In the meantime, we’re honored to learn that Polylabel and our company President, Fred Cressman, have been included in L&NW’s (Label & Narrow Web) March issue in an excellent article written by Steve Katz regarding Security Labeling! This article examines some of the concerns, obstacles, complexities and solutions regarding security labels and the counterfeit industry. Polylabel was approach to comment on this topic as part of the article, which we were more than happy to do.

This article is very informative (and not just because we’ve been mentioned) so please give this article a read. It’s an eye-opener!

We’re extremely proud to have been chosen as one of the experts for this piece and would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to L&NW and Steve Katz for their consideration. Thanks L&NW!

As a security label manufacturer, Polylabel deals with several forms of security labels including custom hologram labels. Historically, hologram labels have made up a small portion of the security label market, primarily because hologram labels are believed to be available to large companies or corporations only. While this held true in the past, even as late as 5 years ago, this no longer is the case. Custom hologram labels are now accessible to just about everyone for a fraction of the cost charged previously. That being said, there are only a handful of hologram manufacturers, us included, who will take on small run hologram projects at a reasonable cost to the client.

For example, we set out to obtain quotes from many top hologram manufacturers in North America and around the world so that we could analyze what a typical client might be faced with. What we found was astonishing. Most hologram manufacturers would not perform short run hologram label productions of 50,000 labels or less. Minimum order amounts are typically 100,000 labels or more and even as high as 500,000 labels. In addition, the costs were astronomical! Creation of a master die is necessary in order to produce the custom labels. Typically there is a charge to create this master die. During our survey we were often quoted US $1500 or more just for the master die! This is unbelievable considering that our short run custom hologram productions start at US $1500, which includes a custom hologram design, master die, production and delivery! Still, most customers are not aware that hologram labels have become so affordable.

In addition, most customers are not aware of the benefits of hologram labels for product counterfeit protection and authentication, security, branding and so on. Most people will think of those cool 3D effects seen on credit cards or on toys when mentioning holograms. Obviously they are much more then that.

Again, think of a credit card. They all have a hologram on them. The hologram serves several purposes but its most important purpose in this case is to authenticate the credit card. A merchant will know that the card is legit just by taking a glance at the hologram. Holograms are very difficult to replicate and therefore you are almost guaranteed to be looking at the real thing when you come across one. An event tag is another great example of authentication. A person may only be given access to a restricted area if they are wearing the proper badge or tag.

Many important documents now include holograms. A good example of this is when expensive software is purchased. License key cards will often include a hologram to authenticate the product. If you have ever purchased a Windows Operating System such as Windows XP or Windows Vista, then you have likely seen this.

The other half of authentication is counterfeit protection. As you may know, counterfeit products have become a real problem for major brands around the world. Just try walking down a main street in any major city and you will undoubtedly be encountered by a street merchant attempting to sell you knock-offs. As a result, many companies have turned to hologram labels to protect their brands. You know you’re buying the real deal if you see the hologram.

For example, counterfeit products have notoriously been a major problem for event organizers of major sporting events such as the Olympics or the Fifa World Cup. To protect against this, event organizer have used holograms to authenticate “officially licensed” products such as caps, t-shirts, programs, books, bags and so on. This helps to protect both the consumer and the licensed manufacturers and retailers.

Holograms can also be used for security protection as well. Tamper evident hologram labels can be place at access points to protect against unauthorized access or to ensure that access has been made. For example, a computer manufacturer may void the computer warranty if the computer is opened by anyone other then the manufacturers support technician. Opening the computer will trigger the tamper evident features of the label making it apparent that access has been made. In this case, access is not authorized if you want to maintain your computer’s warranty. On the other hand, another manufacturer may not accept returns once a product package has been opened. In other words, the manufacture wishes access to be made to the package. The customer can only return the item if the label must is intact.

Holograms are also ideal for packaging and branding purposes due to holograms great visual qualities and visual effects. For example, many magazines will employ holograms to help dress up a special edition cover. I’ve seen many cases where hologram labels have been created for no other reason then to dress up products, event flyers, brochures and so on.

