I Have a Photo ID - What's Next?

We have spent years working with customers all over the country to create unique, high quality Photo ID badges for their organizations.  Sure, it is awesome to have an ID badge for identification purposes.  And many of those facilities use their badges for just visual identification.  We all know that wearing a visual form of ID in any organization helps to increase security and awareness about who belongs in the building and who does not. 

However, recently, many of our customers have been coming to us asking, "What's Next?" They already have issued Photo ID badges to everyone in their organization.  Now it is time to think about other applications they may want to use those cards for. Are you in a similar situation?  Here are some things you may want to consider for your own system growth.

Do you want employees to be able to use their Photo IDs to gain access to specific doors in the building and be denied access to others based on their security privilegs?  Consider implementing an electronic door access system.  When you do, make sure it will work seamlessly with your badge issuance software.  You will want to make sure you can instantly enroll user information and print photo IDs from the same software that you assign security rights in.  Why is this important?  This allows a badge to be used to access doors as soon as it comes out of the printer - saving you the hassle of having to enroll users in two seperate systems!   This also allows for lost cards to be instantly deactivated any time a new card is printed, keeping your system up to date with only currently "active" cards that are assigned to active users. 

Have you considered a system for clocking employees in and out when they arrive and leave work each day?  Think about using your cards for more than just door access.  Employees can manage their time cards by clocking in and out via a smartcard reader every time they enter and exit the building, ensuring accurate time cards that can later be edited and approved by a manager before being exported to a third party payroll system.  Why is this important?  It saves you money if you can ensure your employees are arriving and leaving on time.  By choosing a system that is fully integrated with your badging software, you can simplify the enrollment process into your time clock system.     

Who else do you need to identify?  Do you have visitors, volunteers, contractors or other guests that are in and out of your building and need a form of identification?  Consider electronic visitor management software for registering and tracking those guests.  By scanning their driver's license data, you can ensure fast and accurate enrollment of all visitors.  Then, choose to print a customized visitor pass for each person or think about granting temporary access rights to limited doors or areas of the building with QuickPass smartcards!  Why is this important?  It ensures your visitors are properly identified during their visit without slowing down the check-in process and allows you to look back and see who has visited in the past. 

Whether you have Photo IDs today or are just starting to think about implementing a badging system, it is important to always be a step ahead and start planning for how you want to use those credentials in the future.  Consider future security applications you may want to use those cards with and how they will integrate with your Photo ID Software. 

Lindsay Martin-Nez is the Director of Sales for BadgePass, Inc.  BadgePass manufactures cutting edge identification and security solutions including Photo ID software, Visitor Management, Access Control Software, Time Management and Driver's License Scanning Software.  For more information, visit www.badgepass.com. 

No Printer Required

Over the years, we have  been fortunate enough to work with customers across the country and we have developed thousands of customized badging systems to help meet each organization's specific requests and needs.  Typically, a customer requires badging software, a card printer, badges and supplies.  Once in awhile, we also sell Driver's License Scanners for automated enrollment into the system - for those customers who don't want to manually enroll information and find scanning an ID faster and easier.  But that's it!  Easy enough, right? 

However, more and more often, we've run into customers looking for a badging option that does not require a printer.  Whether they are looking to save some money in the budget or just free up some extra time, having a printer onsite is not a viable option for them.  They would prefer to send their data offsite and have their cards delivered. 

This customer input is how we developed Web Print, a smarter credentialing option for customers who are not interested in the cost of an on site printer and supplies.  This cloud-based print service guarantees printing and delivery of badges faster than any other solution on the market.  Customers expect shipment wihin 48 hours of submitting print.  

Best of all, Patent-Pending Web Print allows for complete access control integration for customers interested in doing more with their badges than simply wearing them!    

The future of badging has arrived. 

Lindsay Martin-Nez is the Director of Sales for BadgePass, Inc.  BadgePass manufactures cutting edge software solutions including Photo ID, Access Control, Visitor Management, Time Manager and Driver's License Scanning.  For more information, visit www.badgepass.com. 

School Security Assessment

Over the last several months, the number of K-12 campus security walk-throughs that I’ve completed with dealer sales reps and end user customers has increased dramatically.  This can be attributed to a wide variety of factors, but the simple reality is that most people have a heighted awareness of security right now.  They are looking to implement systems that will allow for easy identification and tracking of persons throughout the district.  This can include Photo ID, Visitor Management, Access Control Software and even mustering applications. 

