The global pandemic has driven businesses to adopt digital and low-touch – even no-touch – technologies wherever they can. Nico Els, Head: Card Personalisation at Altron FinTech says: “We’re faced with an increasingly mobile workforce that requires access to information in a secure manner using different devices and access portals. As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the migration from a physical to digital world, the issuance of identity cards or tokens is no exception.”
Whether it be an access control card, a membership card or a store loyalty card, the process is pretty much the same. The issuer requires a physical device to print the cards, the necessary software and a laptop connected to the device and/or a network. The card layout is set up in the software, the individual’s personal details – such as name, photograph and membership number – are added, then the card is printed.
The issuance of a card requires hardware, software and a trained operator. This could become cumbersome if the business has multiple branches located in multiple provinces around South Africa. For instance, if the operation has 25 outlets, it would require 25 installations of software and hardware as well as 25 people trained to use them. Should that person fall ill or resign, the business will be unable to issue ID cards until someone else has been trained.
Much as other digitisation challenges have been resolved, cloud-based software has come to the rescue in the form of an application that allows the business to issue a card on a connected device from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world. “If you want to issue a gym membership card in South Africa, the system operator can be based in the United States. All that’s required is to add the member’s credentials to the card design, then the card can be printed on site at the gym in South Africa. This is a powerful way of issuing a card instantly,” says Els.
In addition, using cloud-based software means the individual can also have the card or a digital token hosted digitally on their smartphone. “While people often mislay small plastic cards or forget them at home, they generally have their phones with them, so their phone can become a replacement for the physical card.”
Some retail outlets have already adopted this approach, encouraging customers to have their loyalty cards downloaded to their phones to avoid issues with magnetic strips that won’t swipe or damaged cards. The point of sale will scan the QR code or bar code on the digital version, which makes waiting for manager overrides a thing of the past. It’s also much more secure for users to have a digital token on their phone, with less likelihood of fraud.
The type of information included on the digital token can include the user’s name, role, photo, user number (or ID number), date of issue, expiry date and bar code or QR code, as well as the company name.
Previously, the customer filled in a physical form, which was sent away, and a few weeks later your card would arrive in the post. Alternatively the business could issue a card on the spot, but it didn’t have your credentials on it. Now, the business can issue a physical card on the spot with your credentials and/or the digital token on the cardholder’s smart device.
This means that a business can have a single person operating multiple printers across multiple locations, creating ID cards at the press of a button, eliminating unnecessary paperwork and being more secure from a data governance point of view. Individuals can capture their data using a phone, tablet or PC. All of which makes for a more convenient and safer process.
Els concludes: “IIDaas enables the convergence of digital and physical user credentials by enabling digital tokens on the user’s smartphone, smart watch or any other mobile device, freeing up the organisation to focus on the business instead of spending time and money addressing technological and skills challenges.”
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