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Whether we like it or not, the national Identity Card Scheme in the UK is being introduced and it will take some feat for oppositoin parties to get it stopped.

Whether rightly or wrongly, the scheme will also offer opportunities for those who make lanyards, Badge clips and badge reels.

And it doesn’t need to stop there! Globally, the momentum is building with most countries, islands and communities looking to use technology to help manage security.

The ID Cards themselves may be a standard design but there is nothing to stop your business taking the opportunity to advertise your products and business on the lanyards, badge reels and badge holders. Let’s face it, more and more people look to purchase nice fancy lanyards to hold their numerous Identity and Security passes.

What a marketing opportunity!

Just imagine, the chances are that these badges are going to be kept on the holder’s person all the time and taken everywhere. Yes, some may just put them in their wallet or purse, out of sight but some people will attach them to their belts and purses for convenience, whilst others may prefer to hang them around their necks.

Any business requiring employees and visitors to pass through a metal detector could even offer plastic retractable Badge Reels which come with a nylon cord permitting the ID card to simply be pulled out for identification purposes without setting off any delicate metal detecting systems.

Marketing opportunities such as that being offered by the introduction of the UK Identity Card Scheme are few and far between and when considering the relatively low design and purchasing costs of custom printed lanyards in particular.

Couple this with the extended life of such products when compared to any marketing campaign in the media, now is the time to start talking to specialist suppliers about taking advantage.

This past week saw the introduction of a new scheme to cut down on shop crime in Hambleton.

Business Against Crime in Hambleton (BACH), replaced the Shopwatch scheme and promoters will join Northallerton market traders to explain the role of the scheme around the town and hand out free lanyards intended to be used to protect customer’s purses being stolen from opportunist thefts.

David Tucker, coordinator of BACH said: “Almost everyone that goes into the shops in Northallerton are genuine honest customers,. But there are a few people who come to steal and commit fraud - we aim to stop them. Many people think that the only losers are the shops but customers who pay for goods lose out as well. Theft and fraud puts up the costs of running the business, and businesses either have to pass that on or go bust.”

Retailers working together through BACH to achieve three things:

•    Act as a Deterrent – hoping to persuade anyone thinking of theft or fraud not to try it.
•    Detection - using all means available to spot and ultimately catch would be criminals.
•    Protect shop owners and staff from violent and abusive conduct.

The scheme has its own logo which was designed by Matthew Brooksbank, who is a graphics student attending Northallerton Colleg,e and has the full support and backing of the Hambleton Community Safety Partnership and the Northallerton Community Plan Forum.

Like any scheme designed to increase security and crime prevention awareness, all BACH members are working very closely with the North Yorkshire Police force so wannabe thieves, beware!

ID Data, a potential front-runner in the suppliers to be selected to produce the UK National ID cards, is on the verge of calling in the administrators.

The decision was made following unsuccessful attempts in recent months, to raise money from investors because of difficult stock market conditions.

The company continues to explore the potential sale of its operating businesses and have stated that a number of international companies have expressed interest in acquiring the business of ID Data Ltd and its Cardbase subsidiary.

The company, with offices in Hampshire and Northhants, has said it failed in its attempts to raise new funds from investors in the current economic malaise but claims to have several potential buyers.

ID Data Ltd., Chief Executive, Peter Cox, has stated that he remains hopeful of selling the business.

He added:

“This action is intended to protect the present and future business of ID Data Limited, and to ensure that customers are fully served. I wish to assure our customers, suppliers and staff that we are hopeful of being successful in our delivery of a solution that will see this business prosper and continue to develop, be this under the ID Data Group or new ownership.”

ID prints millions of supermarket loyalty cards, including the Tesco and Nectar cards and the Post Office benefit cards.

Their main debtor is believed is believed to be Her Majesty Revenue and Customs.

Few people with children, nephews, nieces or grandchildren have not visited their local Toys R Us store.
Infrequent visitors however may be missing out on an opportunity to take advantage of their customer loyalty scheme.

Toys R Us operate a Gold Card Loyalty Scheme which demonstrates how companies can link offers and services together without negating potential sales in their own store.

Customers of Toys R Us receive 1 point for every £1 they spend. Accumulate 100-299 points in a given period and look forward to receiving £75 worth of money off vouchers.

On the down side, the money off vouchers will be for specific products or product ranges, but, given kids always want something from a toy shop, this may not be too much of an issue. After all, we all know that kids tend to be better behaved for a while if they get something bought or given to them – sad but true!
On the plus side, the more you spend, the more discount vouchers you receive (up to £150 worth if you spend £500 or more in any set period), and we all know how easy it is to spend that with today’s prices.

This is where, the gold loyalty card holder can realise some benefit. Members also receive a range of offers and discounts on everything from car hire to holidays, restaurants to gifts!

Partners include:

Alton Towers, Legoland (Windsor), Sea Life, Chessington World of Adventure, Avis Car Hire Haven Holidays and Little Chef.

The Toys R Us scheme with discounts and complementary business partnerships show that with a little bit of imagination, expanding Loyalty Card Schemes can help more than just an individual business, so don’t think too insular when considering ways to increase your customer base.

Identify your complementary business partners, maybe even set up a joint Loyalty Card, discount for your customers or even agree a commission/referral fee for yourselves!

When it’s an ID card apparently!

The Home Office could decide that our driving licences are also to be considered as an Identity Card if they want, says Home Officer Minister Meg Hillier.

