Smart cards are increasingly used in the modern day office environment as a valuable security solution. Generally a smart card is a credit card sized device which is comprised of minute integrated circuits which operate like a small computer. It has the capability to store, procecc and make available for retrieval various types of information. However, smart cards don t have a display screen or a keyboard for input.
These smart cards have been utilised around Europe for well over a decade and are particularly prevalent in the health and banking industries. Each of the cards has the ability to hold up to an impressive 10,000 MB of data, which is equivalent to hubdreds of pages worth of information. They are increasingly used to take the place of magnetic strip cards that are so widely used in the banking and credit card industry. In an increasingly security conscious society, there is an increase in the number of companies who are moving to take advantage of the benefits of using security smart cards for identification purposes in a variety of areas.
As well as having integrated circuits and their own operating system, most security smart cards will typically have ROM, RAM and a central processing unit. They are mini computers which are used for pre defined purposes and are capable of processing, storing and securing data. The information that is stored onto the smart card s microchip can only by accessed by card readers which communicate with the chip operating system. This makes the system much more secure since a user must enter a password in order to gain entry into certain data compartments of the chip s memory.
Another security feature which is used in the more sophisticated smart cards is encryption. This allows information to be stored securely and then decoded when necessary. To add an extra element of security, most cards include a hologram to prevent them from being counterfeited.
Smart cards are more than capable of handling the tasks that have long been associated with PCs and other technologies. Because smart cards are reliable, easy to use and above all portable many organisations and corporations are including them in their departmental/faculty computer access procedures. This would allow two staff members with different responsibilities to access the same computer, yet they would each only have access to the particular files associated with their job.
In the US health care industry the smart card may contain information on the insurance provider which can be easily transferred to the required medical form. Personalized medical information could also be encrypted in a secure folder on the microchip which would then require another level of authorization to access.
The benefits of using smart cards as part of a corporate wide security plan are numerous. Many businesses find that smart cards are very cost effective in the long run. They also make it possible to eliminate the need for one expensive centrally located computer to facilitate different transactions. Smarty cards are an ideal security choice for buildings which are in more remote locations where wired communications are not readily available. School and caolleges in particular are increasingly using smart card techmology to manage access their campus buildings.
Author Resource:
Dave Matthews is writing on behalf of Universal Smart Cards (http://www.usmartcards.com ), a supplier of secure smart cards.
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