ID Card Printer Enables Secure Access To Financial Services Company

Strong Financial Corp. is a $43 billion financial management services company based in Menomonee Falls, WI. Every day, 1,500 employees and numerous contractors, vendors, and customers pass through Strong's five buildings, which occupy a total of 500,000 square feet and have multiple access points. To control access to the buildings, Strong's employees carried blank, white access cards; visitors were issued ID cards with photos printed from a dot matrix printer. Scott Wollenzien, security director for Strong Financial, wanted to upgrade this system to improve the company's security.

Wollenzien contacted Bill Rajki of Card Imaging, an authorized FARGO integrator, for help. "Strong's personal identification system just didn't measure up, so we introduced them to FARGO's secure card ID systems," says Rajki.

Card Imaging recommended a new ID access system that would produce durable cards and would allow the company to print IDs on-site while an employee or vendor waited. Strong Financial purchased a Fargo DTC515 printer. The DTC515 has two card hoppers that allow users to print two different types of cards and easily switch between the two card stocks. This feature was important to Wollenzien because Strong uses distinct, color-coded cards for vendors and contractors that are different from the access cards for employees.

"The FARGO printer required hardly any training time. The software is just what we wanted, and we can customize it later if we want. I especially like the fact that it can be used with an existing database," said Wollenzien.