Gone are the days of the clipboard and a sign-in sheet. Today’s visitor management systems are much more sophisticated thanks in part to visitor management software like AlphaTrack. Visitor management is one of the most effective ways to increase safety in and around your facilities. Controlling access at a point of entry allows you to keep a record of all those who come and go throughout the day. AlphaTrack provides a powerful platform with tools for secure badge design, employee and visitor tracking, and access control.

When a high level of security is required, it is wise to incorporate biometrics into your access control program. Fingerprint scanners are a popular solution for corporations, government agencies, laboratories and other organizations requiring a secure way to control entry or access to information.

Deciding to re-card an entire college is a daunting prospect, but that’s exactly what Emerson College set out to do this year when they replaced their old ID card system with contactless card technology. Located in Boston’s theater district, the school’s eight buildings on campus see thousands of visitors walk by every day. The new contactless system provides the school with increased security and greater flexibility for access control, information management, and cashless payment.

Beginning this fall, the University of Iowa will incorporate student ID cards into a new controlled access system for certain campus recreation buildings. The goal is to ensure students have first dibs on using these facilities, while faculty, staff and the public must purchase entry. The change came about after the school opened a new Campus Recreation and Wellness Center that resulted in each student paying an additional $219 in fees. Because of the extra costs the school felt it would be most fair if only students were granted free admission to these facilities. The best solution was to develop an access control system using student ID cards to grant entry.

The University of Virginia recently deployed a new, card-based access control system that uses wireless locks and dual-credentialing technology. Students can now use their campus ID cards in combination with a unique PIN number to gain access to residence halls and rooms. As an added security benefit, the locks are online and wireless, which allows school officials to create immediate lockdowns and update access control permissions.

Construction sites are home to valuable materials and equipment. And with hammering, drilling, and heavy machinery all around, a construction site can be a dangerous place for unauthorized visitors. Implementing a construction ID program is one way to make construction sites more secure. ID systems can be configured to control access points in addition to controlling access to the equipment and materials.

HID Global recently added a pair of new card readers to its lineup of multiCLASS products. These additions to the multiCLASS line aim to ease the transition from magnetic stripe and 125 kHz technologies to high-security 13.56 MHz smart cards.

As host to the Washington Redskins during the NFL season and various other sporting events throughout the year, FedExField in Andover, Maryland requires a large team of employees to keep the stadium running. During the off season, when there are no events, the stadium houses about 50 employees during the day. However, when an event rolls around, between seasonal, contract and temporary employees, the stadium workforce can expand to as many as 10,000 employees working for a single event. To secure access points and verify credentials, FedExField stadium operators implemented a new high-tech and biometric employee ID badge system.

University ID card programs come with significant benefits for students. The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota has come up with a new way to protect one of those benefits, university sponsored transportation, using already existing student ID cards.

Visitor management is one of the most effective ways you can increase safety in and around your facilities. By controlling access at the point of entry, you can keep a thorough record of all those who come and go throughout the day. In the days of yore, most visitor management systems consisted of nothing more than a ball-point pen and a sign-in sheet. But now you have much more sophisticated and effective options at your disposal, including AlphaTrack visitor management software, a powerful platform that provides tools for secure badge design, employee and visitor tracking, and access control.

Sheppard Air Force Base, a large training facility located in Wichita County, Texas, is implementing a new ID card system that aims to significantly improve security. They call it the Defense Biometric Identification System (or DBIDS), and it's being used not only at Sheppard, but throughout the Air Force's Air Education and Training Command, as well as other Department of Defense facilities.

Northern Michigan University recently upgraded their security systems in residence halls with a new card access system that links student access to their Wildcat Express student ID cards. The university decided to implement the new system to increase efficiency and security for the on campus buildings. Using student IDs as access cards makes it easier for university officials to manage the locking system for exterior doors to the residence halls.

Like many schools, Cal State Fullerton is finding new ways to increase the functionality of its student ID cards. This year, students can use their TitanCards for a variety of services including cashless payment, discount and rewards programs, and even keyless entry to dorms and other school facilities.

Drury University has installed new card readers in four campus buildings to increase security while granting students 24-hour access. Students can now use facilities such as the school's music building and fitness center all hours of the day and night without having to worry about intruders gaining access.

To increase security on the campus of San Jose State University, 27 buildings are having their exterior doors refitted for use with an electronic access control system. The automated system uses electronic key cards, rather than traditional metal keys, to allow students and other registered users to access buildings after hours and during weekends. These smart card student IDs use RFID technology to broadcast information to a special receiver near the door.

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.

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.

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.