During her speech at the Biometrics 2008 conference, she said that

“it is possible to designate the driving licence or other documents to be counted as an ID card”

The Identity Cards Act 2006 affords the government the authority to re-designate any document so that applicants for that particular document will then have their details placed onto the National Identity Register.
There are some very valid questions being generated as a result of her speech, namely from No2ID national coordinator, Phil Booth who has stated that:

“It is clearly a compulsory scheme if in order to continue driving, travelling abroad or get a loan you have to be registered on the scheme. It is coercion up to the point of compulsion.”

This latest announcement, whether intended or not, offers opponents confirmation that the government is trying to force everyone onto the scheme.

Simon Davies, director of opposition group, Privacy International, said: “It will bring almost the entire population into the scheme. The question is, will this just be the first of many databases to connect into the ID card system?”

Where will this end?

Many businesses look to restrict access to their business critical systems and departments such as IT systems and personal information stored about employees in their Human Resources Departments.
Probably the most critical element of this is the users and employees.

Failure to complete adequate security checks on your people before permitting access to such sensitive information could render your business open to huge data, personal and customer information losses with information getting into the public domain (or competitors) leaving your business wide open to compensation claims from employees and customers and of course, some extremely negative publicity.

The use of Smartcard Access Card Systems and Identity Cards will of course offer some assurance but you need to conduct a Business Impact Analysis to give yourself a more definitive assessment of business protections before signing off your security arrangements.

All too often, people only consider security threats as coming from an external physical attack and fail to consider the wider picture by looking closely at their internal controls.

Everyone is probably aware of the massive data losses that government departments have managed to achieve lately without even trying, and in the main, it is only by lady luck that the information has not got into the wrong hands.

It is not enough to simply advise your people that they should not copy sensitive data onto memory sticks or external hard drives and send sensitive data across the internet without encryption.

You need to ensure you have IT system monitoring controls in place which will alert you to potential breaches, and of course, regularly review and check access attempts.

Physical access can be monitored by linking electronic ID access cards to a standalone computer system which can record all movements throughout your premises.

The revolution in the ethical fashion industry in recent years has seen an increasing number of designers dedicated to ensuring their ranges are produced under the principles of Fair Trade, and keep the impact on the environment to a minimum.

Equa, a London based women’s wear boutique dedicated to providing such fashionable women’s wear both in their retail outlet and on-line have recently joined the Luxe Loyalty card scheme.

Equa now joins Devidoll, Beyond Skin, Evamore, Lotus London, The Natural Store and Wellicious in the Ethical Fashion Section.

The Luxe Card claims to be the only luxury lifestyle membership designed exclusively for women.

Luxe members receive exclusive offers from literally hundreds of high end boutiques, shops, bars, hotels, professional services, spas and top London restaurants.

Luxe are now working towards creating a superb range of discounted luxury spa breaks around the UK.

Members receive engraved loyalty cards (which also act as a mirror!) and are kept up to date with developments, offers, reviews and interviews with top designers via their monthly newsletter.

The Luxe card offers members the opportunity to save literally £000’s and is primarily for use in and around the London area pulling businesses as diverse as Wedding Designers, Nanny Services, Event venue hire, car valets, personal trainers and reflexologists to name a few together to their mutual benefit.

If you would like to know more about the Luxe Card, take a peek at their website.

The French Government has announced plans to introduce a new “ultra secure” electronic ID card which would offer absolute proof of identity online.

Minister for the Digital Economy, Eric Besson, claims that such a card could be used for lots of things including medical care, work identity, help with banking sites, and of course, the ever growing online shopping boom.

The “Plan Numérique 2012″, is designed to restore growth and modernise the country. The government is proposing to introduce up to 154 different measures under this digital economy plan including providing the mechanisms so that everybody living in France can enjoy the benefits of broadband access by 2012.
Mr Besson added that currently up to two million people do not have access to high speed internet access and under the “Numérique 2012” plan broadband access will be available to everyone for no more than €35 per month (including materials) from 2010 at the latest.

He further proposes that 400 “cyberbases” should be installed in primary schools to introduce the younger generations to the internet and appoint 1000 “internet ambassadors” who will be charged with educating and promoting the digital world to those businesses and people such as the elderly that have failed to grasp/realise the benefits today’s technology can bring to their business/lives.

Ambitious plans, indeed!

The Liberal Democrats have uncovered statistics showing that staff at two government departments with responsibility for ID Cards and prisons lost 3,492 passes since 2001.

Chris Huhne, home affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats said: “Everyone understands that things can go missing, but these figures suggest a culture of carelessness among the people responsible for our safety and security. This Government wants powers to build a database of every phone call and email, but the evidence of lost security passes suggests they could not be trusted to run a nightclub door.

On average, one of their employees loses their security pass every day and they must scrap ID cards before they are allowed to treat our most sensitive data in the same slapdash manner.”

In 2002 just 169 passes were lost or stolen, but last year the figure was 675 clearly showing that this trend is increasing and is now running at more than 1 pass lost per day.

Whether it is down to carelessness, lack of control or ineffective security management, is a matter for conjecture but putting that issue aside, it is potentially putting all employees and visitors to their offices at risk, unnecessarily.

Businesses should remember to ensure they obtain ID passes back from all visitors and leavers without fail.

For those with electronic entry systems, ensure access permission is withdrawn for all leavers and lost cards immediately, and without fail.