The possible uses for hologram labels are endless. Best of all, holograms are much more affordable then in previous years allowing small businesses to join the fold. Now just about everyone can use holograms to promote and protect their business, products and brands.

This initiative has been funded under the Federal Government’s Digital Education Revolution initiative, which aims to upgrade classrooms in order to further education across all subjects through the use of ICT Equipment. As quoted from the Digital Education Revolution website …

“Information and communications technology is no longer just another subject taught by schools, it is a means of learning across all subjects – from English, mathematics and science, to the humanities, technical and applied studies, music and visual arts.”

“Schools will be able to apply for grants up to $1 million to revolutionise their classrooms with new or upgraded ICT equipment. This could include personal laptops, thin clients with virtual desktops, and internet network infrastructure to plug our schools into the information superhighway.”

Firstly, I would like to just say ‘Bravo’ to NSW Department of Education and the Australian Federal Government for recognizing the importance of computers and related technologies in the classroom. Such initiatives would certainly be welcomed here in North America. To my knowledge, no such initiative exists on such a grand scale as seen in Australia. NSW has dedicated a portion of their website to discuss this initiative and to provide resources for both students and teachers.

So back to our ‘logistical nightmare’. The plan is to rollout more than 240,000 netbooks to students in the next four years. Students will receive netbooks in grade 9 and will be able to keep these netbooks until grade 12 or even permanently should they successfully complete their studies. Before receiving a netbook, the student and the student’s parent must sign forms acknowledging responsibility for the netbook and usage. Each netbook will come equipped with Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Adobe CS4 Creative Suite, iTunes and other software geared towards students.

So how do you track, maintain and control so many netbooks? NSW’s approach is not entirely unique but does serve to highlight how business and corporate IT departments should manage their netbooks, laptops and other equipment.

Each netbook is embedded with tracking software at the BIOS level of the machine. Each machine is then tracked, authenticated and given access to the network wirelessly through the use of several platforms and technology. Lost or stolen netbooks can be disabled remotely through the network. This will effectively make the netbooks useless to unauthorized users, even if components are swapped out such as the hard drive. All netbooks are bar-coded and are equipped with an RFID chip, making it easier to track and maintain each netbook.

In order to ensure netbooks are being used appropriately, each netbook utilizes technology at several levels to ensure that only trusted content is being accessed. Locks are placed to ensure that additional software can not be installed and each machine is supported by the latest anti-virus software. Each device is upgraded and patched remotely through the network.

Since August, NSW has distributed over 20,000 netbooks. Of these, only six netbooks have been lost or damaged and no major issues or outages have been reported.

First, let’s think about what a barcode does in the traditional sense. Most of us are familiar with barcode usage when it comes to purchasing something at the local store. The whole process is quite clever. We take our item to the checkout till, the cashier scans the item and magically our total is displayed. We then pay for the item, receive our change and done. The transaction is completed in seconds and yet we never give it a second thought as to what really occurred during this transaction.

As we know, barcodes are a series of lines and gaps of differing widths that represent a certain value when decoded using a barcode reader. The value returned is a number. Each product being sold in North America must have its own unique product number or UPC code. The UPC code (Universal Product Code) refers to the barcode format that is used on all products.

When we take our product up to the checkout till, the product barcode is scanned and a product number is relayed to the cash register or computer. The product number is then cross-referenced against product records containing all products being sold in the store. Product records can be saved in a network database or directly on the cash register. The cost of the item is retrieved and then used to complete the transaction. Talk about nice and simple.

So back to the original question, what if your iPhone could scan and read barcodes? And even if it could read barcodes how can the product number be used to gather product information? Fortunately we live in an era where just about all information is accessible via the internet, including product information. For example, the UPC Database website can be used to access product information by simply inserting the UPC code into the search box. Both Amazon and Google provide gadgets and web services that can be used to gather product information as well. The possibilities start to become apparent once we throw an iPhone or another smart phone into the mix.

