Card, mobile credential, payment and security
Tim Nyblom, HID Global
Many colleges and universities seeking a transition to mobile access want a better experience for students, as well as their staff.
However, they often get a lot more. They’re finding that when they upgrade their technology, they also improve the overall traffic flow across campus, do a better job of securing their access, and make life easier for administrators. They’re also discovering that mobile can help meet their goals.
Mobile access on campus is becoming an expectation. Students and staff spend a significant amount of time at school, from the parking lot and housing to classrooms and the cafeteria. Therefore, a quick transition is important for getting to their next destination on time and without friction. Mobile access provides the easy convenience of using a mobile device or wearable for that next step – and they don’t even have to think about it.
With mobile, students are accessing the physical and digital spaces they need, such as buildings and parking gates, but also vending machines and event ticketing for games and activities. They can do this using something they likely have with them at all times — their mobile phones or wearables.
Schools have discovered how to make staff roles easier by using the cloud for physical credential management. Through easy integration and remote, over-the-air credentialing, schools can reduce costs and simplify processes for their administrators. Plus, automatic credentialing helps ensure no one can retain access beyond their authorized time.
Mobile is allowing colleges and universities to enhance security for students and staff, but also for their facilities — and their data. While students frequently lose or forget plastic cards, they keep track of their mobile devices and are faster to report issues, helping schools protect access to campus buildings. In addition, today’s encryption, communication protocols, and software are keeping data protected.
When campuses take PVC cards out of the picture, they help meet their sustainability goals — which are also important to students and staff. This means less plastic that needs to be manufactured, distributed and later disposed of. They’re also reducing their carbon footprint by cutting the space needed for printing and provisioning cards.
If you’re like most administrators, you’re likely to feel overwhelmed with the idea of converting your campus to mobile technology. Often, schools think they need to replace all their existing hardware, which is a misconception. The good news is that upgrading is easy and can be done in phases, and with technology that recognizes existing PVC cards as well as mobile devices. Or, you can choose to upgrade everything at the same time—it’s entirely up to you.
Mobile solutions can now be specifically tailored to your campus and meet you wherever your school is today. Advance one step at a time from PVC card to mobile app, from mobile app to mobile wallet, or from mobile wallet to fully integrated access control. You can improve your security and convenience, building by building, as your budget and resources allow.
Vanderbilt University near Nashville, Tennessee was facing challenges making sure the correct individuals were accessing campus facilities. At a time when the university was also planning a building expansion project, they wanted to upgrade to a new system for identity management and access control. The result was mobile credentialing that is currently providing flexibility and convenience, from buildings to laundry rooms. See how Vanderbilt upgraded to mobile while still keeping their existing reader infrastructure.
Click here to read the full article here.
The future for colleges and universities is mobile. And while many are already making the switch, you don’t have to do everything at once. Start with a conversation to learn more about the benefits for your school, but also what the upgrade process looks like specifically for your campus. Ask questions and request examples or case studies. With all the flexible options available, just remember that you can start small, but it’s important to start now. Learn more about Mobile Access with HID, then start a conversation with our team of experts: https://na.hidglobal.com/higher-education.
Mobile solutions can now be specifically tailored to your campus and meet you wherever your school is today. Advance one step at a time from PVC card to mobile app, from mobile app to mobile wallet, or from mobile wallet to fully integrated access control. You can improve your security and convenience, building by building, as your budget and resources allow.
