As a veteran of the card issuance and identification sector of the security industry, Craig Sandness will be quick to admit that not much has changed in the ID printer business during his more than two decades with Fargo and HID. That is, until now.
Sandness, who is currently the Vice President and Managing Director of the Secure Issuance business unit within HID Global, says that the company's new HID FARGO Connect solution being launched at ASIS 2017 this week in Dallas is a game-changer. Providing us a sneak preview of what HID and FARGO are calling the world’s first cloud-based personalization and issuance solution for identification and access control cards, Sandness says this technology advancement was a direct result of client need and input.
Fargo introduced its first desktop card printer in 1994 and, in reality, not a lot involving card issuance has changed since then other than the technology that is on the card. The evolution of that ID card began with people wanting to print their cards quickly and with a high-quality image. Then as technology grew, customer requests were for a more seamless experience where they could print the image and encode the card at the same time whether it was a magstripe or a contact or contactless smart card.
“We are now seeing an end-user revolution that has them saying I still want to print a great card and use multiple technologies of my choosing but I really need to manage the issuance of the cards throughout my organization,” explains Sandness. “That calls for a change in the basic delivery and issuance of card technology that we’ve seen over the years, which has been a printer connected to computer to design and ultimately print the card and a completely separate communication arrangement with an integrator or fulfillment partner to continually provide consumables for that product and issuance system.”
According to Sandness, the new launch at ASIS is a way to connect the customer to the Fargo printers via the cloud. The fact that this cloud-based printer ID system totally changes the issuance paradigm is important enough, but realizing it allows a lot of flexibility for the end-users who are no longer limited or tied to that printer and computer, in addition to allowing the flexibility to issue credentials from any device providing mobility and remote issuance capabilities, opens up endless possibilities.
“It also eliminates the need for standalone printers anchored to a PC that helps streamline the issuance of cards and credentials.”
He cites the example of a large university that might have credentialing offices located at various points around the campus like the library, cafeteria, athletics office and the security department. Now administrators have the flexibility to take mobile devices like a tablet, capture a person’s image, send and store that image via the cloud, then download, print and issue that credential at a later date from one central issuance location.
“This is an ideal solution for a campus environment or a global corporation that has locations spread throughout the country or around the world. It allows the end-user efficiencies that eliminate the need to send out ‘boot force’ to physically go out and manage each printer set up on site. Every function can be remotely managed via the cloud. The cloud can recognize when that machine requires maintenance, when it is running low on ribbons or cards and if any other consumables need replenishing. So it has built in a lot more efficiency for the organization and simplified the issuance process,” says Sandness.
The Benefits of HID FARGO Connect
Calculating the benefits of HID FARGO Connect can be done from both a technology and business perspective. The cloud provides card office managers full visibility and control like they have never previously enjoyed by allowing them to pick the time and place to capture and transmit; doing it from multiple or one central location if they choose.
“You simply cannot manage multiple remote deployments of products without this solution,” Sandness adds.
The business argument is clear with the option for a CAPEX or OPEX investment. The new economic model and service options for high-volume ID management and delivery are truly unique.
“An organization can make this an OPEX investment rather than a CAPEX investment. Today the client must purchase the printers up front then negotiate what service contract might be most fitting for them and then figure out how they want to source the needed consumables as they move forward. This program allows them to participate in an OPEX environment where, if they choose, they can have their monthly identity fulfillment needs handled on a monthly or annual contract basis based on a fit for purpose type service they want to receive,” Sandness says, adding that there is a net-net benefit for the business as well that comes from the partners becoming edge devices on the Internet of Things rather than being connected directly to the computer.
As for security, the HID FARGO Connect is an extremely safe environment assures Sandness since the solution employs end-to-end encryption and Identrust Certificates.
“HID has moved beyond just being a provider of physical access control. The goal is powering trust and identity for people, places and things, and by doing that making sure we provide a very high-security environment. The acquisition of Identrust enables us to make sure we can provide end-to-end encryption of that data flowing to the print job,” he says.
The HID FARGO Connect solution can be built into access control card IDs and the One Card solution. Print jobs can still be sent to individual desktop printers but they can also be sent to other various locations for level-load printing or just to match the relevant needs of the cardholder wishing to get a new card.
“This creates a new user experience almost akin to an Apple Store type environment. The student comes in and is greeted by someone from the university with an iPad capturing the image, they hand you a cup of coffee and while the student waits, they walk around the corner and grab your ID badge,” Sandness says. “You have created an entirely new user experience that ends all the frustration and wasted time of traditional badge issuance architecture. It’s all about the increased efficiency and better service provided the end user.”
About the Author:
Steve Lasky is a 30-year veteran of the security industry and the Editorial Director for the Southcomm Security Media Group, which includes SecurityInfoWatch.com, Security Dealer & Integrator (SD&I) magazine and Security Technology Executivemagazine. Reach him at [email protected].
