In an effort to cut down on violence amongst unruly fans at soccer and basketball games in Greece, the country is set to introduce a new system of personalized tickets and ID cards for its sporting leagues. Starting this season, tickets issued for home games of the Atromitos, Ergotelis, Levadiakos, and Panionios football clubs will feature personalized ID information including the card holder's name, attendance record, seat number, and a bar code.

Here at AlphaCard, we're extremely proud of the lasting relationships we've formed with our customers over the years. We've supplied professional ID card systems to a wide variety of end-users in industries ranging from schools, police departments, and membership groups, to health care facilities, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies. Recently we added a new section to our website that spotlights some of our top customers in an assortment of industries. The AlphaCard Our Customers section is designed to give you a closer look at the ever-expanding list of customers we serve.

With several different sites to watch over security was a challenge for the Bolton Metropolitan Council. In addition to a large town hall which hosts most of the council’s business and boasts the town’s central registry office, a theater, and other public rooms, the Council also operates several over satellite buildings around the area. To keep better track of the more than 4,500 people coming through the doors the council installed an access control system using proximity cards that ensures building users are only permitted to enter pre-approved areas at designated times.

The Transportation Security Administration has created a new national standard for biometric screening of flight crews. The new ID requirements will work to improve security, while also expediting the screening of flight crews at airports. These standards allow for the nationwide expansion of “CrewPASS,” a biometric ID system designed for pilots and crews. With CrewPASS, flight crew members are required to have unique biometric components on their credentials.

The Connecticut Sun have become the first WNBA team to replace paper tickets with special cards for season ticket holders. A number of other professional sports franchises, including the NBA's Phoenix Suns and the Orlando Magic, have also made the move to ticket cards. The Sun's new season ticket pass is the same size and shape as a normal credit card. The cards offer several advantages over paper tickets. They reduce waste, are very difficult to counterfeit, and they offer flexibility, as games can be added or deleted electronically and they can be integrated with special discount programs.

The Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office is starting a new program that issues free ID cards to Chesapeake residents age 55 and older. Seniors often have given up their driver’s licenses and the new program aims at replacing that crucial piece of identification. The new IDs also ensure that seniors receive the range of discounts and services they are entitled to from deals at restaurants to reductions in fares on public transit.

If your company or organization is looking to launch a new ID card program, you've got a lot of choices when it comes to ID printers, software, and supplies. Sorting through the different printer models and other components can be a challenge, especially if the technology is all new to you. That's why AlphaCard has assembled complete photo ID systems designed to meet the needs of ID programs of all shapes and sizes, from low-volume card programs, to large-scale high-security applications. These systems eliminate the guesswork when it comes to choosing the right equipment for your ID card solution.

To students at Elizabeth City State University, a student ID card with multiple functions is standard procedure on campus. Now the card adds another function to its long list of benefits: debit card. The new VikingOne card, free and available to students, employees, faculty, staff and retirees, allows card holders to make purchases around campus.

One of the key attributes of most Magicard ID card printer models is their ability to apply a secure HoloKote watermark across the surface of each printed card at no extra cost. This HoloKote watermark system can greatly increase card security, as it protects cards from illegal duplication, and it can also improve card durability. Some Magicard printer models even give you the option of using a custom HoloKote Key, in which the secure watermark features your own logo or text. The benefits of the HoloKote Key actually extend beyond card security, as the key can also be used to lock or unlock your printer. To simplify the process of creating your custom key, Magicard recently introduced an online HoloKote Tool that allows you to design and order your customized watermark over the internet.

When students walk through the doors of Southeast High School in Arizona this school year they won’t get very far without their ID badges. The school’s new policy requires that all students wear student ID badges on a lanyard around their neck. The program is being implemented in an effort to amp up security at the school, making it easier for school employees to immediately identify who belongs in the halls of the high school.

European soccer fans continue to make their way into our blog. It's no secret they're passionate about their futbol clubs, but occasionally that excitement can lead to violence and hooliganism. This explains the recent rise in ID card programs that aim to enhance security at soccer matches across the pond.