If you are a school district considering any or all of these solutions, here are some basic questions to ask yourself as you get started with choosing a system that is right for you: 

• Do faculty and personnel in the school have and use Identification (ID) badges?   Is this policy enforced?
• What is the current procedure for obtaining a new ID badge?
• If you are considering electronic door access, how would you like employee and faculty badges to be activated in the access control system?  Will each school have a printer or will badges be issued centrally at the district office? 
• Are all exterior doors locked as part of a closed campus policy?
• Are public entrances monitored and controlled through locking, supervision or electronic access (ie: buzzing someone in?)
• What is your current visitor policy at each school?  Are they asked to show ID when checking in?  Is this policy enforced? 
• Do you have an electronic process for registering and badging visitors? 
• Do you have any third party groups that use the building for activities?  If so, how do they gain access?  How would you like them to gain access in the future, if you implement a new system?
• How often are exterior doors propped open in the building? 
• What is your current lockdown procedure?  Do you practice this regularly? 
• Describe your current key control procedure.  Do many people have master keys or only a select few?  Are all master keys accounted for? 
• How does student traffic flow between classes?  Do you have multiple buildings on campus to consider? 
• Do you have a system in place for evacuation and mustering? 

Thinking about these questions in advance will help you realize your district's primary security needs and recognize the areas you should address first.  Understanding your strengths and weaknesses up front will also help you as you research security systems for badging, visitor tracking and access control. 


Lindsay Martin-Nez is the Director of Sales for BadgePass, Inc.  BadgePass manufactures cutting-edge Photo ID, Visitor Management, Access Control and Time Management software.  To learn more visit www.badgepass.com. 

Why Integrated Solutions Produce Better Results

In the security industry, the word “integration” gets thrown around far too easily.  Manufacturers constantly talk about “integration.” Customers long for it. How often are they really getting it? 

Recently, we worked with a customer to create a truly unique solution and provide the best level of integration possible between products and vendor partners. Here is a brief overview of the client’s story.    

A juvenile detention center, with 84 beds, was looking to find a cost-effective solution to register, identify and track juveniles while in the facility, as well as, identify and register all visitors and guest of the center. Starting with basic visitor enrollment and identification, BadgePass Visitor Manager was introduced requiring all visitors and guests to present a valid Photo ID, such as a Driver’s License, which then is scanned for their information in order to issue them a temporary ID card to be worn for the duration of their visit. Visitor Manager also allows for easy and accurate electronic reporting on all visitor access into various facilities.

Next, BadgePass Identity Manager was introduced for the identification part of the solution. This offered a quick and easy way to capture photos and document information about each new juvenile being enrolled into the system and even print each one a wristband. By using both Identity Manager and Visitor Manager, the customer received a fully integrated system that allowed for seamless enrollment of both juveniles and visitors into the exact same system. Their new enrollment process also helped to cut down on errors in the record logs, booking and processing time and helped meet state regulations.

For the last piece of the puzzle, we were able to partner with Elliott Mobile Solutions and implement a tracking program. Once each juvenile was issued a wristband, their movement throughout the facility needed to be accurately recorded. EPICTrack served as the perfect solution because it allowed for seamless database integration with the BadgePass system. 

Overall, the customer was very pleased with how simple the registration process of juveniles and visitors had become, as well as the simple tracking process that produced such detailed reporting. Best of all, the integration between all three systems is unmatched.

Something to think about: how different could this outcome have been without fully integrated solutions?    

Lindsay Cornell is the Director of Sales for BadgePass, Inc. BadgePass manufactures cutting edge Door Access, Photo ID, and Visitor Tracking software. Visit www.badgepass.com for more information.

Three Point Plan for Increased School Security

Across the nation, school districts are focusing on the safety and security of their campuses and addressing any concerns. They understand the importance of ensuring the safety of their students and faculty, yet, sometimes the implementation process can seem a bit overwhelming. That is why we have developed our “Three Point Plan” for a safer school district. 

Step 1: Visually Identify People

By implementing a visual identification policy district wide, schools can foster an environment that encourages faculty and staff to question unknown people on their campus. Many schools that we work with are requiring the visual display of identification for all faculty, staff, students and even visitors. This makes it easier to recognize unauthorized visitors in the building. To ensure consistency, make sure faculty and staff can get their photo IDs issued quickly and visitors can check in efficiently. By avoiding complicated software and a long turnaround time for badge issuance, you will greatly improve the success of whatever system you choose.

 

Step 2: Control Entry Points

To aid in identification and security efforts, schools should manage the flow of visitor and faculty traffic through pre-defined entry points. More schools are implementing electronic card access systems to monitor door status and enable easy lockdown campus-wide, if necessary. To better manage traffic flow, schools should design the system to notify them when doors are propped open and make sure that the system is programed to deactivate credentials automatically when a person(s) leaves the district and no longer needs access rights or privileges.  This will help prevent unauthorized users from having access to your campus.

