P3 is designed to integrate into an organisation’s existing card-issuance environment. (Image source: 123RF)
Barnes Smart Solutions, a specialist provider of payment-card technology, is continuing to enhance its P3 EMV Data Preparation solution to meet evolving security standards, cryptographic requirements and card-issuance models.
P3 is a secure EMV data-preparation platform developed, sold and supported by Barnes Smart Solutions. It is used by banks, card issuers, processors and personalisation bureaux to prepare the data required to issue EMV payment cards.
Where P3 fits into the card-production cycle
Within the card-production cycle, P3 sits between the issuer’s card data and the card-personalisation process.
The platform applies the appropriate EMV product profiles, performs the required cryptographic processing and creates the output data needed by the personalisation system. This makes P3 a critical part of the journey from an approved cardholder record to a secure, functional payment card.
By bringing this process under the issuer’s control, P3 can help organisations reduce their dependence on external data-preparation services, protect sensitive card data and respond more quickly when launching or updating card products.
Supporting secure RSA-based EMV processes
The P3 platform manages the preparation and processing of the RSA-related data required during card issuance utilising hardware security modules to generate data (keys) in a secure environment.
P3 also supports RSA key caching capabilities, helping issuers reduce repeated cryptographic processing and improve production performance without weakening the controls surrounding sensitive key material.
By integrating these processes into a controlled data-preparation environment, P3 helps organisations manage complex EMV cryptography more efficiently while maintaining the security and consistency required for large-scale card production.
Moving beyond legacy key handling
One of the areas in which P3 differentiates itself is its support for compliant cryptographic key-block formats, including TR-31 key blocks.
Traditional key-handling methods can separate a cryptographic key from important information describing how that key may be used. A key block addresses this weakness by cryptographically binding the key to its associated attributes, including its intended purpose, permitted usage and exportability.
This means that the key and the rules governing it travel together and are protected against unauthorised modification. It provides a more secure and auditable approach to transporting keys between approved systems and hardware security modules.
P3 incorporates compliant key-block handling directly into the data-preparation workflow. This helps customers move away from legacy key formats and prepare for increasingly stringent payment-security requirements.
Rather than treating key-block support as a future consideration or an external addition, Barnes Smart Solutions has made it part of the continued development of the P3 platform. This allows customers to adopt a modern, standards-aligned approach to cryptographic key management within their existing card-production environments.
“Secure card issuance depends on far more than simply loading data onto a chip,” said Gill Oosthuizen, CTO of Barnes Smart Solutions. “The data, cryptographic keys, EMV profiles and personalisation systems must all work together securely and consistently. With P3, we give customers greater control over this process while helping them adopt modern security standards such as compliant key blocks.”
Developing P3 for changing markets
The card-issuance market is changing. Banks and issuers are looking for greater control over their card programmes, faster product launches and more flexible deployment options. At the same time, instant and distributed issuance models are creating new requirements for secure data preparation outside traditional centralised card-production environments.
Barnes Smart Solutions is continuing to invest in P3 to address these changes. Development priorities include broader support for modern cryptographic formats, improved automation, enhanced system integration, greater hardware security module interoperability and more flexible support for centralised and instant-issuance environments.
The company is also adapting P3 for new geographical markets and different operating models. This includes supporting organisations that want to bring EMV data preparation in-house, reduce their dependence on external bureaux or introduce secure instant issuance at branches and other approved locations.
P3 is designed to integrate into an organisation’s existing card-issuance environment rather than requiring the replacement of every surrounding system. This allows issuers to modernise specific parts of their infrastructure while retaining their approved card-management, hardware security and personalisation investments.
As cryptographic requirements and industry standards continue to evolve, Barnes Smart Solutions remains committed to developing P3 as a secure, adaptable and vendor-independent platform for the future of EMV card issuance.
