Identification Systems Group

Scaling Your Enterprise Security with Biometrics In a time marked by prevalent security breaches and identity theft, biometric technology stands out as a promising solution. Many large enterprises are gravitating toward biometric deployments to enhance security and streamline access control. However, scaling these deployments effectively poses significant challenges. Let’s explore the achieving scale in biometric deployments, focusing on integration, security, and best practices. An Increasing Demand for Biometric Deployments Biometric systems use unique physical characteristics—such as fingerprints, facial authentication, and iris scans—to verify identities. Unlike traditional methods like passwords or ID cards, biometric systems provide a higher level of security since biometric traits are difficult to replicate or steal. Key Features of an Effective PAC System Let’s explore the key features essential for a scalable PAC (Physical Access Control) system: Read the rest here: https://t.ly/EmNd4

Rethinking Facility Security Budget Funding The notorious cliché holds true: Security budgets are often chronically underfunded, until a tragic event or substantial loss triggers a scramble for solutions. In a climate of a volatile economy, escalating crime rates, and rising workplace violence, the need to rethink our approach to facility security funding has never been more pronounced. As experts in the physical security space, we must strive to shift from reactive responses to proactive strategies. Too often, organizations “put locks on the barn door after the horses have gotten out,” focusing on the status quo instead of envisioning and preparing for potential future risks. Data is the Key to Funding But what happens when the common refrain echoes, “I have no budget and not a lot of buy-in from executive leadership?” This is where the power of data comes into play. We already collect billions of data points daily but often struggle to use this data to secure funding. In other words, how do we sell valuable data to different departments to obtain buy-in for security initiatives? Read more: https://t.ly/YYR0j #Hirsch #Security #Funding

Cyber Insurance Necessitates Secure Authentication Do You Need Cyber Insurance? The World Economic Forum forecasts that cybercrime will skyrocket in coming years, with the global cost of cyberattacks expected to reach $23.82 trillion in U.S. dollars by 2027. While large cyberattacks like the Royal Mail ransomware attack in the UK, the LastPass data breach, and the Toyota Financial Services attack make headlines, smaller companies are at high risk, too. There are more than 2,200 cyberattacks reported daily, with a cybersecurity incident taking place on average every 39 seconds. Attacks on small businesses now account for 43% of all cybercrime, with an average cost of $200,000 per incident—enough to put many smaller companies out of business entirely. Small to medium-sized enterprises are often seen as low-hanging fruit by cyber criminals due to typically weaker cybersecurity defenses, and many lack the resources to fully recover from a cyberattack. That’s why cyber insurance is becoming increasingly necessary for businesses of all sizes and industries. Cyber insurance is a crucial safety net for companies in an era of increasingly pervasive cyber risk. This is especially true for organizations in healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, energy and utilities, and government sectors, which can provide tempting targets for ransom attacks as well as data theft. However, any organization handling sensitive customer data or intellectual property can be at risk of a data breach. Read the rest here: https://t.ly/kGSUt #ELATEC #cyberinsurance #secureauthentication

5 Best Practices for Healthcare Visitor Identification If you’re involved in security within a healthcare facility, you’re responsible for the safety of all people within the building – visitors, employees, and patients. Balancing the wants and needs of these parties in a healthcare facility can be difficult, especially when attempting to create a secure and welcoming site. Visibly identifying all visitors is extremely important in creating a safer hospital campus. It allows staff and patients to know who is allowed onsite with just a glance, creating a secure environment for staff to care for patients. The ISG has been a leader in healthcare identification for over 40 years, including visitor identification. Below are some healthcare visitor identification best practices to help support your safety goals while also keeping the visitor check-in process both efficient and welcoming. Read more at the ISG: https://t.ly/XYK28 #PDC #healthcare #visitormanagement

The Biometric Influence on Medical Data Security The US healthcare system is rapidly digitizing. As the healthcare sector increasingly relies on electronic health records, telemedicine and interconnected medical devices, the vulnerability of sensitive medical information to breaches and unauthorized access has grown exponentially. With its cutting-edge technology and unique identifiers, biometrics has become a powerful tool for strengthening medical data security. The Important Role of Biometrics Biometrics is the science of measuring and analyzing individuals’ unique physical or behavioral characteristics. These characteristics include fingerprints, facial features, iris patterns, voice and DNA. Biometric authentication relies on the distinctiveness of these traits to verify a person’s identity, making it a robust and reliable method for enhancing security across various sectors, including healthcare. The Vulnerability of Medical Data Medical data, encompassing patients’ records, diagnoses, treatment plans and other sensitive information, is a prime target for cybercriminals. These data breaches jeopardize individual privacy and can have other far-reaching consequences, like identity theft, insurance fraud and even the potential compromise of patient care. Read more at the ISG: https://t.ly/xMiMO #RightPatient #medicaldata #biometricsecurity

