It is safe to say that scanner technology is critical for many fields of work today, from ballot scanners at the polls to barcode readers at retailers and handheld ID readers that police officers use. Not to mention ID card printers and scanners that help maintain workplace security measures. In the office, stand alone document scanners can go a long way toward digitizing and protecting documents, and it is typically scanner/shredder companies who make the best use of them. Scanners are the best way to verify a person’s identity, make a financial transaction, and more, and without them, business would be much slower and less reliable.
Scanning and Shredding Documents
When will stand alone document scanners be used? In a typical office today, such scanners are useful for converting a single document into digital form, such as for faxing purposes, and a digital document can be sent via email or stored in the company’s data server. So far, so good. But sometimes, a single stand alone document scanner is not enough, and there may be thousands of paper documents that must be scanned and then shredded. An office may get very cluttered with paper documents over time, and this leads to all kinds of issues, from the fire hazard of all that paper to wasted space to the risk of losing paper documents (and they are expensive to find and replace). Once the paper clutter reaches critical level, scanner/shredder companies can be hired to help out.
These professionals will have the expertise and scanners necessary to scan thousands of documents with many stand alone document scanners, and once those papers are converted to digital form, they can be neatly stored in the company’s data server and Cloud storage services. As for the paper copies left behind, these can be shredded en masse, and then sent out for paper recycling. This clears up a lot of space in the office and removes a fire hazard at the same time.
Scanners For Retail
Most commerce takes place today with some combination of plastic cards and barcode readers and magnetic stripe readers. Yes, physical cash still has its uses, but for the most part, buying something in a store calls for scanners and cards. The same is true when buying services, or buying something online. Credit cards and debit cards are the norm, and once the customer hands them over, the employee scans them to allow a quick transfer of funds electronically. A credit card company or debit card bank account will pay the customer’s debt right away, and the purchase is complete. And of course, bar codes allow the employee to scan the items, and confirm exactly how much is owed. Some modern card even come with security chips in them, to further reduce the odds of identity theft.
Should a card be lost, or its information stolen, the holder can call their card’s issuer and have the account frozen, so unknown parties can’t use it anymore. The card can then be either retrieved or replaced, and the card owner can check their online statements regularly to find any oddities. Strange purchases may point to identity theft. Also, using a card (and reading its statements) makes it very easy to track one’s own spending habits, seeing what they spent their money on, and where and how much.
ID Scanners
Some scanner tech is used to verify a person’s identity, and this is useful for law enforcement officials, workplace security, and anyone who deals with age-restricted items or services. Most Americans own a valid form of photo ID, issued by their home state or the federal government, such as driver’s licenses. A police officer or state trooper can, after they pull someone over, see their ID and scan it with a handheld scanner to confirm that person’s identity and personal data. Such scanners may be available at the station, too.
Workplace security can also use scanner tech. Employees at a work site may be issued photo IDs once they are hired, and those IDs might have bar codes on them. Those cards can be used to open locked doors that have scanners built into them, and some workplaces even use card scanners so employees can conveniently clock in and out.
