Smart cards are the ideal technology for increasing the safety standards of your business. Security should be everyone’s number one priority in this day and age, and the right type of plastic smart card is going to help you to implement the correct measures to improve your environment’s overall safety. Whether you’ve already secured yourself a technological security system or you’re interested in investing in a set of smart cards and a compatible smart card reader, you should be informed on how they actually work! Here is everything you need to know about smart cards and their benefits…
What are Smart Cards?
Smart cards are plastic cards that contain an embedded integrated circuit, that carries a memory chip or a secure intelligence with it’s own memory. This card can connect to a reader either through direct contact or by communicating with it using radio frequency interface. When a card features an embedded microcontroller, they have the ability to store a large amount of memory and perform their own security functions.
What is the Difference Between Contactless and Regular Smart Cards?
Contactless smart cards utilise radio frequency interface (or RFID for short) to communicate with a card reader. RFID is where an electromagnetic field sparks the chip within a smart card to life, enabling it to access and to translate it’s stored data to the smart card reader which is creating this field. The communication is then digested and this can determine whether payment, access or identification is enabled – to name a few different smart card uses. Regular smart cards will need to be tapped, swiped or scanned to enable this communication to happen. This form of smart card technology can be prioritised in higher security environments as this extra measure ensures that security standards are tightly maintained by everyone passing through.
What Makes Smart Cards Ideal for ID Badges?
Smart cards are largely considered the most secure, consistent and usable means of presenting identity or controlling access in a range of different environments. Whether you run a corporate operation, a pub, club or bar, or you’re simply looking to create a more secure environment for your building, smart card technology will help to elevate the impact of a simple identity card system. This is due to the fact that a smart card contains an embedded circuit chip that can act as a memory, storing the details and movements of the card carrier. This is then communicated with a compatible ID card reader, which is either done through the physical act of tapping, scanning or swiping, or it can be done through contactless presentation. This is where an electromagnetic field springs the chip inside of the ID to life, enabling it to communicate its stored data to the reader when it is within that energetic zone. These cards can carry their own functions and store a mass amount of data, making them a fantastic choice for diverse and multi-use ID cards. Your cards can carry a number of different security functions and technologies through elements such as visual security identifiers (pictures, names, details, serial numbers etc.), magnetic stripes, barcodes, optical stripes, embossing or holographic detailing. A combination of these various features and technologies will result in smart card IDs that support the safety and smooth running of your workplace. Use these smart IDs as time trackers, access controllers or as simple IDs, whatever fits your security standards.
Are you ready to invest in high security plastic smart cards for your business? Start searching for a reputable provider to enhance your safety standards.
