ID Card Security Case Study: American Barcode and RFID Uses Zebra Card Printer Solutions to Improve Nuclear Power Plant Security
SUMMARY:
In response to the increased potential of terrorist attacks against key infrastructure
facilities, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has raised security standards
for nuclear power plants. American Barcode & RFID (AB&R) — a Zebra Card
Printer Solutions partner — has created a custom ID card security application to help
a major power provider meet the NRC’s new security requirements, increase efficiency,
and reduce costs.
THE CHALLENGE:
The U.S. nuclear energy industry is serious about safety. They erect nuclear power
plants to very high safety standards, with complex safety features and redundant
critical functions.
For fifty years these steps have kept the possibility of a catastrophic reactor
accident from becoming a reality. However, the potential to deliberately create
a catastrophe makes nuclear power plants attractive targets for terrorist attack
or sabotage.
It is with this potential threat in mind that the NRC now requires all nuclear power
plant security programs to include ID card security or access authorization measures.
These measures must control access to the plant, monitor movement within the facility,
and prevent unauthorized, undesirable, and unsafe intruders from penetrating areas
where special nuclear material or key equipment are located.
When AB&R took on the task of helping a major nuclear power facility comply
with the latest NRC regulations, they quickly saw that their client’s legacy ID
cards were going to be a problem. The cards lacked barcoding, which hampered rapid
ID verification. And their laminated coating was easy to peel off — an open invitation
to tampering.
"The specific requirements of the application along with the critical timetable
for implementation complicated the solution. NRC audit constraints dictated a wireless
infrastructure for real-time verification along with a credential that was essentially
tamper-proof," explained Steve Beck, AB&R’s Strategic Account Manager for the
project.
AB&R’s solution to the client’s ID card security issues was to create a custom
application that would provide real-time verification of ID credentials and access
authorization using wireless portable data terminals and Zebra P640i card printers.
The enhanced features of the P640i enabled the issuance of highly secure ID badges
that serve both as employee identification and access verification. While the current
system utilizes bar code technology to verify each distinctive credential, it is
designed to accommodate migration to new ID cards armed with UHF RFID technology.
UHF RFID credentials enhance ID verification by leveraging time and distance as
factors in data recognition and retrieval.
AB&R deployed the new system and trained the security staff in its use faster
than anticipated, with minimal disruption of daily plant and security operations.
Within a few weeks of installation, the security staff issued tamper-proof, personalized
Zebra card-printed badges to the plant’s entire population — some 2,500 employees,
contractors, and vendors.
Today, anyone seeking entry to the client’s facility must first present their ID
badge, printed and encoded by a Zebra Card Printer, to a security guard. Utilizing
a wireless portable data terminal, the guard then scans the card and receives instant
confirmation of identity through the custom ID badge security application developed by AB&R.
Given how the new control system helps plant security quickly identify and react
to potential threats, it should come as no surprise that the client passed its subsequent
NRC compliance audit.
The Director of Security for the facility confirmed, “Not only did AB&R successfully
meet all of the audit specifications, they completed installation and training ahead
of schedule. The audit went great! We are very pleased with the application they
developed and the professional support they continue to provide.”
AB&R Card has live
customer support 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Let us show
you the importance of implementing a secure system for protecting
your students, faculty, and property.
Call 1-800-281-3056
to speak with a Card Solutions Expert.
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