About the Alliance : Overview

30 Year Logo

Digital security industry’s premier association

Secure Technology Alliance is celebrating its 30th anniversary and the meaningful contributions it’s made to the secure identity and payment industries over the years. With a rich history as one of the longest tenured associations in the technology industry, the Alliance was a pioneer in the early efforts to educate the technology community on the merits of smart card technology! While facilitating the adoption of smart cards across multiple industry segments, combating fraud, and educating and facilitating the digitization of secure identity transactions, the Alliance has had a significant impact on the everyday lives of consumers across the globe.

The Alliance thanks all the member organizations and individuals that have made this organization the success it is today – it wouldn’t have happened without your diligent efforts and support! And we’re just getting started – opportunities to continue the tradition of educating and advocating for secure transactions are enormous. Our future direction includes thought leaders in various technologies and multiple vertical markets, working in combination with the Identity and Access Forum and U.S. Payments Forum. This expanded reach enables the Alliance to continue to educate and advocate for new technologies that make everyday life more convenient and secure.

30 Year Timeline

Secure Technology Alliance 30 Year Timeline

Secure Technology Alliance Overview

The Secure Technology Alliance is the digital security industry’s premier association. The Alliance exists as a neutral forum that brings together leading providers and adopters of end-to-end security solutions designed to protect privacy and digital assets in a variety of vertical markets. The Alliance has been instrumental in driving the need for security to be built into every device, product and service throughout their lifecycle within payments, identity and access markets.

Membership and participation in Alliance activities enables organizations of all sizes, and their respective individual members, in all industries to not only be at the forefront of digital security, but help shape it by sharing expertise and influencing best practices.

Our Mission: Driving Adoption of Secure Solutions

The Alliance’s mission is to stimulate understanding, adoption and widespread application of connected digital solutions based on secure chip and other technologies and systems needed to protect data, enable secure authentication and facilitate commerce. Now, with new areas such as IoT, the Alliance uses its proven processes to provide the technology providers and adopters with the insights they need to build security in at the point of development and implementation.

Our Purpose: Securing an Increasingly Connected Digital World

From its inception as the Smart Card Alliance, the Secure Technology Alliance has long been the committed voice in facilitating the adoption of secure solutions in the U.S. The Alliance has its purpose in the ecosystem of secure technology by focusing on securing an increasingly connected digital world; driving adoption of new secure solutions; making an impact through its industry and technology councils; and providing insight and networking at industry events.

Our Membership: Influencing Secure Solutions in Payments, Identity and Access

The Alliance is driven by its U.S.-focused member companies. Membership is particularly appropriate for those companies and organizations interested and involved in promoting solutions that build security into every device, product and service throughout their lifecycles. Membership is made up of digital security technology adopter and provider organizations of all sizes focused on the payments, mobile, healthcare, identity and access, transportation and other emerging markets (such as IoT) in the U.S.

Our Membership Benefits: Developing Insights for Building Business Strategies

The Alliance provides many exclusive benefits and activities to its members. Two overarching benefits are the insights required to build the business strategies needed to implement secure solutions and commercialize products and services; and networking opportunities to establish valuable business contacts and learn from peers and industry thought leaders. Members also enjoy participating in the influential industry and technology councils; speaking, networking and providing and receiving business strategy insights at Alliance events; access to and ability to influence highly-cited educational resources; media outreach opportunities; participation in government outreach; and professional development for individuals and workforces.

Our Industry and Technology Councils: Making an Impact with Thought Leadership

The Alliance Councils are critical in providing market intelligence, thought leadership and influence on standards and best practices. The ability to participate is exclusive to members who can collaborate to solve macro-level industry issues, create best practices and engage with thought leaders. The councils collaborate on key issues affecting access control, health and human services, identity, IoT, mobile, payments and transportation and provide an array of deliverables, including reports, workshops, webinars, infographics, statement documents and more. 

Our Events: Providing Industry Insight and Networking at Industry Events

Alliance industry events provide high-quality content and speakers, zeroing in on key industry issues, assessing strategies to determine the best practices and technologies for building security into every device throughout its lifecycle. Members and non-members leverage Alliance industry events to network with partners and sector innovators and meet with their customers.

Our Resources: Educating the Industry through Trusted Resources

Members, industry executives and media have come to recognize the Secure Technology Alliance as the provider of objective and informed educational materials. Alliance materials are often cited in industry, analyst and media reports as accurate, objective analysis on what is happening in the digital security industry.  Members can contribute their perspectives through council participation, creating resources such as white papers, briefs, FAQs, infographics, position papers and webinars.

Our Outreach: Influencing the Industry through Communications and Outreach

The Alliance has a robust outreach and communications program to push industry perspectives, news and resources out to members, industry, media and policymakers through websites, newsletters, social media, email campaigns and media strategy. The Alliance also conducts outreach to engage with government agencies such as the Federal Reserve, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the General Services Administration (GSA), and provides comments and responses on standards, policy statements and congressional testimony.

Our Education and Training: Leading Professional Development with Training and Certifications

The Secure Technology Alliance is recognized industry-wide for its objective training and certification programs on secure solutions and their implementation within digital security industries. Online and in-person training programs – workshops, educational courses, certification preparation, briefings and symposiums – are offered to members and non-members. The standardized smart card industry certification program (CSCIP), the only one of its kind, recognizes professionals who undergo training to gain advanced levels of technical knowledge and understanding of usage models for the smart card industry. The Alliance is also the only organization to offer a certification program called CSEIP, for advanced training for integration engineers on how to set up and test enterprise physical access control systems (E-PACS) put forth by the U.S. federal government.