ASSESSING THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ID BADGES

ID cards have definitely become part of the daily uniform that thousands of employees wear everyday to work. From plain name badges to highly sophisticated HID cards that not only allow business organizations to identify and distinguish each of their staff members but also establish customized clearance levels in order to monitor who enters the premises and who has access to otherwise restricted areas, ID badges play an important role in the corporate environment nowadays. In fact, large international corporations, medium sized companies and small business organizations have largely adopted them since the dreadful events of September 2001.

Undoubtedly, ID badges are highly popular. But what are their pros and cons? Let’s review them in this article.

Advantages of ID Badges
To begin with, ID badges provide business companies with an easy and affordable way of identifying their different staff members and distinguish them from visitors, guests and strangers.

In addition, these identification devices allow organizations to provide their staff members with a secure working environment as only authorized people can gain access to the premises.

ID badges also help to build a sense of community within the organization as employees can easily recognize other fellow co workers and make it much easier for them to learn each other’s names and in which area they work.
What is more, they enable companies to reduce significantly the amount of paperwork they handle on a regular basis. Most cards come with embedded chips, magnetic stripes or bars and other features that allow business owners and managers not only to prevent their badges from being copied or tampered but also to incorporate to them plenty of information concerning the card holder that can be easily accessed from any computer without the need of having it printed.

Disadvantages of ID Badges
One of the main disadvantages of ID badges, and in fact the only one, is that they can put your company at risk of . If they do not have the correct security features or if they are just plain name badges  they can be easily copied or tampered or even forged by unscrupulous individuals who may then end up having access to your company’s private sensitive information.

This is why it is of utmost importance for business owners and managers never to throw away their unused or outdated ID badges without shredding them first. ID thieves are on the look for these cards and, if they find them, it is really easy for them to use it to enter you premises