Step 3: Know What Happened

 
Anytime an event occurs in a school district, the school should be able to access real-time information within seconds. Campuses nationwide rely on video surveillance and quality reporting for accurate recall of various occurrences. In order to receive the most accurate and reliable data possible, schools should ensure their system offers fast and easy access to video footage or reporting information and avoid inaccurate data and unknown camera outages.

 Lindsay Cornell is the Director of Sales for BadgePass, Inc. BadgePass manufactures cutting edge Door Access, Photo ID, and Visitor Tracking software. Visit www.badgepass.com for more information.

How Should I Badge My Visitors?

If you are thinking about ways to badge and identify visitors at your facility, congrats!  You have probably already considered solutions for properly registering and tracking your guests which means you are well on your way to a more secure facility!  By implementing an electronic visitor registration system at your organization, you can ensure that each visitor is properly identified and registered simply by scanning their state or federally issued ID.  Now, you just have to decide which visitor badging solution is best for you. 

There are several possible options to consider for visitor badging. 

Option One:  Temporary Adhesive Labels

This is by far the most popular solution for visitor badging!  Why?  Because badge designs can be customized not only with the company’s name, but also with pertinent visit information like visitor name, date, and person being visited.  You can even print photos on temporary labels!  Plus, you can do all of this at a relatively low price, since plain adhesive badges are fairly inexpensive. 

Things to consider when implementing temporary adhesive labels:

1.       How long will visitors be in the building?

-          The longer visitors are in your facility, the more likely they are to lose their adhesive badge.  For long-term visitors, pre-printed PVC badges may be a more effective solution.

2.       What information do you want to print on each badge?

-          The nice thing about adhesive badges is that they can be customized for each visitor!  Some of the most common things I see on visitor label designs include a company logo, the visitors name, the type of visitor (Vendor, Contractor, Volunteer, etc.), the date of the visit, and the location and/or person they are visiting. 

3.       How important are visitor photos?

-          If you are considering printing your visitors’ photos on badges, it might be a good idea to look into color label printers.  While they are more expensive, they greatly improve the image quality!

4.       Do you want labels to expire after a certain amount of time?

-          Though temporary labels can be easy and inexpensive, there is always a concern that visitors may try to reuse those badges to visit the facility at a later date/time without checking in.  Printing the date on the badge is one solution for this issue.  However, many customers look into time-expiring labels to prevent visitor badges from being reused.  These badges bleed through red and read VOID 24 hours after issuance, making it easy for employees to recognize if a visitor is trying to dodge the check-in process. 

Option Two:  Pre-Printed PVC Badges

Many customers prefer to use pre-printed badges for their visitors.  Each of these badges will be printed in advance on a color card printer, allowing you to print your company’s name and logo on the front, along with any other relevant information. 

Since these badges are printed in advance, they will not have visitor specific information on them.  However, they are much more durable than temporary labels and can be reused time and time again and assigned to a different visitor each time they are used.   Attach these badges to a lanyard or badge clip/reel and you can easily identify who is wearing a visitor badge in your facility.  Plus, you don’t have to worry as much about visitors losing their IDs as they walk around! 

So what is the answer?

Nobody knows your organization better than you do!  Which means you are the only one who knows what solution is the best fit for you. 

Though there are many options to consider, no matter whaat you choose will allow for an easier visitor identification process and help to improve your company's security! 

Lindsay Cornell is the Director of Sales for BadgePass, Inc. BadgePass manufactures cutting edge Visitor Management, Photo ID and Access Control software.  www.badgepass.com

What are the Benefits of a Photo ID System?

Getting serious about your organization’s security?  Beyond offering visual identification, Photo ID badges can be used for a variety of applications from Electronic Door Access to Cafeteria Point of Sale Systems.  How can you utilize photo IDs to help increase security in your facility? 

Employee Morale

In larger companies and organizations, photo IDs often help to encourage familiarity among staff members.  Once a policy has been instituted mandating the wearing of Photo IDs at all times, employees often feel more secure and more confident approaching employees in other departments.  Photo IDs can instill a sense of community among employees and often encourage people to approach those in the building not wearing IDs to ensure they belong. 

Access Control

Sure, you may be printing Photo IDs for everyone right now, but have you considered using those IDs to access doors within your facility?  By printing badges on a smart or proximity cards, you can electronically control which doors certain employees have access to, thereby eliminating the need for manual key locks.  Without a valid credential, employees will not be granted access to those doors.  Further, you can restrict access to doors certain employees should not be in, like the IT or Server Room.  Best of all, if an employee loses an ID badge, you can deactivate that card’s privileges and print them another!  Without rekeying an entire facility, there is no way to “deactivate” a lost key. 

