven by technological advancements, regulatory changes, and the need for enhanced security and convenience. Here are some of the prominent trends:
Integration of mobile and digital ID solutions
There is a growing shift towards integrating physical card issuance systems with digital ID solutions, which enables uses to carry their IDs on their smartphones. The trend is driven by the ubiquitous use of smartphones in the region and the demand for more convenient, contactless identification methods.
This trend is also validated by our latest 2024 State of Security Industry Report, where as many as 80 per cent of respondents indicated they would be deploying mobile IDs within the next five years.
Emphasis on environmental sustainability
Organisations are increasingly considering the environmental impact of their card issuance practices, which has led to the rise in the use of eco-friendly materials for cards and packaging, as well as efforts to reduce waste through digitalisation.
In HID’s 2024 State of Security Industry Report, sustainability continues to rank high as a business priority, with both end users and partners rating its importance at a “4” on a 1-to-5 scale.
Additionally, 74 per cent of end users indicated the importance of sustainability has grown over the past year, and 80 per cent of partners reported the trend growing in importance among their customers.
As such, there will likely be a continued emphasis on solutions that minimise energy use, reduce waste, and optimise resource usage. A shift to cloud-based solutions and increased use of mobile devices are two clear strategies to reach these sustainability goals.
Compliance with regional regulations
Regulatory requirements in the Asia Pacific region are becoming more stringent with growing emphasis on data protection and privacy. Organisations are adapting their card issuance processes to comply with regulations such as Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
Customisation and personalisation at scale
There is a growing demand for highly personalised and customised card issuance, driven by the need for branding and enhanced user experience. Organisations are leveraging new technologies to offer personalised cards at scale, without compromising on security or efficiency.
What are some of HID’s latest solutions that are designed to help customers address these trends?
Our HID ELEMENT range of printing, coding and engraving solutions is designed to transform industrial ID and financial card personalisation and issuance by combining high-volume, superior-quality UV inkjet printing and laser engraving onto a single, robust yet easy-to-manage desktop system.
The HID ELEMENT product solutions delivers optimal card personalisation and accommodates projects that require high-resolution UV ink printing, laser engraving or both. It is purpose-built to meet the industrial speed and output requirements of large government ID card programmes, financial institutions, enterprise corporations, and service bureaus; addressing the demand for greater print speed, higher resolution, larger card output and better cost-per-card economy.
From government entities to financial card issuers and service bureaus, customers across Asia Pacific have unique card personalisation and issuance requirements that in many cases, cannot be met by standard direct-to-card and retransfer printers, yet where large production machines may be too cost- or space-prohibitive. By bridging the gap between desktop printers and central issuance machines, HID ELEMENT pioneers a new approach for delivering a host of highly configurable card personalisation options that address current and evolving customer challenges.
How do cloud-native IDs fit in these trends? How will organisations derive benefits from it?
Secure credentials look mixed today. Digital transformation is a force that has been at play for many years, touching every sector of the economy. COVID-19 accelerated those initiatives, especially in areas of business that were slower to adapt. Digital technologies and processes are changing how we connect and how we operate from day-to-day, including new forms of identity verification and authentication.
However, physical forms of identification are still very much a part of our world, from passports to employee badges, they continue to play a valued role in verification and authentication of identity.
While digital identities are on the rise and expected to hit a tipping point, physical credentials still underpin digital ones. What is changing dramatically is the issuance process and the ability of the cloud to bridge the gap between physical and digital IDs.
The cloud brings scalability and flexibility to the issuance of physical and digital identities. From private organisations to educational institutions and governments, cloud-based card issuance offers a powerful model to create a seamless experience for both the issuer and the recipient.
A cloud-based issuance model contains everything required for the secure issuance of a physical ID card accessed via any internet-connected device, whether that is a laptop, tablet or mobile phone. This provides a distributed issuance process in a centralised way, allowing administrators to create a new card, issue a replacement card and manage print queues from any location to any print location near or far.
How should organisation in Asia Pacific navigate the challenging security and identity landscape ahead?
From our perspective, the need to protect and identify people tends to negate any type of adverse economic conditions. Organisations generally cannot afford the risk of a security breach when protecting their people and assets.
Understandably, costs are a concern for numerous industries and providing significant value to organisations by streamlining processes and eliminating multiple layers of programme costs is the way forward.
How does the future of ID card issuance look like?
Organisations that laminate secure identities and cards in high volumes are constantly seeking ways to cut lamination consumables costs without compromising card security and durability.
Simultaneously, they are also seeking new sustainable product offerings that help them meet government standards for environmental responsibility. Wasteless lamination technology meets both of these demands and offers consumers a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to traditional lamination methods.