EagleCard holders at Morehead State University just got a lot more privileges. More than 220 new contactless card readers have been installed around campus. Students and administrators are seeing the benefits of the new system. Student ID cards can now be used for access control, eating in dining halls, vending machines, copying and printing, and laundry.

A homeless shelter in York, England upgraded their security system to provide flexible access control that’s easy on the wallet. The Arc Light Project, a direct access shelter for homeless people recently moved into a custom designed building, and with it came a custom designed access control system. A state of the art electronic smart lock system provided the perfect security solution for the shelter.

Colorado State University is introducing a new student ID card, the RamCard, which can now be used as part of the university’s new keyless entry system for university buildings. Several of the university’s buildings have already been equipped with the new keyless entries and there are plans to expand the new system. The keyless entries cost about $2,000 per building, and buildings across campus are being equipped as university funding becomes available. Students are able to use their RamCard to gain entry to buildings after hours such as the computer lab. This new service is just another in a long list of amenities that the CSU student ID card offers. The RamCard can also be used for eating in dining halls and the student center food court, athletic events, banking, and laundry facilities in the residence halls. Current students can trade in their current ID cards and upgrade to the new RamCard for free.

The U.S. Department of Defense is researching the possibility of extending the functionality of the Common Access Card to include integration with physical access control systems. The Common Access Card is issued to active members of the military, the National Guard, reserve personnel, civilian military employees, and eligible contractors. Defense Department officials use the card as a flash badge and to access computer networks.

Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine is in the process of launching a new ID card system in which student IDs will be used to gain access to campus buildings and residence halls. Cards must be swiped through special readers located at the entrance of each building. The system grants access to authorized individuals, and also has the ability to track card-use. A history of card activity is stored on an IT server, where the school can access it in response to specific concerns, for instance investigating cases of theft or vandalism.

The Transportation Worker Identification Credential card (or TWIC) is something we've mentioned a few times in the past. This is the new, high-tech identification card that's slowly being phased into a number of U.S. ports. But this week, ports in New England will be the first to officially require all workers to carry the cards, which act as another layer of protection for areas considered to be vulnerable to terrorism.

Next semester, students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City will receive new student ID cards that include "Roo Bucks." What are Roo Bucks? Quite simple really; they're funds that can be added to a student ID, allowing for purchases at various university facilities like dining services, laundry machines, copy machines, and bookstores. And while I've never visited UMKC, I'm guessing their mascot might be the kangaroo? Anyway, this e-purse functionality is a common feature for many school ID programs, and it gives students a good deal of convenience by enabling them to use a single ID card to perform a number of tasks, including making purchases on campus and even off campus at participating local businesses.

The Army is testing out a pilot program that allows contract workers to use an ID card to gain access to Department of Defense (DOD) services and facilities. The DOD-approved card program, referred to as the Synchronized Pre-Deployment and Operational Tracker program (or SPOT for short), is designed to verify the identities of nongovernment personnel and give visibility to contractors in the battlefield.

HID Global announced this week that it's expanding its product offerings in the area of logical access control, with new solutions for converging security environments. HID on the Desktop, for instance, enables a single HID card to both open physical doors and also open Microsoft Windows on a PC. In the past, this would require two separate cards. With HID on the Desktop, the user just needs an HID card or token along with an OMNIKEY reader and HID's naviGO software.

This fall, undergrads and faculty at Harvard University will receive new ID cards featuring HID iCLASS technology. These contactless smart cards will not only be used for identification purposes, but also to control access to residential facilities and other campus buildings. The cards are highly secure, and can easily be adapted to new applications as needed.

Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio has a new access control system in place that will use student ID cards with proximity card technology. The card-based system will help control access to campus buildings, including student dormitories after hours. To gain access to their dorms, students must waive their ID cards in front of special proximity card readers located outside entrances. The reader must recognize the student's ID number, which is stored on the card, before allowing entry.

Martel College, a residential college at Rice University in Texas, is testing a new card-based access control system that allows Housing Operations to activate and deactivate access control to rooms wirelessly instead of manually. Now, rather than having to send someone out to change locks any time a student loses a key, the new system allows operators to simply deactivate a student's card, and reconfigure the lock wirelessly, from the housing office.

New College in Oxford is upping the level of security for campus buildings by integrating its student ID cards with an access control system. While the old students IDs featured magnetic stripes, the new cards will use Mifare contactless smart card technology. The access control system has been designed to control perimeter access to main building doors as well as individual student rooms. The system is also easily scalable in case future expansion is required.

Starting next fall, students, faculty and staff at Harvard University will receive new ID cards that use contactless smart card technology. The new cards will be much more secure than those used currently, and will help to greatly improve the university's access control system.

