The increase in instances of terrorist attack over the last three years coupled with the growth in identity related crimes has left no doubt in anyone’s mind about the need for effective visual identification systems. Whether it be in an office building, manufacturing plant, education institution or government facility, it is imperative that anyone moving into and around can be easily identified as someone who is supposed to be there if the security of the area and the people in it is to be maintained.

The difficulty for many security managers these days, however, is not so much implementing a good identification, as it is knowing which system to implement. With technology advancing so rapidly, it has become almost impossible to remain abreast of which systems are currently on the market, let alone whose system can do what.

Therefore, in the interests of good security, we thought we would take a look at a few of the more interesting and versatile photo identification systems entering the market for 2005.

There are basically two directions one can go with identification systems; either the “do-it-yourself“ type system, where everything from database management to the actual production of the identification is all taken care of in-house; or alternatively, there are a variety of managed solutions, where most of the production work is outsourced.

We begin with ID Warehouse, one of Australia’s largest distributors of identification products. Their flagship identification product, Asure ID™ is a comprehensive package offering a complete photo identification solution for all photo ID management and production needs.

An easy-to-use interface and powerful innovative features make this product one of the more versatile and user friendly ID solutions we have seen.