Visitor registration standardized!

The European Space Agency uses Oribi GuestID. This application allows them to verify every visitor.

The European Space Agency (ESA) welcomes more than 70,000 visitors of various nationalities annually to its ESTEC site in Noordwijk. These visitors range from dignitaries to conference attendees. Each visitor is verified using Oribi GuestID.

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Visitor registration standardized!

70,000 visitors per year

The European Space Agency (ESA) welcomes more than 70,000 visitors of various nationalities annually at the ESTEC site in Noordwijk. These visitors range from dignitaries to conference attendees. Each visitor is checked using Oribi GuestID. "Because conference attendees often arrive in buses, our reception staff sometimes have to process as many as 300 people in half an hour. This creates an enormous workload, which in the past led to inadequate ID checks. With the arrival of Oribi GuestID, every visitor's ID is checked consistently and quickly. Furthermore, Oribi GuestID has increased the security level to the desired level, which is also required for some high-tech projects," says the ESTEC Security Officer.

Mystery guest

CTSN (Consultants on Targeted Security Netherlands) is responsible for implementing security on the ESTEC site. They use mystery guests to test security standards.

The ESTEC site manager explains: “Our staff previously received training from the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. It was instructive, but after several weeks and under heavy workloads, the knowledge isn't always applied. It's also impossible to process so many visitors in a short timeframe when every document has to be checked by looking, feeling, and tilting. To test this, we sent out several mystery guests with forged documents. The results got us thinking and led us to search for a suitable solution. We found this with Oribi GuestID. After implementing Oribi GuestID, we sent out another mystery guest. This time, they had a driver's license with the photo replaced. The solution rejected the document and subsequently denied access. The same procedure was followed for a foreign journalist who tried to enter the site with an invalid document.”

Reception desk is a business card

Due to the wide variety and number of visitors, ESTEC places great value on the reception desk. "The reception desk is the organization's calling card. It's the first point of contact with the ESA. In the past, there was sometimes a conflict between service and security. Granting access was more important than control. With the arrival of Oribi GuestID, this has changed. The security level has increased dramatically, but this hasn't come at the expense of service. Moreover, Oribi GuestID has significantly increased the awareness of reception staff," says the site manager.

Oribi GuestID: More Than Just Scanning

Mr. van Hove: “Oribi GuestID is used for four different purposes:

As a security tool: all documents are automatically checked.
As a registration tool: every visitor is scanned, so we know who is on the premises.
For incident investigations: should an incident occur, it's easy to open the ID file of the person in question.
Secure data storage: all privacy-sensitive information of our visitors is secured in a simple yet highly efficient way.

These four points ensure that we comply with our internal laws and regulations. This ensures that we meet the stringent requirements for carrying out high-tech projects, such as the Galileo project.”

"Oribi GuestID is the standard"

ESA uses a total of four GuestID solutions, which verify every visitor. Whether it's a business visitor or a visitor to Space Expo, everyone must identify themselves and is checked. "The ease of use has led us to implement GuestID at multiple locations. As a result, the security level is the same for everyone. All visitors are treated the same security-wise. This way, the procedures at the different locations are the same; you could even say standardized. What I also appreciate about GuestID is its customizability. This way, it can be fully aligned with internal procedures. The software only responds to the points that are important to us. I would recommend GuestID to any organization, especially those with high security standards," says the site manager. CTSN, together with ESA, is continuously looking to improve the security level.

But this should not be at the expense of service to visitors. They see that they have taken a step in the right direction with GuestID. They also expect to be able to use GuestID's functionalities further in the future. Mr. van Hove: "We are currently exploring various access control systems. A requirement for this is that the system can be linked to GuestID, so that the scanned and checked data can be processed directly." The development and applicability of biometrics are being closely monitored by CTSN and ESA. By linking facial comparison to GuestID, the applicability of biometrics is brought a step closer. With this functionality, the passport photo of the document can be compared with the face of the document holder. In this way, look-alike fraud is excluded and self-registration based on document verification and facial comparison is possible.

European Space Agency

ESA is the European Space Agency and is responsible for the development of space exploration in Europe. ESA also ensures that new services and products are made available to European citizens through space exploration. ESA has approximately 2,200 employees. These highly qualified individuals come from all Member States and work as scientists, engineers, IT specialists, and administrative staff. ESA's mission is to develop and implement the European space program. Satellites are designed to provide insights into Earth, the surrounding space, the solar system, and the universe. ESA also develops technologies and services that use satellites and promotes the competitiveness of European industry. ESA collaborates closely with space agencies outside Europe, ensuring that much of this scientific progress can benefit the entire world.

Discover it yourself

Curious how Oribi GuestID can help your organization receive visitors smartly and securely? Our specialists are happy to discuss your needs. Request a demo or contact us for more information.

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Visitor registration standardized!

70,000 visitors per year

Reception desk is a business card

European Space Agency

Discover it yourself

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