YMCKOO – A Double Layer for Double Protection The YMCKOO color ribbon is a popular ribbon choice for card printers used in various industries, such as healthcare, finance, hospitality and more. It is designed to print full-color images, text and graphics on PVC cards, with added protection. What is a YMCKOO Ribbon? A YMCKOO color ribbon is a five-panel color ribbon designed for dye-sublimation printers. The letters YMCKOO stand for Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Black (K), Overlay and Overlay. These panels are arranged in a specific order, each contributing to the final image. The first three panels (Yellow, Magenta, and Cyan) mix to produce a wide range of colors. The fourth panel (Black or “K”) is used for text and fine lines. The “K” refers to an old industry term for “Key” meaning it is the layer providing the most detail or the outline of the print, which in traditional printing was usually a black ink layer. The two Overlay panels provide a protective layer over the entire image, making it more durable and resistant to fading and scratches. Read the rest here: https://t.ly/ae0q_ #BadgePass #IDCardPrinters #IDCardPrinting

Read This Before Migrating to Mobile Credentials What is a Mobile Credential? A mobile credential is a digital representation of a user’s identity. It is usually stored on a smartphone or mobile device in the form of an encrypted ID number. Depending on the system setup, it may be stored in a dedicated access control app or a mobile wallet, such as Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Within an access control context, mobile credentials work similarly to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) card or physical token—in fact, a mobile credential may be considered a card emulator. Instead of carrying a separate card or fob, the user simply presents his or her smartphone or smartwatch near the reader for instant, contactless access. The smartphone sends the identification to the RFID reader wirelessly using Near-field Communication (NFC) or Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) technology. Both of these technologies are available in virtually all smartphones sold today. • NFC works at short range (within a few centimeters) and operates at 13.56 MHz, the same frequency used by HF RFID cards. This makes NFC largely identical in operation to card technologies. • BLE operates at the 2.4 GHz frequency and supports communication ranges of up to 100 meters. Read the rest at the ISG: https://t.ly/NOZb9 #MobileCredentials #MobileAccess #ELATEC

Are Keycards Still Sufficient for Campus Security? According to a recent Verkadas survey, 40 percent of workers say they are more concerned about personal safety at work than they were just a year ago. Safety concerns are leading many organizations to reconsider their physical access control systems – specifically, understanding if they are still sufficient or effective as they are currently implemented. As most of us know, a physical access control system allows organizations to manage who enters a physical space. Doors and locks are the most basic form of physical access control. Traditionally, these have relied on keycards and fobs incorporated into electronic systems, which then allow designated people to enter protected areas at specific access control points. However, keycards and fobs aren’t perfect, dupe-proof systems, due to the fact that they’re not bound to an individual. It is all too easy for someone to give or loan their keycard or fob to someone else, or for this type of credential to be stolen, allowing access to unauthorized individuals. Read the rest at the ISG: https://t.ly/xcC-M #campussafety #campussecurity #accesscontrol

3 Ways to Enhance Data Center Security The physical security of a data center environment is a critical component in maintaining the trust of clients who rely on these facilities to protect sensitive information. With personal data being processed at record levels and the growth of cloud computing fueling our new normal, it’s more important than ever to ensure a cohesive approach to securing access to customer PII (Personally Identifiable Information). Data center providers are entrusted with protecting their assets and customers from a business, moral, and legal standpoint. Numerous compliance mandates exist to guide how security should be approached in protecting data center facilities across various industries. This blog will dive into key compliance frameworks and guidelines, illustrating their importance in safeguarding customer data in the data center industry. Data Center Key Compliance Frameworks 1) PCI DSS for the Financial Industry The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) governs the physical security and access control measures required for areas processing sensitive cardholder payment data. This includes data centers and customer contact centers where customer payment information is stored, handled, or processed. Read the rest at the ISG: https://t.ly/TUfKI #bioconnect #datacenters #physicalsecurity

7 Reasons Why Visitor Management is Crucial for Healthcare A comprehensive visitor management system is a visitor tracking solution that can help your healthcare facility run more efficiently, enabling you to keep track of patient visits, manage access to restricted areas, and reduce the risk of unwanted intrusions at your hospital or clinic. Implementing a visitor management system allows for easier identification of visitors and can help ensure that only authorized individuals are granted access to your facility. The reasons for implementing an effective visitor management system include, but are not limited to: 1) Assisting with the Flow of Traffic When visitors to a healthcare facility are guided through an orderly process, it ensures that they will not overcrowd or hinder other patients’ access to care. By creating clear check-in procedures and ensuring that only authorized people are allowed in the patient’s room, a visitor management system allows you to keep your patients safe from infection by ensuring that each person comes into contact with others only when necessary—and this goes for both staff and visitors! It also makes it easy for you to ensure confidentiality for your patients and their families—a vital part of patient care that often gets overlooked because it’s not always directly related to medical treatment itself (though it should be!). Read the rest at the ISG: https://t.ly/XhWxN #Higgins #VisitorManagement #Healthcare