Datacard Group introduced a software upgrade that will enable U.S. card companies employing Datacard or CardWizard software to adjust to EMV smart cards.

Datacard Group plans to institute a two-step process as it rolls out the new software upgrade in an effort to make the integration of smart card personalization as simple and affordable as possible for its customers.

The first step for the new software package is to upgrade to the latest version of CardWizard and install Safenet Inc.’s hardware security module (HSM). These measures ensure that Datacard Group customers meet worldwide EMV standards as well as compliance with Visa and MasterCard’s security recommendations.

The second step of the software upgrade deals with onsite installation, an EMV workshop, EMV integration walkthrough and EMV technology management overview.

As EMV’s popularity has grown throughout the world, the pressure for U.S. card companies to make the jump to EMV compliancy has increased. Datacard- with its Affina software platform- provides millions of cards worldwide and boasts more than 300 EMV technology solutions.