Card, mobile credential, payment and security
Northwestern University has redesigned its Wildcard and will begin issuing the new credentials August 1. The updated smart card reflects Northwestern's brand and visual identity, and brings enhanced security features.
According to a release from Northwestern's WildCard office, the transition will boost campus security and add new conveniences to the university's cardholders. The HID iCLASS cards will be used by students to enter dorms, check books out at the library, access parking lots and enter secure campus facilities.
Four residence halls on campus will be equipped to support the use of smart card access by the time students begin classes in the fall. The cards will also be used for dorm room access. University officials intend to add all campus buildings to the new card access system within a four-year period.
All new incoming 2016-2017 students will be issued the newly redesigned Wildcard, while a majority of existing students, faculty and staff will be able to upgrade to the new design on Nov. 1 at no cost. Cardholders carrying a chip credential will have to pay a $25 upgrade fee or wait until their card expires to obtain the new design.
Existing Wildcards will be transitioned to the new design over time as they expire or need replacement. A number of Wildcards currently in circulation are already equipped with a smart chip but other, older models will require an upgrade in order to benefit from the improved security features.
Those that do not currently have a smart Wildcard are eligible to upgrade to the new credential beginning November 1 and will receive a replacement at no cost by returning the old card. To aid in the recarding efforts, the Wildcard office has requested that existing cardholders eligible for the free upgrade wait until November as it will allow the card office to optimize its issuance services and process the immediate needs of incoming 2016-17 students. Upgrading prior to November 1 is allowed but will carry a $25 processing fee.
The question facing many institutions when it comes to the campus card is what technology to deploy. Historically the card technology conversation was fairly straightforward, with a vast majority of campuses deploying mag stripe credentials. But the emergence of contactless smart card technology added a new facet to the conversation.
At the time of publication, our "Is the future of campus cards contactless?" piece speculated that as an increasing number of campuses began to switch to contactless smart cards for student IDs and moved more applications to the chip, the mag stripe’s days were ultimately numbered. We've learned in the years since that, whether for continuity's sake or budgetary constraints, the mag stripe still has a place on campus for now.
But as was with contactless smart cards -- even as far back as 2010 -- a campus can achieve greater security capabilities, increased convenience and reduced wear and tear on cards and readers, giving a campus plenty of reasons to make the switch to contactless.
Hear first from early adopter Santa Clara University, where contactless smart cards and readers were being used to facilitate a range of services including points-of sale, vending, laundry and print/copy stations. The physical access readers were also being converted to accept contactless.
Also hear from Morehead State University where 220 contactless readers were deployed across campus, but only a handful for physical access. At Morehead, the contactless readers proved to be revenue drivers in the form of vending sales. With contactless readers managing purchases across campus, the university was able to offer students a multi-use account, making it easy to spend and manage campus card funds.
What was true for contactless technology in 2010 still stands today. The only difference is that campuses that are considering the jump to contactless credentials today can draw from a greater number of university peers that have already made the switch, gleaning best practices and tips for effective deployment.
Check out our full "Is the future of campus cards contactless?" writeup for more.
Imagine that it’s orientation and you’re printing student IDs by the dozen. You’re churning out cards until you blow out a printer, bringing the operation to a grinding halt and leaving students lined up out the door. It’s a nightmare scenario for any card office, but whether it’s a high-issuance time or just standard day-to-day use, losing a printer is a mission-critical problem.
For most offices, the first step would be to troubleshoot the problem and hope that the printer can be fixed internally. If not, placing a call for local depot service or to the printer manufacturer will be in order. It’s often a lengthy and stressful process that can leave card issuance down until a replacement or loaner printer can be shipped.
ColorID has recognized some of the inefficiencies in this process and with the company’s new CHOICE Support Program is seeking to personalize service support for each institution’s needs. The program marks a first in that it sees a depot service provider offering on-site support, something only previously offered by local systems integrators, says Danny Smith, executive vice president of ColorID.
[pullquote]Core integrators have their product sets, but there are a lot of things outside their portfolios that still require service[/pullquote]
CHOICE is designed to be comprehensive, maintaining a card office’s current processes and also helping plot a course for future implementations. “In addition to support, the program provides options to advance identity management solutions institution wide,” says Smith. Each institution tailors its approach to both support and advancement, selecting from a menu of services and options.
CHOICE was developed with input from many of ColorID’s campus clients. The new program has already been rolled out to a host of campuses, including Harvard, Northwestern and San Diego State University.
“We rolled it out, cherry-picked some campuses and ran the idea by them,” says Smith. “Of the eight institutions we showed it to initially, six signed on almost immediately, and there was positive feedback from the other two.”
