1. Microsoft .NET Framework
Customer Solution Case Study
CALMS revolutionizes smartcard usage in
Malaysia
Overview “CALMS runs on the Microsoft .NET and Microsoft SQL
Country or Region: Malaysia Server, which are highly stable, scalable and reliable.
Industry: Information Technology
It enables our customers to benefit from the user
Customer Profile friendly attributes of the Microsoft platform.”
Formed in 2002, Calms Technologies Sdn
Bhd offers cost effective and leading edge Adam Tan, Sales Director, Calms Technologies Sdn Bhd
smartcard based solutions focusing on
multiple applications in One Card Calms Technologies Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian company formed to
environment.
offer cost effective and leading edge smartcard based solutions
Business Situation enabling companies to benefit from One Card environment. Calms
Calms saw that many companies
embarking on the use of smartcards faced realized that many companies embarking on the use of smartcards
problems as they often required multiple faced problems affecting smooth implementation as they required
applications and cards. A system was
needed that could allow more applications multiple applications, and the use of multiple cards became a
to be shared and subsequently added onto nagging deterrent to productivity. Calms Technologies recognized
the same card.
the need to integrate these fragmented systems and customized its
Solution Card Application Life Cycle Management System (CALMS) to
Calms developed its Card Application Life
Cycle Management System (CALMS) on the improve data sharing to simplify processes and reduce operational
Microsoft .NET platform and the Microsoft costs. With CALMS, companies are able to overcome problems
SQL Server database platform to to
integrate fragmented smartcard systems. posed by such disparate systems to simplify the implementation
and management of card issuance and control.
Benefits
 Slashes costs
 Productivity boost
 Enhances security and control
 Better market penetration

2. “CALMS is a versatile Situation
When Calms Technologies Sdn Bhd was CALMS runs on the Microsoft .NET platform
solution that allows formed in March 2002, its founders CEO Koh and the Microsoft SQL Server database
corporations to Lee Ching and two of her pioneer staff who platform, which Tan says is “highly stable,
later became partners of the company, scalable and reliable”. It enables Calms
determine how they Technical Director Chin Swee Hong and Sales Technologies‟ customers to benefit from the
want users to use the Director Adam Tan targeted a growing user friendly attributes of the Microsoft
business niche among many industries by platform. And this means that for companies
smartcard and we just focusing on expanding its range of services which already have a system for membership
help to automate their based on its core smartcard solution – the cards on the Microsoft platform, the
Card Application Life Cycle Management migration and integration to CALMS would be
many processes.” System (CALMS). relatively easy.
Adam Tan, Sales Director, Calms Technologies
Sdn Bhd The market then was thriving with many Benefits
companies embarking on the use of The CALMS smartcard solution helps
smartcards which typically encountered corporations and organizations automate and
cumbersome processes affecting smooth improve their operational processes, cut
implementation. As most companies required costs and boost productivity without
multiple applications, the use of multiple compromising security.
cards became a nagging deterrent to
productivity. A system was needed that could Slashes costs
allow more applications to be shared and The implementation of CALMS results in
even subsequently added onto the same controlled issuance and tracking of
card. individuals leading to enhanced productivity
and improved business processes that saves
Calms Technologies recognized the critical time and optimizes resources while ensuring
need to integrate existing and often better security. “The solution primarily
fragmented systems and customized its simplifies operation processes for clients,
CALMS solution to improve data sharing in a and this translates into huge costs savings.
way that would simplify processes and reduce Whatever system they may be using, we help
operational costs. By leveraging on CALMS, to simplify their operations and give them
companies are able to overcome problems peace of mind on card handling from
posed by such fragmented systems to beginning to end,” Tan says.
simplify the implementation and
management of card issuance and control, “For example, in collaboration with IRIS
says Calms Technologies‟ Sales Director Corporation Berhad, CALMS‟ MyKad
Adam Tan. Integrator System allows customers to extract
common MyKad information for automated
Solution registration while authenticating the
CALMS handles the process of encoding and fingerprints for identification purposes.”
printing, including card policy for access and
exit by incorporating the various devices This cuts costs, time and labor that would be
including the door and alarm systems. In otherwise incurred in manual registration and
addition, other CALMS software would authorization at entry or exit points to a
manage information like meal allowances by company‟s premises. The fast and easy plug-
linking with appropriate reader devices at the and-play deployment of the system boosts
company‟s cafeteria. productivity and reduces manpower either at

3. guard houses or receptions while eliminating CALMS system in all 24 branches in Malaysia
the need to obtain and keep visitors‟ driving eliminated this security risk.
licences or equivalent documents.
Multiple usage
Productivity boost The implementation of the Access Control
The implementation of CALMS has helped System in the smartcard not only helps
some of the country‟s biggest corporations to ensure security by controlling who could
reap major productivity gains in the access which points and at what time, it can
management of their smartcard systems. also be encoded with other applications that
Prior to deployment of Calms Technologies‟ help track meal purchases and subsidies
solution, one of the region‟s biggest budget allocated to the user.
airlines services provider would typically
plough through a long series of loops before So when local financial institution wanted to
cards could be issued and distributed. Such include finger print use in its automation
procedures when repeated and multiplied process, Calms Technologies helped to
many times over in a company with a huge include these features by riding its
user base of thousands would translate into applications onto the MyKad of the bank
very high costs involving time and labour. staff. “CALMS is thus a versatile solution that
allows corporations to determine how they
With the deployment, the airline‟s backend want users to use the smartcard and we just
HR system is integrated with CALMS to help to automate their many processes,” says
retrieve latest staff records as well as Tan.
integrated with existing card printer and door
access systems. “After implementing the “Whether the card system is radio frequency
CALMS solution, the process of issuance and identification (RFID) enabled, „touch and go‟
setting policy for cards has become more or contact type, we can customize CALMS‟
efficient and automated. This has enabled one-card solution on any platform to help
the airline to reap major productivity gains customers integrate and simplify their system
and substantial cost savings,” states Tan. to free up resources and even interface with
existing devices to raise productivity and
Enhances security and control profits,” Tan concludes.
CALMS gives peace of mind to customers by
ensuring card handling is secure and
efficiently processed. Financial institution
clients have benefited from CALMS Visitor
Management System that tracks not only the
movement of visitors to the company‟s
premises but that of its staff and contractors.
The system has a feature which alerts the
management against blacklisted visitors.
In the case of an insurance company, the
insurer previously issued cheques based on
physical identification without ensuring the
chips in the MyKad were accurately matched
to the agents. This potentially posed a
security threat. However, implementing the

4. For More Information Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
.NET provides you with a comprehensive and
To access information using the World consistent programming model and a
Wide Web, go to: common set of APIs across all tiers of your
www.microsoft.com/en/my application. .NET helps you to build
applications that work the way you want, in
For more information about IFCA products the programming language you prefer, across
and services, call (+603) 7805 3838 or software, services, and devices. .NET helps
visit the Web site at: www.ifca.com.my developers move quickly from idea to the
creation of rich, responsive applications that
people want to use.
.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 expands and
improves offerings in the .NET Framework
and Visual Studio 2008. .NET Framework 3.5
SP1 introduces the ADO.NET Entity
Framework and ADO.NET Data Services,
which simplify data access code in
applications by providing an extensible,
conceptual model for accessing data from
any source.
For more information about the .NET
Framework 3.5, please go to:
www.microsoft.com/netframework
Software and Services
 Microsoft Visual Studio 2008
 Microsoft SQL Server 2008
 Technologies
− Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
This case study is for informational purposes only.
MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published August 2010