When the Egged Bus Company, the national bus
company of Israel, wanted to develop a badge that would allow company
officials, employees, and their families to ride some bus routes free of
charge, they also wanted to ensure that the badges would not be misused or
duplicated by others. Modern technology made that possible. A multifaceted
badge was developed for Egged that used a preprinted card with a proprietary color ink. A
proprietary hologram was also hot-stamped onto the card.
Finally, a high-energy magnetic stripe for personal verification was
added. After all pertinent identifying information was included in a database
and digital photos were added, the cards were printed out on mass production
printers.
As society has changed, technology has tried to keep pace with its
identification needs. Employers, service providers, public servants, and even
the comer merchant all rely on and expect proof of identification. IDs are now
a necessity for entering school, arriving at work, cashing a check, and logging
on to a computer.
Identification technology can be separated into three basic categories: what
you have, such as keys, tokens, or photo ID cards; what you know, such as your
name, password, or personal identification number (PIN); and what you are, such
as biometrics based on your physiology or behavior.
Many banks currently use two of these identification methods, usually a card
combined with a PIN, The First National Bank of South Africa uses a PIN and a voiceprint record to provide secure payments to
illiterate mine workers. A desktop computer may be set up to require only a
name and a password; however, some computers are now equipped with smart card
readers. A smart card has an embedded computer chip that contains one or
several identifying features.
Although ID technology is constantly improving, currently the ID card is the
preferred medium on which to incorporate these technologies, making it the most
popular and widespread method of identification. ID cards can come with or
without photos, bar codes, computer chips, and other identifying information
and security features. Traditional or composite systems (those produced with film
and not computer technology) are still in use and effective for some
operations, but the most current developments include digital imaging systems,
in which cards are produced using video equipment and computer software.
Traditional systems. With a composite system, a picture is taken using a
chemical-based process to develop exposed Polaroid film, which takes about a
minute. The photo is then placed on a preprinted ID card ordered from a card
manufacturer. The card can contain data such as the name of the person; his or
her title and department; an expiration date; and a corporate logo. The card
is then laminated to seal in the data.
A bar code or magnetic stripe can also be added to these basic cards by
purchasing a separate bar code labeling or magnetic stripe encoding system. In most cases, the bar code or
stripe is attached to the ID with a pressure-sensitive labeler after it has
been laminated, although some labeling packages come with the bar code already
attached to the laminating pouch. This type of card is effective if used with good record keeping
and careful monitoring. However, it is possible to forge this card with an
offset printing press and a high-quality photo.
Another traditional identification card is the temporary badge, which is most
often used by a corporation to identify guests, inspectors, or outside contractors. Typical construction
includes a "sticky-back" applied to clothing for one-time use, which
may include a time expiration feature that self-voids the badge after one day,
one week, or one month. Reusable temporary badges may be prelaminated or made
from polyvinylchloride (PVC).
"All-photo" ID cards that contain a photo, signature, and identifying
data on a single sheet of film offer more security. All-photo cameras use
validation plates with information that remains the same, such as the company
logo, as well as unique identifying information such as name, department, and
signature. When the photo is taken, the data is superimposed on the card so
that the developed film produces a card and photo together. At the same time,
the data on these cards is photographically reduced so that the finished ID is
in a nonstandard size, making it much harder to reproduce or alter without
detection. Once a card is laminated, substituting a photo or data is virtually
impossible.
If the cards can be used over time because no changes are made, then the cards
are cost-effective. But if new validation plates must be made to accommodate
frequent changes, the system can be costly. All-photo cameras are often used
for issuing driver's licenses.
Traditional technologies such as those mentioned previously are most
cost-effective for facilities with up to 1,000 employees. The cost of a
standard all-photo ID card is about $3.25 per card. The system to create the
card, which includes the camera, film, a laminator, and a dye cutter, can cost
between $1,500 and $5,000. These systems can produce a card in about ten
minutes. In most cases, the vendor designs, prints, and delivers the card
formats. The vendor can also provide preprinted cards with logos and unchanging
card elements.
If a company wants a customized card but cannot afford a proprietary, high-tech
computer software package, some vendors, such as Polaroid, sell off-the-shelf
software used to create unique card templates. Although this software does not
allow the user to make a hard plastic card, it can be used as a design aid when
creating a card that can be printed out on light card stock, combined with a
photograph, and then laminated.