He explains that the program’s formation is the result of working with employees and clients to determine what services campuses need and fill in gaps that exist with other service options.
“We provide products and services to about 1,200 universities, and we are engaged with a lot of migration and technology projects,” Smith says. “Core integrators have their product sets, but there are a lot of things outside their portfolios that still require service.”
When an institution considers a migration we’ll start by visiting the campus to learn about the existing environment and goals going forward, explains Smith. “It’s common for us to provide a technical presentation to campus stakeholders on emerging identity trends and technologies – contactless, biometrics, mobile and other solutions.”
The purpose of these initial meetings, Smith says, is not to decide on a particular technical solution or direction, but to provide perspective and create dialogue between campus stakeholders. “In some cases, these campus agencies have never collectively discussed an institution-wide identity management strategy,” he explains. “It’s a great starting point and it has helped establish collaboration across campus.”
For many years, SDSUcard has enjoyed a good relationship with ColorID mostly regarding supplies, printers and production applications, says Paul Carlisle, manager of the SDSUcard Office at San Diego State University. “They’ve always taken the time to answer questions regarding changing card technology, and we value them as an information source.”
Carlisle sees the CHOICE program as an asset in a market of ever-evolving technology. “Card technology moves inexorably forward, and while we use a contemporary platform at SDSU, the conversation is now moving toward multi-level devices and arguably to eventually eliminating cards entirely,” he says.
[pullquote]Campuses that can really scale this and benefit are those that have large operations where it’s more than just printers[/pullquote]
For Carlisle, stakeholder meetings – a menu option under CHOICE – have been critical. “It was vital to educate and demonstrate how new technology and applications may be of value,” he explains.
The driving force behind bringing CHOICE into SDSU’s solution process was residential room access, says Carlisle. The wear and tear on cards within residence halls led SDSU to the decision to migrate to contactless credentials.
SDSU launched the contactless cards in June, and Carlisle credits ColorID for aiding in the process. “The support program brought an important level of technical savvy to address production problems and make this a seamless transition,” he adds.
The ever-evolving tide of identification technology is changing the way people think about credentials, and popular opinion regarding the use of newer authentication solutions, like mobile ID and biometrics, has begun to shift.
In fact, there may not be a better time for higher education to start exploring the use of biometrics, in particular, following both implementations within the industry and a wave of acceptance in other verticals including the health care industry, membership systems, airports, smartphones and consumer devices, and access control to name a few.
In part two of Blackboard’s free “Modern Credentials” webinar series, biometrics is examined from both a high level as a technology, as well as for its application to specific campus use cases. The webinar provides a great resource for anyone interested in biometrics, offering a mix of both 101-level information and in-depth discussion regarding implementation strategies, technological advancements in the field and best practices.
Speaking on the webinar are Gary Jones, business unit director, biometric access and time solutions at SAFRAN MorphoTrak, and Paul DuBois, account executive at Blackboard Transact.
There’s a paradigm shift happening that’s leading to increased acceptance of the technology, and the profile of decision makers is changing to reflect a more tech-savvy generation of professionals, says Gary Jones, business unit director, biometric access and time solutions at SAFRAN MorphoTrak. “An emerging group of professionals have grown up with technology at their fingertips, and the bar for technology, particularly as it relates to security, has been raised,” he adds. “The evolving nature of public security threats like terrorism is also making the case for biometrics even stronger.”
To combat long-held misconceptions regarding privacy and how biometric data is stored, webinar attendees can benefit from a solid background on the security measures that are now inherent to every properly deployed biometrics system, as well as hear about industry best practices that should be applied.
Also highlighted are advancements in biometrics technology, including touchless biometrics in the form of SAFRAN MorphoTrak’s MorphoWave scanner that reads multiple fingers simultaneously, yielding 3D fingerprints in real time.
Biometric access can be deployed wherever a credential is already being used including libraries, computer labs, science labs, data centers, residence halls and more.
Today most of these access points are facilitated with a metal key or some type of card credential, says Paul DuBois, account executive at Blackboard Transact. “With the use of biometrics, a campus can ensure that the person accessing a specific area is who they claim to be.”
Biometrics, as an access control technology on campus, is often viewed on the spectrum of convenience versus security. Blackboard's DuBois discusses both ends of that spectrum, and posits some potential deployment strategies for each.
Campuses can also realize benefits in the form of:
Less lost-card hassle. Students easily lose their campus cards, but they innately have their biometric ID with them at all times. Coupled with anti-fraud measures, only live biometric identifiers can function as an active credential.
Lower card production expenses. Costs associated with card production and recarding can be reallocated to other priorities with the introduction of biometrics. The only expense incurred with biometrics systems is the upfront hardware necessary to acquire biometric identifiers.
