Digital business cards for companies compared

A printed business card is a static paper carrier that can no longer be changed after printing and must be handed over physically. A digital business card is an electronic profile that is shared via NFC, QR code, Wallet pass or link and can be updated centrally at any time – changed data is immediately current across all channels, without reprinting.

In addition, contact data can be added directly to the address book as a vCard with a single click, and in corporate use, central management, corporate design requirements and contact/lead capture are possible.

No. In the common online-based approach, the recipient needs neither an app nor a registration. When tapping an NFC card or scanning the QR code, the smartphone opens the profile in the browser; from there, the contact data can be added to the address book as a vCard.

For NFC, the recipient's device merely needs to be NFC-capable and have the function activated; QR codes work with any camera and are therefore device-independent.

Digital business cards can be operated in a GDPR-compliant manner if certain conditions are met. Since the provider processes personal contact data on behalf of the client, it is a data processor; what is required is a data processing agreement (DPA) under Art. 28 GDPR, a transparent privacy policy, and processes for data subject rights.

If third-party data is stored via contact/lead capture, the legal basis for the processing must be clarified. To minimize risk, hosting in Germany or the EU and refraining from data transfers to third countries are also advisable.

The server location determines which legal framework the data processing is subject to. Hosting in Germany or the EU avoids the legal requirements and uncertainties of a third-country transfer (for example to the USA), which would require additional safeguards.

For the evaluation, the specific data center location as well as the chain of sub-processors are decisive. Providers that operate exclusively on German or EU servers and exclude third-country transfers reduce the compliance effort for the company using the service.

SSO (single sign-on) enables login with existing corporate credentials via standards such as SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0 or OpenID Connect and eliminates the need for separate passwords. SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) automates provisioning: user accounts and groups are synchronized with the directory service, new employees automatically receive a card including a role assignment, and upon departure access is automatically revoked.

SSO governs authentication at login, SCIM the lifecycle of the accounts thereafter. Together, they reduce manual administrative effort and the security risk of lingering access, and are therefore central to scaled corporate use.

In the online-based approach, the NFC chip, QR code, Wallet pass and link all point to the same cloud-hosted profile. When the profile is changed by the cardholder or centrally by an administrator, the new data is immediately accessible across all channels, without cards having to be reprogrammed or redistributed.

Wallet passes that have already been shared update the stored data as soon as an internet connection is available again. If, however, a recipient has already imported the data into their address book as a vCard, this local address book entry is not automatically updated as well.