InstantCard has the ability to customize NFC cards, thereby allowing Photo ID cards to be used for a wide range of new interactive capabilities. NFC (Near Field Communications) is an open standard, allowing cards with an appropriate chip & antenna embedded in them to communicate with smartphones. A wide range of Android, Windows 8, and Blackberry phones support NFC (not iPhones, though). NFC cards can be used to allow check-in/check-out, time & attendance, auto-log-on, and a wide range of different unique functions. For a small additional charge, InstantCard can print on NFC cards, allowing for “smart” ID cards. If required, we can also encode the chip in the cards, for additional security or for data initialization.

NFC is already very extensively used in Europe and Asia, and is seeing a rapid adoption here in the United States. With increasing concern about identity theft and data protection, NFC offers many security features which traditional card technologies (magstripe, barcode) can’t match. Rather than just being read-only, like those traditional technologies, NFC offer read-write capabilities, opening the door to many more use-cases. If you think that NFC capabilities could potentially benefit to your organization, don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss the various options available in the deployment of this exciting new technology.