Talk about foresight. Now these guys would be perfect ALYA/MOT customers ;)
[AT&T NEWS Release]
Michael Jacobs
201-581-3880 (office)
201-736-0939 (home)
David Bikle
201-581-3938 (office)
201-871-0047 (home)
FOR RELEASE MONDAY, APRIL 11, 1994
AT&T to issue ID, security access Smart Cards to U.S. employees
ARLINGTON, Va. -- AT&T plans to issue smart ID badges to its U.S. employees
for use as both identification and security-access cards. The plans were
disclosed at the CardTech/SecureTech '94 conference here.
The smart cards will first be used to open exterior building doors, and as
standard photo ID badges. At locations without security guards, the cards
can also be used to authenticate em- ployees.
"Today, many AT&T employees must carry two cards at all times: an ID badge
and a card that opens building entrances that are electronically
controlled," explained William Bennett, Vice President of Operations and
Engineering at AT&T. "These smart badges will consolidate both of those
functions on one card.
"But we see this as only the first step toward making full use of the smart
cards' capabilities," he added. "The smart card also offers a platform upon
which additional data can be stored as needed. This might include
department numbers, mailing ad- dresses and other information used in many
day-to-day internal business processes, helping to bring about the elusive
paperless office we've been promised for so long."
Other applications AT&T is considering adding to the smart ID cards in the
future include debit-card applications for use in vending machines and
company cafeterias; access control for photocopy machines, computer
networks and parking lots; a charge card for interdepartmental services and
purchasing transactions, a benefits eligibility card, and a log for
attendance reporting.
The rebadging will be conducted location-by-location, beginning with some
of the company's buildings in New Jersey during the third quarter of this
year. The smart cards will look like standard photo badges, and will be
programmed with an em- ployee ID number.
AT&T manufactures its own contactless smart cards at a fac- tory in Little
Rock, Ark. Smart card readers are being supplied to AT&T by the Nippondenso
Company of Japan, a partner of AT&T in the smart-card arena. The
Nippondenso card readers will in- terface with security systems supplied by
Westinghouse that are already installed in many AT&T buildings.
AT&T has 256,000 employees in the U.S. It is anticipated that the rebadging
will be completed by 1997.
att.com |