Students and summer youth employees in Washington D.C. will soon receive new SmartTrip One Cards good for travel throughout the entire Metro transit system. Initially, the One Card program was designed to provide District residents with access to certain facilities such as parks and recreation centers, and libraries. Now, with the cards doubling as SmarTrip cards, students will be able to use a single ID to ride the Metro and access their schools and workplaces.

City employees in Abilene, Texas will soon be required to carry ID badges to enter and move through city buildings. Abilene is in the process of setting up a card-based access control system that will secure all city buildings. Phase 1 of the project, which involves issuing employee ID cards, is now underway.

Valparaiso University is ending daytime open access to its dormitories and plans on setting up a card-based access control system by this summer or the start of the next school year. The new system will require student ID cards to open all residence hall entrances.

Armed guards at secure buildings weren't enough for LaSalle county, IL administrators - a recent decision has made it so that every coutny employee in the county's courthouse will be required to wear an ID badge and lanyard at all times during work hours. Members of the Courthouse and Jail committee designed the policy in February, and while the kinks of the program are still being ironed out, county employees can expect to have their ID photos soon.

The Department of Defense is making improvements to its ID card program in order to meet the requirements of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12. HSPD-12 calls for new personal identification verification (PIV) cards to be issued to all military and civilian employees working for the DoD. The enhanced PIV cards will use contactless card technology to provide physical and logical access to facilities as well as computer systems.

Ithaca College has begun installation of a new access control system for residence halls. The new system will require students to use their ID cards, rather than keys, to enter buildings. Special key card access boxes on the outer doors of residence halls will read the student IDs to grant access.

The United Arab Emirates is the newest country in a long line of nations to establish a national ID card program. National ID cards help identify citizens and also may guarantee services like healthcare, or serve as a driver's license. The difference with the new UAE national ID card? ATM functionality.

These days, the typical student ID card carries much more than a name and photo. For students enrolled at Ireland's Mary Immaculate College, the cards now provide access to campus buildings, dormitories, and their dorm rooms. The college recently installed a proximity card access control system that involves wall readers, IP-based door locks, and other integrated security features, all operating across a single network. To gain access to campus buildings, students must now hold their student IDs up to special proximity card reader. The cards provide convenience, enhanced security, and completely eliminate the need to carry physical keys.

Washington University in St. Louis has recently enacted a policy that requires students, faculty and staff to present their student ID cards when entering the Olin Library and the attached Whispers Cafe after 9PM.

HID Global, a world leader in identification solutions, announced last week that it has merged with ASSA ABLOY Identification Technologies - ASSA ABLOY will now operate as HID Global, and the merger promises many improvements in areas like technology development and identity solution in an age where ID cards and accurate identification is becoming more and more important.

Public offices in Los Angeles aren't concentrated - like the city, municipal office buildings and employees are scattered throughout the Los Angeles Basin. From its three city halls to the utility companies, employees had long used independent security systems - with each building being responsible for producing its own entry and access control cards.

British Airways has selected SALTO Systems to install a smart proximity access control system in its new, state-of-the-art passenger terminal at London’s Heathrow Airport. The system restricts access privileges to authorized personnel only, while also providing continuous audit trail information. It works with the staff ID cards for British Airways employees, giving the airline full control over their security requirements.

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center is implementing Mobilisa's Defense ID system in order to to secure the enormous facility, which has a potential patient population of 8 million people. The center will not be issuing their own cards; instead the Defense ID scanner reads data from any government ID card-- including Canadian driver's licenses-- and crosschecks each individual against more than 100 databases of criminal offenders and other parties who have been banned from military properties.

In Prince William County, which contains the second-largest school system in Virginia, 86 schools have implemented an electronic visitor check-in system to keep tabs on visitors and instantly check them against a 460,000-person-long list of sex offenders from across the country. The system, otherwise known as the Raptor, will note when visitors enter and exit the building and keep registered sex offenders off school grounds. These security systems are not unique to Prince William County, either. In Anne Arundel County, the Raptor has ensnared three sex offenders and led to one arrest. And by the end of the school year, officials in the Loudoun County school district want to install video cameras and intercomes outside school doors so that all visitors would have to be buzzed in.

If you've ever been to a government building, you know the drill. A security guard inspects your ID card, your belongings take a spin through the x-ray machine, and you stroll through the metal detector, hoping that that filling won't act up again. However, worries about fake IDs, forgery and attacks have caused concerns among some.

With growing concerns about unauthorized visitors on school grounds, South Carolina’s Spartanburg School District 4 is upping its level of security, beginning with a cutting-edge access control system at Woodruff Primary School. The system, which utilizes proximity card technology, is the first of its kind to be installed in a K-12 school in the state.