Start with a sticker badge

Just a little more secure than a "Hello my name is…" badge, these systems can go from very basic, handwritten to printed badges and even ones that will expire using a chemical reaction.

I recommend: Temtec's TempBadge sells a range of self-expiring stickers you can print yourself.

Laminate your badge

The most likely solution for a small business, these are usually printed on heavy paper stock and slipped into a badge holder or laminated. Pros: Easy to print and cheap. Cons: Easy to copy, easy to damage.

I recommend: Office products company Avery Dennison's product line is a good example of what you get with laminated badges printed on a standard ink jet printer.

Make a plastic badge

Think about the "loyalty" cards that you get from retailers, and you've got a good idea of what you'd be looking at here.Pros: Fairly inexpensive, durable. Cons: Need special printers, tend to be sold in bulk.

I recommend: Try card vendor IDenticard for plastic cards and printers.

Add an electronic identifier to a plastic badge

Your credit card is one example; it probably uses a magnetic stripe; newer credit cards use a radio frequency tag that can communicate with special readers. These same technologies can be used to control access to doors. Pros: Integrates directly with facility access controls, durable. Cons: More expensive, cost and time to replace a lost card often increases.

I recommend: HID's iClass credentials use a super secure method of data transfer to authenticate the card user and these types of cards can be used for everything from computer access to snack machines, cafeteria payments and getting into the facility.

Put together your system

You'll need a basic software package to manage the ID creation process and most likely a basic camera system that can connect to a PC for badge photos. Paper and laminating supplies you can get from your usual office supply store, your security card vendor or even through the security company that sold you the building alarm system. Your office printer can handle the paper badges.

I recommend: Avery Photo ID's software package manages an office badge system and even sells the camera systems you'll need to capture your employee images. SecurityInfoWatch.com gives you an overview of how to put the whole badge system together.