Card & Access System Migration, Without Downtime

What a card-system migration involves

A migration is a change to the system underneath your ID program, a new printer brand, a newer printer model, or a new access-control platform and credential technology. Done carelessly it means downtime, locked-out employees, and a scramble to reissue. Done right, it's invisible to everyone except the people running it. Card Imaging has guided organizations through both printer and access-control migrations since 1984.

Common migrations we handle

• Printer brand to brand, moving between Fargo, Magicard, Evolis, IDP, and Zebra, with the right ribbons and supplies for the new machine.
• Aging model to a current one, retiring a discontinued printer for a supported model with parts and warranty.
• Legacy prox to smart credentials, converting 125 kHz HID Prox to 13.56 MHz iCLASS SE or SEOS for stronger security and mobile access.
• Single site to multi-site, we print centrally and ship finished cards to each location, or equip every site with its own printer and supplies.

How we plan a migration

• Assess your current hardware, software, credential technology, and card format.
• Spec compatible replacement hardware and credentials that fit where you're going, not just where you are.
• Pilot a small batch to confirm cards encode and read correctly on the new system.
• Roll out in phases so the old and new systems run side by side until the switch is complete.

Old and new, side by side

The safest migration is a gradual one. Many access systems support dual-technology readers and credentials, so a card can carry both the old and new technology during the changeover. We plan that overlap so every door and desk keeps working while cards are reissued on your schedule, never a hard cutover that strands people.

Converting prox to smart credentials

Migrations are the moment most organizations finally retire legacy prox. Standard 125 kHz HID Prox broadcasts an unencrypted number that's easy to clone; iCLASS SE and SEOS protect the credential with modern encryption and open the door to phone-based mobile access. We program the new HID credentials to your facility code and format and phase them in alongside the cards you already have. (We program HID credentials only, not generic MIFARE or non-HID smart chips.)

Minimal downtime

The whole point is continuity. We stage the change, pilot it, and roll it out in waves so badging keeps running from the first day to the last. Tell us what you're moving from and to and we'll build the plan.