RedLaser is an iPhone app which allows users to scan product barcodes using their iPhone. Product information and pricing is then gathered from different sources such as Amazon and Google. Picture it, you could scan a book and get instant reviews. You could scan a DVD and get an online price comparison. You could scan a box of cereal and add it to your grocery list … and so on. Check out the video below to see this app in action.

Pretty amazing, huh? It will be interesting to see what this sort of technology has in store for us in the years to come. It’s even more amazing when you consider that all of this is made possible due to a little thing we like to call the product barcode.

On October 7, Google decided to honour the Invention of the Barcode, which was invented 57 years earlier, with a rather cryptic Google Doodle. As seen below, the infamous Google logo has been replaced with a barcode. The widely used Code-128 barcode symbology was used to create the barcode and reads “Google” when decoded.

The invention of the barcode stems back to 1948. Bernard Silver, a graduate student at Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, apparently overheard a conversation between the president of a local food chain and a dean at the university. The food chain president had requested the dean to undertake a research project where by a system would be created that could automatically read product information during checkout.

Fascinated, Silver shared this idea with his friend Norman Woodland. Together Silver and Woodland would develop several approaches until they filed a patent on October 20, 1949. The patent application was titled “Classifying Apparatus and Method.” and the invention was described as relating “to the art of article classification…through the medium of identifying patterns”. The patent was eventually granted on October 7, 1952, making it the official birth date of the barcode. Silver and Woodland sold their patent to RCA for a small sum of money that same year.

The barcode was not commercially used until after the creation of the UPC code in 1973, although other forms of barcodes were used as early as 1967. On June 26, 1974, the first commercial product was checked-out using a product barcode. Incidentally, the product scanned was a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit.

Today, barcodes are used everywhere and for many different purposes. Google has appropriately recognized the importance of barcode technology and has celebrated it by cleverly branding its name on the Google home page as a barcode.

The term tamper-proof seal suggests that the seal can’t be tampered with, much like a water-proof watch that will keep water out. This term is actually misleading because we want the seal to indicate that tampering has taken place. That’s the seal’s job. Perhaps this term came about because a seal will leave behind proof of tampering if tampered with.

Likewise, the term tamper-resistant seal is equally as misleading. This term suggests that the seals function is the same as a lock, which is to resist tampering. Again, this term is contrary to the seal’s true function.

In either case, it’s important to remember the function of a seal is not to lock an individual out but rather is meant to indicate to us (and often to the individual) that tampering has taken place.

The term security seal is often used instead of tamper-indicating seal. In fact, I often use this term over the latter. Others may reserve the term security seal to describe a special type of seal such as a barrier seal. In reality all tamper-indicating seals provide a legitimate form of security. For example, camera security systems at banks are not meant to stop people from walking through the doors. Obviously, banks want and need people to walk through their doors. A camera security system will however deter most people from robbing a bank, knowing that their actions are being recorded. Tamper-indicating seals provide a similar form of security, which is based largely on the psychological effect of knowing that you’re being watched.


Why Use a Seal Instead of a Lock?

There are a number of reasons why using a seal for a given application may make more sense than using a lock:

1. All locks can be defeated. Most locks can be defeated by amateurs very quickly.
2. Locks often require complicated and expensive key-control or combination-control procedures. Usually, the key or combination must be present at, or sent to, the receiving location. This presents additional vulnerabilities.
3. Seals are typically easier and faster to remove than locks. This is especially important in cases of emergencies when removing a lock can take up valuable time.
4. Seals are usually lighter and smaller than locks. They require less to store and ship.
5. There are many applications where knowing that tampering has occurred may be more useful and practical than trying to stop it. Pharmaceuticals and consumer food products are perfect examples where indications of tampering are very important.
6. Most locks are not very effective at recording tampering.
7. Locks may deter intruders to use alternate routes in order to gain entry. This may result in greater and more expensive damage to property.
8. Seals give security personnel a reason to carefully inspect the protected area or container as a result improving overall security.
9. Trap seals can be hidden whereas locks aren’t typically covert.

