The smart card can provide companies with a highly secure office environment by functioning like a key to control individual access to the work place. Since 2000 JCB has been implementing projects with companies like TIS in Japan and First International Computers Inc. in Taiwan. In addition, JCB Co., Ltd. itself will be using the office building access / employee ID smart card for its new office building as of May 2003.




The TIS Card is an affinity JCB card issued in conjunction with the Japanese corporation Toyo Information Systems. This card has been issued since December 2000 for use by TIS employees and visitors.

 
 
The TIS card was the first hybrid smart card with both contact and contactless features issued by JCB. The card has two separate chips embedded in a single card, one for contact use and the other for contactless use. The TIS Card also has two magnetic stripes, one for credit and the other for cash advance and debit use. The combination of multiple chips and magnetic stripes allows the TIS card to provide as many as seven diverse functions in one card.




In September 2002 JCB started an EMV smart card issuing program in Taiwan with Taipei Bank. The bank, one of 30 JCB card issuers in Taiwan, is issuing the smart cards to approximately 3,000 employees of First International Computers Inc. (FIC).
The FIC Employee Smart Cards are hybrid cards with both contact and contactless chips in a single card. The smart cards provide five functions: the credit payment, the office building access control, the office car park access control, the company cafeteria payment and the employee identification.
 
 
The contact chip with J/Smart provides superior protection against fraud. The contactless chip Mifare contains an access control function that will ensure both high security and speedy access to the office building and the office car park. It also brings the speedy payment system at the company cafeteria. The smart cards have a photograph of the cardholder and are used as employee identification cards.




JCB will be relocating to a new office building in May 2003, and will be issuing dual interface smart cards to its employees. The cards will be equipped with J/Smart credit function, building access control, and will serve as employee identification. This will be the first dual interface smart card to be released in the Japanese market.

The dual interface smart card has only one chip, far more cost-effective than the hybrid smart card with two separate chips. This card will support a high security office environment as well as providing employees with convenient payment methods for the cafeteria and vending machines using the contactless interface. The contact interface will be used in managing employee benefits and services.