Features such as bar codes, magnetic stripe encoding, holographs, or ultraviolet (UV)
printing are available for composite cards but must be purchased and integrated
separately. Attaching holographs to cards is similar to attaching bar codes
either after or before the card has been laminated. Vendors also sell cards
with preprinted holographs. Some software programs allow the printer to add
patterns or data that can only be detected using a UV light scanner.
Traditional ID systems do have drawbacks. For example, the ID cannot be viewed
until after the photo has been developed; production time for replacement cards
is long (ten minutes); the person has to be present if the photo needs to be
retaken, requiring the whole process to begin from scratch; the system needs to
be transported for off-site badging; and repairs must be done off-site, meaning
operations must either shut down or continue with a "loaner" camera.
The next generation. Today's digital imaging systems combine the power of a
personal computer with a video camera and printer to offer flexible options to
fit a broad range of ID applications. Digital imaging systems capture and digitize a person's image with a video camera
and then, using imaging software, transfer that image to the receiving medium
(usually a card) through an inkjet, laser, or dye diffusion thermal transfer printer.
Unlike film-based systems, digital imaging systems can recall and reprint identification cards - a consideration
that significantly reduces the cost of replacing lost or expired cards or
updating the design or data. They generally work well for companies that have
more than 1,000 employees and high security requirements.
Digital imaging systems combine several components: a dedicated PC; a card
design software program; a database program, which can be proprietary or
off-the-shelf; a camera; and a printer.
Dedicated PC. The computer should have a Pentium processing chip or its
equivalent and be equipped with Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, a video capture
board, and an SVGA video card. Most Pentium computers come
preloaded with video boards and cards, although these items can be purchased
separately and added to an existing computer. For optimum performance and
output, most suppliers recommend that imaging systems be purchased as a package
from one vendor. However, as with all components, the needs of the organization
should dictate whether to purchase system parts or a complete package (see
sidebar).
Software program. Generally, card design software is proprietary and purchased
or licensed from a vendor. The user can create a unique ID layout by choosing
from preconfigured templates or by using graphic
tools to create an original design. Corporate logos or other graphics can be
scanned into the software program and incorporated into the card. Text,
backgrounds, colors, and bar codes can be added.
The key feature security managers should look for in card design software is
whether the card design can be distinctive enough to make it difficult to
duplicate. Other considerations include whether the card will be easily
recognized by security personnel and whether it is easy to tamper with.
Database program. The database software purchased with a digital imaging system
should be easy to manage and compatible with off-the-shelf database programs.
Users should be able to input data with little instruction, and any existing
company databases should be easy to download into the imaging database.
Features to check in any database program include the type of information it
stores (names, dates, signatures, departments), the triggers that notify an
administrator when something is wrong, and how quickly it can match a person to
his or her ID card. The database may allow administrators to manage several
locations from one central station.
Keven Ellison, marketing manager for Loronix Information Systems Inc., an ID
system manufacturer and integrator based in Durango, Colorado, says that the trend in
digital imaging systems is flexibility. He says that the challenge for ID
vendors is to supply products with open architecture, making them compatible
with many operating systems, database programs, and
facility security systems.
Cameras. Video imaging systems use either a digital camera, a camcorder, or a
basic video camera. A digital camera is the least expensive and most portable
of the options, but is less flexible and produces pictures of lesser quality. A
camcorder can also be used remotely to take pictures that can be downloaded
later into the imaging software. A video camera is directly linked to a
computer screen so its pictures can be viewed and captured simultaneously.
While scanners are not essential to system operation, they are a good graphic
aid. For example, if a person cannot be present for a video shot, a photograph
can be scanned into the computer and a card produced as if he or she were
present. In addition, when creating the card, a scanner can be used to scan in
a company logo or other designs.
Printers. In the last four years, thermal-printed ID cards that work with either
a company's own computer system or with a specially designed system produced by
the thermal printer's developer have brought an increased level of security to
the industry.
