Badges a la carte
GCN Insider | Your badge holder can be as important as your badge
- By Michelle S. Haase
- Aug 24, 2007
Apparently, radio frequency identification-blocking badge holders are a hotter topic than we thought.
GCN recently mentioned a badge holder from Smart Tools that blocks transmission of RFID data while allowing the badge to be inspected ('Beam me up ' or not,' GCN, July 16, 2007). The product recently received Federal Information Processing Standard 201 approval.
Suddenly it seemed FIPS 201-approved badge holder vendors were coming out of the woodwork.
For example, the Secure Badgeholder from Identity Stronghold looks like a clipboard. It allows you to view the badge without removing it from the holder.
A company called Logic First uses a proprietary RFID-shielding material called Skim-SHIELD in its FIPS 201-approved badge holders. Skim-SHIELD is semitransparent so you can read the back and front of the badge while it's in the holder.
Orient Instrument Computer also makes FIPS 201-approved inserts, and although this product isn't semitransparent, the company makes a printable version so organizations can create a custom design with logos or other information.
These products are grouped into a category called electromagnetically opaque sleeves on the FIPS 201-approved product list. This category also includes RFID-blocking wallets, sleeves and passport holders. Identity Stronghold even makes a cardholder and notebook combination that lets users keep track of card usage. We just wish we had as many choices of potential lunch spots.