Moving from a card-based attendance system to face recognition

Card-based time and attendance has served many businesses for years: staff tap a card and a record is created. But at month-end the picture is rarely that tidy. Cards get shared, lost or left at home; the card reader's printout is copied into Excel by hand, and mistakes only surface in payroll.

This guide explains, step by step, how to plan a move from a card system to cloud-based face recognition attendance without disrupting your business.

Why consider the move?

• Records don't show who actually came in. Someone else can tap the card.
• Managing cards takes effort. Cancelling lost cards, issuing new ones and tracking them never stops.
• Data is scattered. Each branch has its own device and spreadsheet; head office has no live view.
• Calculations are manual. Night shifts, grace periods and leave are checked one by one at month-end.

Face recognition doesn't have to be the only method

Switching doesn't mean "everyone must use their face". Modern devices support more than one clock-in method. On a uFace device, for example, staff can clock in and out by face, card or PIN. This flexibility matters for two reasons:

1. Staff who prefer not to share facial data keep using a card or PIN.
2. Existing cards can stay in use during the transition, so the change can be gradual.

KVKK: facial data is sensitive personal data

Under KVKK (Turkish Personal Data Protection Law), face photos and face templates are sensitive personal data. That means:

• Facial data should be processed only with the employee's explicit consent. Consent is optional and can be withdrawn at any time.
• Employees should receive a privacy notice explaining the purpose of processing, and consent should be recorded.
• Staff who don't consent need a non-biometric alternative, such as a card or PIN, and that choice must not count against them.

If your company operates under a different data protection law, check its rules on biometric data as well. Either way, give consent collection proper time in your plan; it shouldn't be rushed on installation day.

A step-by-step transition plan

1. Take stock

How many employees, branches and shift patterns do you have? Note the brand and model of your current devices. If you already have a uFace device, it can connect to the system directly; for other brands, the connection options depend on the device model.

2. Write down the rules

Agree on shift start and end times, the grace period for lateness, how working time is rounded and which day a night shift is recorded on. If these rules are applied differently today, the switch is a good opportunity to standardise them.

3. Start with a pilot branch

Rather than switching every branch at once, start with one. Add the staff to the system, share the privacy notice, collect consents and connect the device.

4. Run one month-end in parallel

In the first month, compare the old method with the new system's timesheet. Differences usually come from rules being interpreted differently; fixing them in the first month reduces disputes later.

5. Roll out to other branches

Once the rules have settled in the pilot branch, move on to the others. New employees added in the panel are sent to their branch's devices automatically, so you don't need to enrol them on each device separately.

Common mistakes

• Leaving consent for later: the device is installed, but face clock-in can't start because consents weren't collected.
• Starting without clear rules: old inconsistencies move into the new system.
• Switching every branch at once: problems appear everywhere at the same time.
• Forgetting the alternative method: a card or PIN must be ready for staff who don't consent.

Moving with SkyIntegra

SkyIntegra offers two paths: get the device from us, or we connect your existing device to the system. uFace devices connect directly; for ZKTeco, Hikvision and other brands we offer an integration service. Privacy notice and consent texts are filled in with your company details, and consent records are stored with the version of the text accepted. Data is stored in data centres in the European Union (Germany), on infrastructure that meets GDPR standards.

To plan your transition together, fill in the quote form or write to info@skyintegra.com.