We''re witnessing a quiet revolution occurring with SmartCards. Once it''s over, we''re certain to see their far-reaching uses -- especially where e-commerce is conducted. By the year 2000, experts predict that over 8 billion SmartCards will be in people''s wallets across the globe, serving a variety of purposes. With SmartCards, proliferating IDs and passwords will be relegated to history as access controls find their way to imbedded SmartCard chips.

What''s A SmartCard?

SmartCards change the mechanics of accessing electronic-based services from what a person knows to what a person physically possesses. SmartCards resemble plastic credit cards, but contain an imbedded processor, random-access memory (typically 8 Kbytes or more), and cryptographic processing capabilities. An example of the SmartCard in use today by the US Navy is shown below.

Another example of a SmartCard as a credit card appears below: