News

Security, surveillance and software: Putting pictures, prints on bar codes

Synercard Corp.

The Ottawa Citizen

Monday, October 29, 2001

The problem: Identifying employees

The product: Photo ID card technology

Since Sept. 11, Synercard Corp. of Hull has found companies expressing far more interest in its photo ID card technology, a basic tool to control access to offices and installations.

"There's absolutely more curiosity out there," says company founder and president Bruce Bianco. "In the past weeks, people have become more aware of security, and that's reflected in the number of calls we're getting from potential customers."

The facilities to produce advanced photo ID cards are expensive -- far beyond most companies' security budgets. But four years ago, Bianco saw a way of trimming that expense. Synercard would produce software to allow even small companies to design their own photo ID cards. Those companies would then send the designs, in ready-to-print format, over a secure Internet connection to a Synercard partner that had the expensive equipment that actually prints the cards.

"Now any size of company or organization can use advanced photo ID technology to protect people and resources," Bianco says.

An energy plant, for example, could issue cards with two levels of photo identification. A photo of an employee could appear on the front of the card, just as they do on driver's licences. But a second photo could be invisibly encoded in a bar code -- and only be seen when the card was inserted into a bar code reading device.

A security officer would see a person's face in the flesh, a picture printed on the card, and another picture on the bar code reader. If all three match, there's very high probability that the person really is the individual whose name appears on the card.

Other identification markers, like biometric thumbprints, could also be put in the bar code.

The cards can have unusual uses. Airport authorities, for example, can use them to quickly verify the identity of frequent passengers, shortening the boarding process.

Eighty-five per cent of Synercard's business is in the United States, with Canada and Europe evenly dividing the rest.

The privately held company's sales have increased 300 per cent in each of the last two years, making it hard to say just what portion of growth is due to fears of terrorism, Bianco says.

"But the events of Sept. 11 have made everyone more conscious of security -- and more curious about products that make them more secure."

© Copyright 2001 The Ottawa Citizen

For More Information Contact:
Bruce Bianco, President
Synercard Corporation
Tel: (819) 777-6687, Ext.3122
Fax: (819) 777-8114
Email: bbianco@synercard.com

All trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders in Canada and/or other countries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Rod Macivor, The Ottawa Citizen / Bruce Bianco, president of Synercard,
with ID card that when scanned.


Shows subject's thumb print.