Quick, remote changes. Student information can be easily updated or revoked remotely.
Security. Biometric readers can be configured to require another authenticator as part of a two-factor authentication. For example, a reader may be set to require a fingerprint and a PIN for increased security.
Hear about these benefits and more by tuning in to Blackboard’s free “Modern Credentials: Biometrics” webinar.
A program started at UCLA is enabling students to donate leftover meal swipes and points to help combat both local and student hunger initiatives, and has seen increased adoption on campuses across the U.S.
According to a University of California release, the Swipe Out Hunger initiative was the brainchild of two students at UCLA in 2009, who saw that fellow students often left unused points on their meal plan while hunger problems both in the community and on campus persisted. The solution? Provide a way for students to use leftover funds to purchase to-go boxes of food from the dining hall that could then be redistributed to those in need.
Now a nonprofit, Swipe Out Hunger has grown to include 20 campus chapters across the U.S., including four University of California campuses. There are plans to expand to all nine undergraduate campuses in the state as part of UC’s Global Food Initiative. The program was also named a 2012 White House “Champion of Change,” and has now served over 1.3 million meals to date.
According to the company's website, the initiative has strategically shifted focus to on-campus hunger after six years of operation. Swipe Out Hunger has added six new campus chapters this year with the University Notre Dame among the latest batch of campuses to participate.
Swipes chapter leaders typically set up tables outside of dining halls or in common areas on campus, and invite students to donate their excess meals swipes or dollars. Students can donate by providing their name, ID number, number of meals and a signature.
The number of donated meal swipes are then converted into pounds of food based on agreements with the university, and are then donated the surrounding community. Alternatively on campus, the meal swipes are -- again based on an agreement with the university -- used to purchase meal vouchers. These vouchers are then distributed to students in need by a trusted campus administrative office.
Campuses using the Meal Voucher Program convert a certain number of the collected swipes into meal vouchers, with every voucher providing a student with access into a campus dining hall or eatery. Vouchers are typically distributed through a partnership with an office on campus that already works with students in need, such as the financial aid office or resource center.
Duke students will soon be able to tap instead of swipe into residence halls thanks to a collaboration between the university's Office of Information Technology and Housing, Dining and Residential Life. The move is part of a larger initiative at Duke that will see electronic access implemented at all residence halls and dorm rooms.
Per a report from the Duke Chronicle, all dorms on Duke's East Campus are currently being outfitted with new electronic entry systems that enable students to gain access by tapping their DukeCard to the card reader. One of the residence halls included in the initiative will also install electronic dorm room door locks, replacing metal keys. That residence hall will serve as a pilot for electronic room locks, with a view to eventually implement electronic dorm room access at all campus dorm rooms. It will be the first dorm on Duke's campus to employ electronic access on room doors.
There are also plans to expand electronic access to other parts of the Duke campus over the coming five to six years. University officials say that any location where the DukeCard is currently swiped will be included in the overhaul.
“With this technology, all transactions are encrypted, whether for door access, vending, laundry or dining sales. It’s fast and secure,” said Debbie DeYulia, director of program management at Duke's Office of Information Technology, in a statement to the Chronicle.
From a safety and security standpoint, university officials hail electronic access for its ability to from a central location, lock all doors on campus, including academic building doors.
Down the line, Duke is also considering access alternatives independent of the DukeCard altogether, including mobile devices and wearables. “We are paving the way for even more options such as mobile apps and wearable credentials like waterproof bracelets," DeYulia added.
The new DukeCards that will be issued as part of the new access control initiative will maintain the current design but will feature the addition of an embedded chip. The university will be issuing multi-technology credentials for now, keeping the magnetic stripe that Duke has long maintained. There are plans longer term to phase out the magnetic stripe.
Kennesaw State University is plotting a move that will no longer require its commuter students to purchase a meal plan. The changeover will mark just one facet of a larger food-service overhaul.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the move comes in part as a response to an audit of food services that uncovered employee violations, as well as managerial and financial problems with the food services division. The audit led to the resignation of a high-ranking division director, and the firing of four other KSU administrators.
The audit found that six of the university's seven dining outlets operated at a loss in fiscal year 2015, the university's dining contract was too expensive and overly favorable to the contractor, and the department had weak controls for expenses.
As a result, Kennesaw State will among other measures end the mandatory meal plans for commuter students. The change is set to take effect no later than the close of fiscal year 2018. KSU also plans to provide a level of relief to students paying for the required plans during the upcoming school year until the plans are eliminated, though there are no specifics on what that relief will be.
Kennesaw State currently requires all students to purchase a meal plan based on credit hours whether the student lives on or off campus. The mandatory meal plan had been a source of contention for some students.
