Article Summary: Bar-codes are not just for the supermarket checkout line. Bar-codes are commonly used everywhere but many businesses do not fully understand how extremely useful they can be when used for asset identification. This article gives a clear definition of what a bar-code is and explains the most commonly used barcodes for asset identification and protection.
Article: What is a bar-code?
According to dictionary.com the term bar-code is “a series of lines of varying width, printed, as on a container or product, that can be read by an optical scanner to determine charges for purchases, destinations for letters, etc. The key to this code is the variation in line thickness and separation”.
Bar codes are ideal for property identification tags & labels. They can help you effortlessly and accurately track anything that moves within an organization. They provide error free, cost reducing and time saving tracking capabilities. Once applied the tags can easily be scanned using a bar-code scanner where the information can be loaded and maintained by a data management software program. Now with the click of a mouse you can view inventory, assets, equipment, tools and more!
Bar codes allow you to:
- Efficiently control inventory.
- Utilize “check in/check out” capability for tools, files or anything that is shared among employees.
- Track physical assets such as computers, lap tops, equipment, furniture, etc.
Bar-codes are considered “symbology”; symbology is defined as “the study or interpretation of symbols or symbolism”. The lines or “bars” of a bar-code are symbols and they are interpreted as codes, a code is defined as “a system used for brevity or secrecy of communication, in which arbitrarily chosen words, letters, or symbols are assigned definite meanings”.
The two most popular symbology codes or bar-codes are Code 39 and Code 128. These are both Alpha-numeric barcodes; which combines numbers and letters into the code.
Code 39, sometimes referred to as 3 of 9, is the most popular symbology used. Code 39 is considered a general purpose bar code. This encodes 44 different alphabetic, numeric and graphic characters.
The second most popular symbology is Code 128, which is a high density, alphanumeric barcode character set which includes the digits 0-9, the letters A-Z (upper and lower case), and all standard ASCII symbols and control codes. ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. Code 128 symbology is commonly used in retail and shipping and is in very wide use world-wide.
Barcodes may seem archaic but are in reality the best, most tech-savvy way of identifying, tracking and safeguarding valuables. Consider barcodes for your next labeling project; barcodes give you error-free, machine-readable, unduplicated identification for your company property.
About the author
Renée Hioki is a security solutions expert. This forum is used to promote safety & security practices and inform business owners on how to protect their people, property and assets.
First posted on 3/5/10
