The Security Industry Association (SIA) released its Corporate Credential Design Guide, a new resource produced by their Credential Design Working Group. It specifies recommended practices for the design and implementation of credentials and badges by card issuers and security teams.

Though the document is geared toward corporate issuers, it is also highly relevant and beneficial for higher education issuers.

It covers key topics in physical credentials, identity verification, badge production, data security, counterfeiting protection, technology options, and more.

Modern attackers exploit human behavior, oversharing on social media, and advances in image replication to reproduce badges with alarming accuracy.

Identity credentials are key to modern enterprise security and operations, but the credential ecosystem is fragmented and increasingly vulnerable to new forms of attack. The guidelines shared in the report are intended to establish a vendor-neutral framework for designing secure, interoperable credentials.

In the section titled Security Awareness in Badge Design, it explains that design should not be viewed aesthetics, but rather as a core security effort to reduce exposure to social engineering, unauthorized access and credential misuse.

“Modern attackers increasingly exploit human behavior, oversharing on social media, and advances in image replication to reproduce corporate badges with alarming accuracy,” says the document.  “As a result, the design of corporate credentials must include intentional and measurable security protections that help prevent forgery, misuse and unauthorized entry.”

Until now, no dedicated guidelines have existed to help organizations design IDs with both security and usability in mind.

The 72-page document is comprehensive but easy to navigate and digest. Users can skip between sections to focus on specific topics they need. As a whole, it defines a robust set of best practices covering the entire credential life cycle, including:

• Recommended identity verification workflow
• Visual security features with explanations of pros and cons for each
• Different types of card printers and situations where each is beneficial
• Inventory management for card stock and consumables
• Data security and communication options between the credential and readers
• Best practices for photo capture and biometric enrollment
• Identity proofing and issuance governance
• And more.

“Until now, no dedicated guidelines have existed to help organizations design corporate IDs with both security and usability in mind,” says Teresa Wu, vice president, head of Smart Credentials and Smart Integrate at IDEMIA Public Security. “The Corporate Credential Design Guide reflects SIA’s mission to lead with standards that shape the future of identity in the enterprise.”

The Corporate Credential Design Guide is available for free downloaded on the SIA website.