In addition to eliminating mandatory meal plans, the university plans to reorganize its food service division’s management structure and renegotiate its dining contract.
Campus card system provider, CBORD, has partnered with FreedomPay to provide higher education and other verticals with increased payment data security. The partnership will provide access to the FreedomPay Commerce Platform, enabling CBORD customers to deploy a PCI-validated, point-to-point encryption (P2PE) solution with EMV, NFC, Pay-at-Table, dynamic currency conversion and card data tokenization capabilities.
The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is designed to secure a range of payment environments and accommodate both online and offline payment technologies. The platform is fully integrated with CBORD’s point-of-sale provider Oracle Hospitality MICROS, enabling campus clients to deploy EMV-ready payment terminals and benefit from lower counterfeit fraud and card issuer charge-backs. The platform also enables users to securely process card-not-present transactions for inbound phone and e-commerce purchases.
“Adding the FreedomPay Commerce Platform to our broad array of solutions satisfies an immediate need for greater payment security across our diverse customer base,” says Sue Chaffee, Director of Product Management, CBORD. “FreedomPay offers our customers a single platform that solves all their payment security needs.”
Offering a PCI-validated P2PE payment solution with tokenization provides CBORD campus customers with card data security for all transactions by ensuring that sensitive cardholder data is encrypted and replaced with surrogate values.
By deploying a validated P2PE solution, card data is completely segmented from a customer’s POS register and network, resulting in a reduction in scope for annual PCI DSS compliance. Customers utilizing the solution will also see a reduction in auditing and documentation controls to 35, down from the normal 330.
“Our goal at FreedomPay is to continually develop innovative solutions for our partners complicated payment security issues,” says Christopher Kronenthal, chief technology officer at FreedomPay. “Our partnership with CBORD reinforces our commitment to securing payments anytime, anywhere and on any device.”
The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is designed to help simplify complex payment environments. The platform is validated by the PCI Security Standards Council for Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) along with EMV, NFC and DCC capabilities. The FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on the Windows Platform and is fully supported by the Microsoft Azure cloud.
The Georgia Tech BuzzCard will don a new look beginning this summer, with all incoming freshmen students receiving the newly redesigned credential while at orientation.
According to an official university release, the new card features a contemporary design that includes a hologram highlighting Tech Tower – a campus landmark. The new design comes after the previous BuzzCard’s thirteen-year lifespan beginning in 2003.
Along with a new design, the updated BuzzCard also introduces smart, contactless technology. The addition of contactless will join the existing proximity technology that currently exists in all BuzzCards. The new multi-technology credentials will work seamlessly as the physical access control systems on Georgia Tech’s campus are upgraded over the next several years.
Incoming students along with new faculty, staff and affiliates, will be issued the new BuzzCard credentials beginning this summer. The BuzzCard Center will begin issuing cards to the rest of the campus community with the start of the fall semester.
Existing cardholders will receive a notification to visit the BuzzCard Center to have a new card produced. A new photo will be required, though there will be no fee for the new card provided the current card is traded in.
Card office tasks that are only performed once a year are understandably harder to remember to execute. And even if the task is remembered, there's still no guarantee that all the necessary steps will be covered.
With that in mind Deborah Hoefer, regional sales executive at Heartland OneCard, has put together some suggestions to make sure these important tasks aren't overlooked.
Frequently Asked Questions sheets are commonly used in business offices and other campus departments. FAQ sheets are a great tool because they are a simple and quick way to share answers to common questions.
When creating your FAQ sheet, remember that organization is important. Questions should be grouped into common categories so they can be referenced at a glance. Be careful not to go overboard with content. Only give your readers what they truly need. Some of the most frequently asked questions include:
Every campus has its own policies and procedures that need to be shared with business office staff. For example, a process for setting up meal plans on the first day of the semester is common.
In the past, the business office may have printed policies and procedures and stored this information in a binder, but someone needed to make sure this information was kept up-to-date. But now with the internet and intranet, paper distribution of policies and procedures has become obsolete. A single document stored online is preferable because it allows you to easily add or edit policies and then distribute the revised documents immediately, reducing the chances of problems occurring.
Managing devices across campus is no easy feat. One can easily forget device names, numbers and locations. A device log can help your staff reference past or current device information. Device logs can also eliminate surprises during budgeting, such as when you are planning for device repairs and hardware replacement.
It is important to keep good records. Remember that creating documents will take time. As much as we think we will be around the card program forever, changes do take place.
Student workers graduate and move on, office staff can be promoted, leadership can change hands, or you may just want to take a vacation. When new folks join the team, think of how good it will feel to be able to show them all the necessary resources that will help them excel in their new positions.