Thermal transfer printing uses heat to transfer ink from a coated substance to
a receptor sheet without actually touching the receiving medium. That is,
elements on the printer's print head are heated to melt the ink - or dye - onto
the receiving medium. The melted dye can be transferred. at 300 dots per inch
onto white glossy paper or PVC cards. This kind of printer can also be used to
print access control cards so an ID card can be merged with an access control
card.
Thermal printing or dye sublimation systems are not without problems.
For example, cards must be kept absolutely clean prior to being loaded into the
printer because dust and dirt can damage the print head. Poorly cut cards can
lead to residue chafing, which can also damage the printer. In
addition, the printer has to be cleaned often, and printer repairs can be
costly.
While most digital ID systems use a thermal transfer printer, some systems
provide "printer independent" printing in which any printer with a
Windows driver can be used. The advantage is that in addition to ID cards, the
system can handle such documents as student rosters using a laser or inkjet printer. With this type of dossier
printing, imaging systems can search through thousands of records and print
images in seconds. This information can then be reproduced at remote sites over
networked printers.
Finally, some printers are now equipped to print cards using "intelligent
printing." Using this technology, printers can affix inks onto the card that may appear or
disappear, change color, or become machine-readable based on triggering events such as the passage of time,
exposure to heat, or the introduction of ultraviolet or infrared
light.
For example, the U.S. Secret Service needed to badge more than 30,000 people
for the 1996 Republican and Democratic conventions. They selected a card with a
specially embedded optical variable that could only be made by one manufacturer
- Advantage Technology Inc. of Crofton, Maryland. The card's security feature
was customized to display the Secret Service star on all ID badges. The star
changed from transparent to orange and then to green when viewed from different
angles. This color change made it impossible to counterfeit the badge by using
a color laser copier, desktop publishing software, or a digital
camera. The badges were printed using a standard dye sublimation printer.
Most available imaging systems are also capable of printing a bar code on the
badge. The most popular bar code programs used are "code three of
nine" and "codabar interleaved two of five." These standard bar
code packages are incorporated into system software; a separate package does
not have to be purchased. Magnetic stripe encoding is achieved by outputting
data to any Windows-compatible printer with an internal magnetic stripe
encoder. In addition, some printers will print a two-dimensional bar code
containing an encoded photograph or will print holographic overlays
for additional security.
Costs. An entire electronic imaging unit - including the dedicated PC with
video board and card, card design software, database, camera, and printer -
costs from $7,000 to $30,000, depending on the quality and features of each
component. Printing each PVC card costs about sixty cents, and the production
time per card is one to two minutes.
Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, New York, is one example of an organization that
has used a digital imaging system. The university needed to provide 4,000
students with IDs before the start of its fall 1996 session. The school's
traditional ID system, which had been set up at its three metropolitan
campuses, could not keep up with the volume of registrants.
In response, the university purchased a digital ID system from Idesco
Corporation of New York.
This system badged students at all three campuses from the school's main campus
in Brooklyn. Operators downloaded student data
from computer terminals at the two other campuses and, using two additional
camcorders, captured pictures of students at those remote locations. Students
at the main Brooklyn campus were processed in
person. A bar code integrated with the school's library system was added to the
card as well. By using digital ID technology, the school not only produced IDs
for students in eight days but also created a permanent database containing
information on each student.
The new database made registration for 1997 easier and more efficient as well.
Students who were already registered were mailed updated cards containing new
class status and other data.
Because of the new digital ID system, the school realized savings on a number
of fronts. Registered students should not have to be processed in person again,
which will save approximately 75 percent of time needed to issue ID cards. In
addition, lost or stolen cards can be canceled and changed without the expense
and time of retaking a photo and re-collecting information.
Since the bar code on the ID card was integrated with the school's library
system, savings were realized in avoiding production of redundant cards as well
as in reducing time tracking down overdue books and fines.
As security managers plan for their organization's future, they can expect to
see more applications for ID cards that implement a variety of security
features such as bar codes, magnetic stripes, computer chips, intelligent
printing, and biometrics. In addition, these cards will be used across a
variety of platforms and in more than one setting. The security manager should
keep this integrated future in mind when purchasing or upgrading any system
that incorporates identification needs, from access control to payroll.
PURCHASING CONSIDERATIONS
COPYRIGHT 1997 American Society for Industrial Security. No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder. Copyright 1997 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.