Orientation for the influx of new students to your college or university fall semester is just around the corner. It's also the time you issue photo identification cards for students, faculty, volunteers, staff, and others. It might be time to upgrade your ID card software program if you want to get even more mileage out of your cards.
What you get with upgraded ID software
Students, faculty, visitors, and others can use their ID cards for more than mere identification. You can add functionality to your cards that lets cardholders:
- Access labs and other restricted areas.
- Sign into class to track attendance.
- Offer cashless payment options at campus food programs.
- Check out library books or A/V equipment.
- Check in at the campus recreation center or sporting events.
- Track their time for on-campus employment.
You can also issue multi-functional cards to visitors that will restrict or provide access to specific facilities and buildings. ID card software lets you manage who's on campus, who's a student/faculty, and who are visitors. To provide this level of functionality more than likely requires a software upgrade.
There are three levels of software solutions from which to choose. Let's look at your options.
Level 1 - Entry
This is basic ID card software that produces a simple ID card without the ability to maintain a database. If you don't need a database of card holders, but still want to add barcodes or encode magnetic stripes, this is the perfect level to start with.
You get:
- Single workstation. You can't network this level of software.
- No outside databases. You must manually type in all data for your cards.
- Single card printing. You can print a single card at a time (no batch printing).
- 200 records. This level software lets you collect 200 records of simple information.
- Encoding. You can add a barcode or encode magnetic stripes.
If you want more functionality, let's look at the other options.
Level 2 - Mid
If you have an external database you need to connect to your ID cards, this is the next step. Called "Design & Save," you can design the perfect student ID card, save individual cardholder records, and search those records.
This is probably the most popular level for organizations that want to include an external database of information and manage their records. You can:
- Install on a single workstation.
- Print your ID cards in batches and one at a time.
- Connect to an external database to give you more information.
- Add barcodes and magnetic stripes.
- Access unlimited record storage.
Now you see why it's called "Design & Save." If you want even more functionality, you need the top level software.
Level 3 - Fully featured
If you have thousands of ID cards to print each year, want to add advanced card encoding, and need flexible database requirements, this is the software for you. You get everything the Entry and Mid-level software programs do, but so much more. Here's what you can do with the premiere level ID card software.
- Connect to more types of databases.
- Network the software so various workstations can access.
- Add barcodes and magnetic stripes.
- Encode smart cards that skyrocket cardholders' options like contactless options for events, time/attendance tracking, building access, and cashless payment.
- The more security you need, the more enhanced security features you can add.
Since security on campus is a concern today, boosting the security of your student and faculty ID card solution helps you manage the safety of everyone on your campus.
Final thoughts
The more you can do with your ID cards, the happier—and safer—cardholders will be. Only you can decide what level software will help you design the card solution you need most. What helps, though, is having access to the ID Experts at Idesco. We have over 75 years of experience in providing safe, secure ID cards to organizations just like yours. Let us guide you through a series of questions to help pinpoint exactly what you need that meets or exceeds your functionality, security, and budgetary needs.
Call an Idesco ID Expert today at 212-889-2531 to lean on our experience.