ID Cards Offer Strong VAR Sales Opportunities

Experts say training and vertical focus are keys to succeeding in the ID card industry.

With the myriad of ID card options available these days, the hardest business decisions for VARs may be what type of cards to sell and what markets to sell them to. The good news is that the ID card market continues to grow, regardless of the industry or vertical. Analysts estimate 25% to 30% market growth through 2008. For a better understanding of this market, we queried five industry experts for their thoughts on where the ID card market is headed and what VARs should be doing to capitalize on ID card sales opportunities.

Before you can make an informed decision about selling ID cards, it's important to have a clear understanding of the types of cards and their applications. "Magnetic stripe cards are used for applications such as access control, time and attendance, lunch programs, and library cards," explains Andy Matko, Magicard team leader for Ultra Electronics Card Systems. "Contact smart cards are used in applications including network security, vending, meal plans, loyalty, electronic cash, government IDs, campus IDs, e-commerce, and health cards."