Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has come into force, businesses and entrepreneurs everywhere have needed to up their game when it comes to ensuring that client and customer data provisions are more secure than ever before.  Finding yourself on the wrong end of GDPR is never a good thing and could mean costly fines and serious damage to your reputation. Worst of all, it could do serious damage to the lives of those people whose data you are currently handling.  If you are handling data which belongs to other people, you have a responsibility to take care of it and that includes making sure it isn’t intercepted or leaked.

ID cards continue to be some of the most important yet data-sensitive assets in the workplace.  They are not only used to confirm identity, affiliation and authority, but are also used to swipe in and out of certain buildings, rooms and zones so you need to be careful with them.

Are you issuing them with GDPR in mind?  Are you taking care to destroy or to dispose of any and all data once you no longer require it?  While many people are already taking the necessary steps to make sure that client and customer data is safeguarded, the way in which you produce and distribute ID cards in particular may need some secondary attention.  Here is a quick guide to ways in which you can tune up the way you issue phot ID cards – from printing to projected use.

Who Has Access to your business’ ID cards?

It goes without saying that, once printed, the only person who should have access to a given ID card should ultimately be the holder.  After all, it is their data so they too, will need to understand the importance of keeping control of their cards in order to avoid any risk of there being a leak.  Consider your strategy for ID card checks and processing once cards are printed – are those who are expected to perform checks aware of the full impact of GDPR?  Do you have a strategy in place to cater to what happens to the ID card at the end of a work day?

GDPR’s influence has meant that we will now need to consider the impact of misuse of ID cards and how we can better prevent leaks and chances of data going missing or falling into the wrong hands.  While there should be firm privacy control and processes in place during printing and once cards have served their purpose, consider how easy it is for ID cards to be misused. Give your employees firm rules for protecting their data and their card, for example, never sharing their card to allow other people access and refraining from wearing their ID outside of work.  Getting serious about ID card protection has never been more important.

Is Your Printing Outsourced?

While many firms will opt to outsource ID card printing to third party specialists by way of saving time and money, GDPR has rather brought the whole process into query.  How safe is it really to share your employee data with another firm?  If you do choose to pay another company to handle and print your ID cards, it is now essential that you request full disclosure on their data handling processes.  This is effectively asking them to provide you with details on their GDPR status.  Without clear assurance that they are handling your data safely and responsibly, you too could be responsible if a leak occurs.

Alternatively, there are plenty of merits in taking on the ID card printing yourself.  Secure ID card printers are now easier to come by than ever before, and are certainly more affordable.  This means that you have direct access to all of your data at all times and what is being printed and how. It also means that you are in full control of disposal, too.  This means destroying ribbons, used cards and taking full ownership of your data protection.

Is Your Photo ID Card Printer Secure?

It’s all well and good printing your own ID cards, but recent statistics show that many firms and individuals simply aren’t doing enough to make sure that the cards they print are protected against data theft and counterfeiting.

Consider using an ID card printer rich in security features such as HoloKote, holographic over laminate or tactile impression. These elements will uniquely brand your cards and will be impossible to replicate.  Therefore, anyone checking said cards will have no doubt that they are handling the real deal. What’s more, it vastly reduces the chance of sensitive data and access keys being copied and reused by unauthorised bodies.  Always look at printers with enhanced security features.

A Careful Delivery Process

The way you deliver photo ID is also extremely important.  You can’t just hand cards out at people’s desks, this is open to mass interception.  The best route to take with regard to the delivery of photo ID is to request that the recipient(s) sign for their cards.  This way, you can guarantee that they are in receipt of their data, and that there is no risk of anyone else handling it who doesn’t have rightful access.

Your Aftercare System

Finally, while we have already discussed how to oversee careful issuance and delivery, it’s worth taking care of your aftercare system, too.  What do you do with ID cards once they have served their purpose?  If your answer is anything bar destroy securely, you need to start reconsidering your process.

Never keep ID cards longer than you need to – respect the privacy and data rights of the holder – and make sure that your workplace is aware of a several-point strategy on proper ID card handling and use.  This is not just in the name of adhering to GDPR, it is essential data safety 101.