The above points aren’t meant to suggests that seals are better than locks. Obviously locks are one of the corner stones of any good security implementation. What I am suggesting however is that in some cases locks are being used where seals should be used instead.

Security seals are low-cost and very customizable. They differ in types shapes and sizes and can be covert or bright as day. Sometimes the seemingly simplest solutions are the best solutions when it comes to protecting your business, your home, your products, your information and the rest of your stuff!


Start Protecting Your Stuff: Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3

A security seal is a tamper indicating device (TID) designed to leave noticeable evidence of unauthorized access or entry. Think of the footprint example in Part 1 of this article. Seals are not meant to restrict access, instead they are meant to record the fact that unauthorized access has taken place.

There are several types of seals. The most common types have been described below.

mechanical seal: a seal that does not rely on batteries or electrical power to monitor for tampering. A plastic security seal is a perfect example of this type of seal. The seal itself is not meant to prevent access but rather is meant to signal that access has been made if the seal is broken.

electronic seal:  an electronic seal uses batteries or electrical power to monitor for tampering.  Electronic seals are usually more expensive than mechanical seals, but are often reusable.

transponder seal:  a seal is not to be confused with an electronic seal.  The seal is briefly powered up by, or for the seal reader to check if tampering has occurred.  An example of this type of seal is an RFID seal.

barrier seal: this is a single security device that works both as a lock and a seal.  Despite its multiple applications, barrier seals are usually a compromise of the two and as a result are not as effective as having a lock and a seal.

Trap seal: a trap seal will indicate tampering covertly allowing for the administrator to monitor for tampering without “tipping-off” the attacker.

Other Terminology Related to Seals

Seal reader or seal verifier:  these devices may be used in combination with mechanical, electronic and transponder seals.  The readers check the seal for evidence of tampering.

inspecting a seal:  checking the seal for evidence of tampering.

defeating a seal: defeating a seal is the act of successfully tampering with a seal without being detected.

attacking a seal: performing actions that attempt to defeat a seals tamper indication properties.

backdoor attack: an attack where a person modifies the seal or the seal location prior to use to make it easier to defeat the seal at a later time.


In Part 3 of this article, we will discuss some misconceptions associated with security seals and why security seals are often better than locks when used for certain applications.


Start Protecting Your Stuff: Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3

Luckily today we have other methods of deterring would be intruders.  Solid and secure doors, windows and locks will usually do the trick but what happens if the intruder defeats these barriers?  Install a good alarm system. Intrusion detectors are often our last line of defense against those darkly clothed characters.  The point is that there are several aspects to protection and security that need to be considered.

So why am I talking about home security anyways? As you may already know our company is a manufacturer of security seals, or more specifically security labels. Many of the same principles used for home protection are also found in security seals.  Furthermore, you may be surprised to learn how security seals can help you to protect your business and your stuff!

Security seals can be used in several ways and serve different purposes, much like you see with home security products.  Part 2 of this article will examine the different types of seals and some common terminology associated with seals.


Start Protecting Your Stuff: Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3

Our company for one thrives on our customer service and the quality of the products we sell.  It only seems fitting that we extend ourselves beyond our website and into the world of social media. That being said, I think it’s important to make a clear distinction between our website and this blog.

Through this blog, and other social media outlets, we aim to discuss and engage users into conversations regarding asset and security labels, asset/inventory management and all things concerning barcode technologies. Our goal is simple.  To discuss, to educate and to learn.  We are very knowledgeable in what we do and believe that we can offer our community valuable insights and tips regarding our mutual areas of interest.  On the other hand, we are constantly learning from members of our community and would like to share what we learn with everyone.

In no way will we try to use our blog as a promotional tool.  We may mention certain aspects of our products from time to time but we believe that in order to effectively participate in meaningful conversations with in our community, we need to leave the sales person at the door.

Now that we’ve got that our of the way … we hope you enjoy our Polylabel Blog. Please stay tuned for upcoming posts.