UNDERSTANDING HID CARDS AND HOW THEY WORK

It is not news at all that security is of utmost importance for business managers and owners; especially after the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, companies of all sizes heightened their security policies and adopted every possible measure to keep their premises protected.

Many of these organizations, especially large corporations, military bases, government facilities and chemical and pharmaceutical labs have opted for HID cards. These highly sophisticated ID badges are so powerful that those who are not very much acquainted with them might think that they are large or heavy. In fact, they are about the size of a regular driver’s license and they are not heavier than an ordinary ID badge. What makes them so powerful and attractive is that they can be used not only to identify who wants to enters the company’s premises but also to limit who does. In other words, HID cards serve access control purposes as well as they enable business owners and managers to establish different clearance levels that limit or allow access to certain restricted areas.

However, the card in itself does not provide the card holder with the possibility of accessing an area. It has to be matched with a complete ID system that provides security. The other elements required are: an access control panel, a card reader and a computer. Thus, it is like having an electronic security official that grants permission to enter the premises only to authorized staff members.

HID cards are embedded with a binary code that is unique to each card. Every time the user swipes the card over the card reader, it reads this code and transmits it to the control panel. There it is analyzed to check if the user has the clearance level required to be granted permission to enter. This access control panel does not only read the data sent to it but also keeps track of the length of the code, its format and the order in which the numbers are situated. If the code matches the specific requirements that have been previously established for that particular door, the card holder is granted access. If it is not, he has to stay out. This highly technical and difficult process takes place in only a few seconds, fact that makes HID cards even more powerful and attractive.

It is even possible to establish a time period in which different cards can be allowed permission to enter, thus making even larger the possibilities that these cards bring to business managers in order to keep their premises secure.