It's an unfortunate reality for many schools and school districts around the country: there's simply not enough money in the budget to meet every school need.

It takes a lot to run a successful school. From paying teachers a deserving wage to ensuring that students have the supplies and modern educational tools they need, those line items add up quickly.

It makes sense, then, that cuts and concessions are often made. One of the areas that is often subjected to cutbacks is school safety and security.

On some levels, it makes sense: if the choice comes down to buying updated textbooks or installing a new school surveillance system, the right choice is pretty clear.

However, it's also pretty clear that school security is of the utmost importance. No school wants to feel like it isn't doing enough to protect its students from harm.

Fortunately, resources exist to help remove some of the burden from schools seeking a security upgrade.

Where to find school security grants

In healthcare, identification is key. Having proper identification helps patients feel more at ease, allowing them to know the name and title of the person providing care.

Many states require ID badges to be worn at all times, and most individual healthcare organizations have some kind of ID badge policy in place. 

When wearing an ID badge, the badge must be facing front at all times, or else it's pretty much just an employee wearing a white card.

Don't display card backs! You can keep your ID badge facing front using the same method currently employed by many healthcare facilities around the country: by using the twist-free B-Reel badge reel.

See how the B-Reel keeps your ID card facing front at all times

The specific reasons why an organization chooses to adopt a Visitor Management system vary from site to site, but the overarching reason is the same across the board: Visitor Management is added in order to solve a problem.

The problem being solved could be obvious, like enhancing security site-wide after a violent incident. It could also be a more subtle, behind-the-scenes problem, like a facilities manager choosing to add Visitor Management to better analyze the number of guests his or her building sees on a given day.

Regardless of the impetus, Visitor Management systems aren't usually installed for no reason whatsoever; something is driving the adoption.

The good news is that today's electronic Visitor Management systems are versatile and powerful enough to solve a wide variety of problems, from logistical issues to security concerns.

How do we know?

We've used Visitor Management to solve a number of problems for our customers.

Fake names, no records and more

The main goal of any Visitor Management system is, of course, to properly and effectively process and track guests.

The impetus behind this goal can vary from site to site, but one main, across-the-board reason is that organizations want to take steps to protect their people and premises, and restricting access to facilities is a huge part of achieving that goal.

When purchasing a Visitor Management system, then, it stands to reason that you know what you're getting: additional safety for your site and a way to better track who's on your premises.

Is that all?

Nope!

Like a cheesy, late-night infomercial, "but wait — there's more!"

Aside from giving your organization a better way to track who's on-site at any given time and ensuring that only welcome guests are able to access your facilities, having a Visitor Management system installed at your site provides a number of additional benefits.

From making a strong first impression to covering your back in case of issues down the line, installing a Visitor Management system will have a positive impact on your site far beyond just issuing badges.

From a curiosity standpoint, stickyback cards have one of the most interesting names of any product in our offering.

"Stickyback." 

Just reading the word raises all kinds of questions.

• Is it some kind of candy bar?
• Is it someone describing a piece of tape?
• Did someone fall in a giant bucket of honey? Is that how he or she ended up getting so sticky?

Yes, there are plenty of questions about stickybacks, but let's address the most important one first (no, not the honey): what, exactly, is a stickyback ID card?

Stickyback cards are adhesive-backed cards designed to be attached to some kind of existing ID card or credential.

They're a unique and versatile ID solution, enabling organizations to save money while still identifying all of their employees.

Learn more about stickyback cards and how our customers use them

Lanyards are one of the most popular ways to carry and display an ID badge, and it's easy to see why. They are, among other things, a very easy-to-use, versatile card accessory.

Custom lanyards take all that's good about a plain lanyard and magnify it with the addition of eye-catching branding. By putting your logo, slogan or other imagery on a custom lanyard, you're offering a way to carry a card or badge that also promotes your brand.

Basically, a cool custom lanyard can serve as a mini-billboard for your organization!

Whether you're using custom lanyards to sell in a gift shop or to issue to your employees, it's important to know what you're getting. And when you're designing your own custom lanyard, you're faced with a ton of choices:

Do you want a safety breakaway? What kind of finishing option do you need? Will you be wanting a plastic card clip, or a swivel hook? What material do you like?

It's enough to make your head spin!

Fortunately, we're here to cut through all the noise for you. We designed a helpful infographic that clearly identifies the major components of a custom lanyard, enabling you to be a more informed consumer next time you make a custom lanyard purchase.

Download our FREE custom lanyard infographic!

Retractable badge reels, also known as retractable card holders, are one of the most popular ways to carry and display an ID credential.

It's easy to see why: they can be customized for branding purposes, are easy to attach to the user and keep an ID card within reach for scanning or swiping at all times.

When it comes to choosing a badge reel, there are three main things to consider:

• Color and shape
• Attachment type
• End fitting

Color and shape, of course, require no further explanation.

Attachment type refers to the piece on the back of the badge reel that secures the reel to the wearer. Common attachments include a swivel clip, a swivel clip with teeth and a slide clip.

The last one is arguably the most important, and potentially the most confusing: the end fitting.

On a badge reel, the end fitting refers to the piece at the end of the retractable cord that attaches to the ID card or badge holder.

What kind of end fitting you want on your retractable badge reels will depend largely on what kind of card or badge holder you'll be attaching. 

Fortunately, we offer several different end fittings to suit any need.

What kind of badge reel end fittings do we offer?

It's something you'll see often if you're shopping for new ID cards: the letters "CR" followed by a dash and a two- or three-digit number.

Those unfamiliar with ID cards probably see that collection of characters and assume it's some kind of branding tool or the name of a specific product.

However, the CR numbers are actually something much more basic: they denote the size of the ID credentials to which they are assigned.

Similar to how an XL men's dress shirt will always have the same sleeve length and how you know exactly how many ounces of liquid are in your "venti" coffee, "CR-" is a way to inform shoppers about the exact dimensions of an ID credential.

There are several different sizes of ID credential, but this post will focus on the two most popular sizes:

CR80 and CR100.

Learn more about CR80 and CR100 ID cards

It's a video that should give pause to any organization that uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) cards as employee badges.

TechInsider recently posted a video that the company shot with Redteam Security, an online security consulting group, that shows just how easy it is for hackers to not only copy the data on a smart card, but to also copy that data to a new card to create a fully functional clone.

If you're an employee whose company uses smart cards for access, the video is a bit troubling. 

"Huh," you think. "Someone could get into our office like that. That's not good."

For security directors at government organizations, utility companies or organizations dealing in confidential matters, the video is chilling:

"That's how easy it is for someone to get access to our building, our computers and our data."

See the video that will keep security directors up at night

Access cards are a great solution for door control. They're easy to use, combining a familiar form factor (the card) with a simple swiping motion to grant access to doors, closets, cabinets and more.

In the world of door and access control, cards are king. Access cards have been around for decades, and haven't really changed much: a slot here, a serial number there and maybe a little slimming down.

However, while we love our cards, proximity technology has advanced since the early days of the prox card. Proximity chips have gotten smaller in both thickness and diameter, enabling manufacturers to do things with the chips that weren't possible 15 or 20 years ago.

These new options for access and door control provide the best of both worlds, offering familiar proximity technology in a sleek, modern package.

So...how can you diversify your door control and access card program?