Around the time of the CARTES 2012 conference in Paris, Smart Insights published an interesting article on the decline of independent Trusted Service Manager (TSM) platform vendors. With moves from industry players to acquire standalone TSMs, will there still be room for the independents?
Local Trusted Service Managers
In my experience, some of the most impressive Trusted Service Managers – the ones that offer the most value to their customers – are the ones operating on a local scale and offering a global reach. TSM is inextricably linked to payments, but it is also so much more. Take access control, loyalty and public transport for example. These kinds of operations, which need to be supported by a TSM for NFC, are largely confined to a company, a city or a country, rather than implemented globally.
Localized TSMs have an understanding of their market, the players within it and their individual needs. They are therefore able to offer tailored, local services, bringing greater value to their clients. Local TSMs also offer a network of contacts and business relationships, connecting with the community in a way that an international player could not. Local expertise, trust and relationships also have a large role to play where sensitive data and mission critical processes are at stake.
Global Localized TSMs
Of course, localized TSMs can also extend services and provide solutions on a global scale. This is thanks to the strong network of international standards already in place and are continuing to advance – such as EMVCo and GlobalPlatform. These frameworks ensure a level of consistency, security and worldwide interoperability.
As innovation gives us greater and quicker access to far-flung parts of the globe, it is important not to forget to look closer to home, to the people who are using the products and the companies that are delivering them. It is for this reason that TSM on a local scale is so important.
Become a TSM
Bell ID’s software solutions allow companies to provision and manage tokens on a mobile device – over-the-air. Being vendor and supplier neutral enables us to work with anyone on any project in the TSM ecosystem. This makes it easy to meet our customer requirements, rather than trying to get them to fit into a predefined offering.
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