Smart cards Can be divided into RFID cards, NFC cards, Chip cards, IC cards, Magnetic cards, Barcode cards, and Plastic/PVC cards. As the different use way, it called contact cards and contactless cards.
MoreRFID Ltd, the trusted company from China, is a reliable name in this sector.
Apart from health and banking centers, businesses have started using smart cards as a form of identity verification of employees so that the data of the company stays safe.
A recent survey has shown that smart card manufacturer facilities in addition to protecting the information of an organization have also reduced the cost that is incurred by a company, significantly.
Exactly What Is a Smart Card?
Plastic cards have started being used extensively in the 21st century.
One of the commonly used and extremely popular forms of a plastic card is a smart card.
A smart card can be mistaken as a credit/debit card by a layman at first glance. But internally there’s a huge difference between a credit/debit card and a smart card.
Firstly, a debit card doesn’t have an inside, and it’s just a piece of plastic.
A smart card, on the other hand, consists of an embedded microprocessor. In a smart card, the microprocessor is placed under a gold contact pad on either side of the card.
The microprocessor has almost completely replaced the traditional magnetic stripes that could be found on credit/debit cards.
Smart cards have gotten relatively popular in Europe as opposed to the US. Banking sectors and health insurance companies have excessively made use of smart cards and printed electronics.
Therefore a lot of organizations in the US have invested in technology that is used to protect the information of customers from getting stolen, whereas the smart card manufacturer didn’t have to invest money in such an expensive system because the card carries this intelligence.
How Does Smart Card Work?
Unlike the traditional cards which use magnetic stripes to store data, smart cards make use of a microprocessor on which a lot of information can be stored.
A smart card can serve a lot of different purposes. You can use a smart card to run specific applications through the programming that is stored on it, and you can also update your smart card and add different information to it.
Since different information can be retained on smart cards, they can be used in a variety of different jobs.
How to Pick a Smart Card Manufacturer?
Having previously established that there are numerous benefits of a smart card.
It is safe to say that investing in a smart card for an organization can give it a competitive advantage so that it can stay on top of its game.
So if you are reading this page, then it’s quite likely that you have made the right decision of providing your employees with smart card facilities.
But there are numerous features of a smart card that should be considered carefully before picking a smart card manufacturer carefully.
So if you find yourself thinking that which card manufacturer you should opt for then read below some facts that you should consider.
There are plenty of factors that you should consider when it comes to picking a card manufacturer.
First of all, the smart card manufacturer that you use should have a good reputation in the market so that associating your business with it isn’t going to be harmful to your public image.
Especially since in this era associations and other companies that surround your business have an impact on how the consumers see your business.
Apart from the likeability factor, it is also important to choose this particular card manufacturer that provides your company with cards that are easy to use and efficient.
You don’t want your employees to get frustrated with the newfound technology in your organization.
Now let’s move on to the technological factors. There are two kinds of smart cards. The first one comes in a credit/debit card shape which is also known as ISO 7816 and the second one is a USB token.
If you guessed that the ISO 7816 is the most commonly used form of smart cards, then you are right.
ISO 7816 is used excessively because it provides graphical personalization and identity badging.
Apart from those two benefits the ISO 7816 also provides physical access by making use of its contactless interface.
By just waving the smart card in front of a door reader an employee is granted access when the authentication is successful.
USB token smart cards, on the other hand, don’t provide physical access for the most part because they aren’t considered compatible with such systems.
It gives ISO 7816 an edge over physical access. You might think that if ISO 7816 has so many benefits then why people would even think about going for the USB token smart cards.
Well, the reason is that USB smart cards don’t require a card reader, and they can just simply get connected to the USB port of your employees’ computer. Another benefit that USB token smart cards have over ISO 7816 is that they can be linked with a one-time password device. One-time password devices are still used by plenty of businesses because even though they are traditional, they are still a great way of providing authentication to employees because they don’t use client software.
Even though the USB smart card one-time password device comes in handy, it is quite expensive than the regular USB smart card. Therefore it’s wise to use this system only where it is necessary to minimize cost.
So to summarize we can articulate that the ISO 7817 is a very commonly used form of the smart card, but it isn’t always the best option. That’s where the USB token smart card comes in. It’s quite evident that the smart cards are not only safe but they also save a lot of money which goes into protecting the information of clients. Besides, a trusted and reputed smart card manufacturer is crucial for this purpose. So a business can choose between those two smart cards depending upon their needs and requirements.