Visitor Safety

Once you’ve identified all of the employees within your building, it may be time to consider a visual form of ID for all of your visitors as well.  Visitor Management Systems that print temporary ID badges are an easy and effective way to check in visitors electronically while also printing them a badge that they can wear during their visit.  This helps to easily identify those who are guests and also helps employees to feel comfortable approaching visitors without badges and escorting them to the main check-in desk to be registered. 

Other Applications

Feel free to get creative with your photo ID!  Do you have a Time and Attendance system that requires a barcode or magnetic stripe for employees to clock in and out each day?  Are you thinking of instituting a Point of Sale system in your cafeteria that allows for employees to purchase meals with their ID card?  All of these things are entirely possible, depending on the card design and technology you choose to use with your badges.  Whenever you choose to purchase a Photo ID system, think of all the possible applications you may want to implement in the future and keep those in mind when designing your cards. 

Lindsay Cornell is the Director of Sales for BadgePass, Inc.  BadgePass offers secure ID Badging, Visitor Management and Access Control software.  For more information, visit www.badgepass.com. 

Is Your Current Two-Step Enrollment Process a Security Risk?

In recent news, it was announced that a 19 year old used his old ID badge from a program he took part in at AOL to gain access to the facility for two months after the program had ended!  He lived in the building day and night, using his old access credential to gain access to different areas on the campus.  It was nearly two months before a security guard caught him and kicked him out. 

Stories like this beg the question, "How could something like this have happened?" 

The reality is, this happens every single day!  We just don't always hear about it because these stories don't always take place at high profile locations like AOL Headquarters and don't usually involve two-month-long squatters.  But not deactivating security privileges in Card Access Control systems is a serious threat to an organization's security, and it gets overlooked all the time! 

Think about your own access control system.  How do you add and remove people from the system?  If you are like most customers that I talk to on a regular basis, you probably print your ID badges in one location and then employees are asked to take those new credentials to a seperate location, like Security, to have their access control privileges activated in that system.  It is typically a two-step process. 

The same thing happens when a person leaves the company.  The first database they are removed from is HR or Payroll.  (You and I both know that person isn't getting a paycheck anymore!)  Then, someone in HR sends an email to a person in security, notifying them to deactivate that person's access rights in the system.  Again, we are back to that two-step process. 

This works fine if your security personnel are always at work and constantly checking their emails.  But what happens when they go on vacation for a week and miss all of those emails?  Or when they are at lunch and overlook the email about the terminated employee when they return from their break?  Circumstances like those are the ones we often forget to account for when implementing security systems like Access Control, yet they play a critical role in our organizations' security! 

When choosing to implement a Door Access system, be sure to think about the way that credentials will be activated and deactivated in the system. Ask yourself a few simple questions:

- Is there an easy way to maintain the current database of active cardholders?
- Can you import new employees into the system easily? 
- If you deactivate someone in HR, is there a way for their credential to be automatically deactivated?

No matter what the size of your organization, security is always a concern. The more automated the credentialing process is at your facility, the less likely you are to have issues like the recent security breach at AOL. 

Read the full story about the AOL security breach here.

Lindsay Cornell is the Director of Sales for BadgePass, Inc. BadgePass manufactures cutting edge ID Badging, Visitor Management and Access Control software. Visit www.badgepass.com for more information.

Tips for Printing Quality Photo IDs

When printing quality Photo IDs, it is important to know what information, and how much information, will be included on your Photo ID. The elements included on your Photo ID will help determine the features you should look for in your Photo ID System.

Basic Photo ID

Custom card design – Photo ID software will help you design a card from scratch using your own images, graphics and logos – creating a unique and custom card that best fits the needs of your organization.

Cardholder information – Easily add cardholder information to your ID cards! You can connect to your existing database information and/or choose to enroll users via Driver’s License Scanning.

Photo – Whether you are looking for high quality images or a simple webcam, adding a photo to your card design will ensure an extra level of security.

Barcode – Barcodes are a cost effective way to include data on your cards that can be scanned and used in other systems, such as time and attendance or cafeteria POS and vending.

Advanced Photo ID

Signature capture – A signature pad will allow you to electronically capture the signature of each cardholder for placement within the card design.

Smartcards – There are many types of technology cards, such as contactless smartcards, that can be store cardholder information for use in other systems, like Access Control.

Magnetic stripe – Magnetic strips are another way to include data on your cards that can be scanned and used in other systems.

Lamination – Laminating printers apply a thin film to the card with heat and pressure during printing to protect against wear.

The more secure you want your credentials to be, the more advanced your Photo ID software requirements will be.  Take all of these things into consideration when choosing which system to implement in your own organization. 

Lindsay Cornell is the Director of Sales for BadgePass, Inc. BadgePass manufactures cutting edge ID Badging, Visitor Management and Access Control software. Visit www.badgepass.com for more information.