Selecting a Photo ID System
Knowing your security needs is as important as evaluating the options on the marketplace.
Photo ID cards are multifunctional and are used in applications ranging from building access to vending, payroll, and logical network security. Not only are there many applications for these security devices, there are also many types of cards and reader technologies available. With so many options from which to choose, it's important to identify guidelines to help FMs select systems that will help them meet current and future needs.
Types of cards
Magnetic stripe and bar code cards cover similar ranges of applications. Their primary uses are building access control, time and attendance records, library check-out, class attendance in schools, cafeteria purchases, and various vending applications. Proximity cards are strictly for security ID and building access control. Smart cards, the most advanced, carry an embedded or affixed chip, which can be programmed with various applications. The chip sends the desired information to a computer via a reader. Smart cards cover all the applications of magnetic stripe and bar code cards and, in addition, accomplish network logical security. All types of cards have a photo ID option available to them.
Digital imaging technology makes the new card systems vastly superior over older manual identification systems. Data and digital photos can be saved and stored in a database, which permits searches and easy report preparation. Re-issuing an ID becomes quick and simple because there is no need to retake the photo or retype information. There is no ongoing film cost, and no film is wasted because photos can be previewed before printing.
Factors in selection
An organization considering a new or upgraded card system should first determine what needs to be accomplished. Ask whether the ID card program will stand on its own or be multifunctional. Who will use the card, and for what purposes? What other purposes could the card possibly serve? Is there existing equipment that needs to be integrated with the new cards? It is important to realize that replacement may be more efficient than integration with an outdated system. Also, if a number of cards are currently in use, it is usually more cost-effective to replace them with a single multifunctional card. However, if older cards are to be retained, the new cards should work with the same reader technology.
Once uses are defined, the goal is to find a system flexible enough to cover this entire range of applications. Research the different packages, options, benefits, and price ranges that manufacturers offer. A good system should have customization capabilities and an upgrade path.
Fulfilling educational needs
Schools generally use card systems to identify students and staff, to control visitors, and to keep track of who is in the buildings. The Wake County School District in North Carolina uses a proximity system for parking lots and building access control and bar code technology for library checkout and other student tracking programs.
A simple digital card system is used to identify special education students. Jack Nance, director of special education services, explains: "We use the photo ID cards for 'nonverbal' children, meaning children who are not able to identify themselves or tell you who to contact in an emergency. This includes preschoolers as well as handicapped students."
The school district's proximity system controls access to the administrative building and its floors. The system differentiates between visitors, full-time staff and teachers, or principals who enter the building occasionally. When properly identified individuals pass near a reader, they are allowed to proceed. This corporate system is monitored by the security department through a central computer and includes a tie-in to two remote buildings.
For more information, click here or call 800-233-0298. |
