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Glossary
About Security Cards
Adding security cards to your business or organization can help you maintain access control and ensure that your employees and company information and inventory remain safe. Security cards are easy to create with an ID card system and the right software.
What is a Security Card, Exactly?
A security card can refer to an ID card that has specific physical security measures that either encode information or prevent counterfeiting. Security measures for cards vary by printer, and can include:
- Proximity/RFID – Proximity technology is a common feature on many secure cards and a popular method of access control. Radio waves communicate between an antenna embedded in the ID card and the reader in order to verify information.
- Smart Cards – Smart cards or smart chip cards, which use a small embedded microprocessor to release information to a reader or scanner, are popular for banking applications like ATM cards. The microprocessors in smart cards are usually encrypted and tamper-resistant.
- Watermarks – A method of physical security, watermarks are images printed onto a security card which prevent the ID badge from being copied or illicitly reproduced.
- Holographic Overlays – Like watermarks, holographic overlays are security measures which prevent a photo ID from being tampered with or reproduced without authorization. However, with overlays, the holographs are printed onto an adhesive sheet that fits over the entire security card, usually with a repeated image.
These security features are used on many different types of cards – from employee IDs to bus passes, and are instrumental in helping these cards perform their duties efficiently.
Security Cards and Access Control
A security card can also be a card that helps establish building security through access control. In an access control system, security cards are used to verify identity through various access points in order to prevent unauthorized cardholders or visitors from entering restricted areas. For example, a grocery store might use access control to prevent customers and unauthorized employees from entering their offices. An office might use security cards to ensure that only employees enter the workplace.
Making security cards for access control is as simple as making an ID card – just design and print using your ID card system. Creating and enforcing an access control system requires special software and card readers (which are just as easy to operate as an ID system).
