Card, mobile credential, payment and security
Near field communication is still, technically, in its infancy, but it’s gaining a good head of steam as illustrated by this year’s edition of CardTech / SecurTech event. The show is being held May 15-17 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Bill Rutledge, CTST program director, projects a 15% increase in attendance over 2006 figures for the SourceMedia Conferences and Exhibitions event.
Why go? “There’s a lot going on in security and on the payment side,” said Mr. Rutledge. “For people in the payments industry, there’s a lot to be aware of. On the security side, the big effort now is on protecting data and managing identity.”
Focusing on these issues and more will be 15 workshops as well as the CardTech Americas Executive Summit that will feature an hour-long Q and A with key officials from Gemalto, Giesecke and Devrient, Oberthur, Sagem Orga, added Mr. Rutledge. “Attendees will be able to ask whatever they want.” In addition, a well-known security expert, former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who is credited with transforming the FBI from a national law enforcement agency to a global security institution, will be a keynote speaker.
A few years ago the show, now in its 17th year, was dominated by security, particularly after 9/11 and the subsequent issuance of HSPD-12 and FIPS 201 standards. Then, contactless made its big splash but stepped aside while everyone rushed to get on the ID security bandwagon.
Then along came near field communication, a co-developed technology of NXP and Sony, to reawaken interest in contactless applications. It has caused an “increasing focus on contactless,” said Mr. Rutledge.
Cardtech
This year, the CardTech portion of CTST will be “focusing on NFC and other mobile payment technologies,” he added. A full day will be devoted to NFC. That will include a look at some of the trials currently underway, including the Dallas, Texas consumer trial initiated by MasterCard and a Bank of America “internal test” with its employees, where they were issued NFC-enabled phones, said Mr. Rutledge.
“A lot of vendors are talking about this new technology,” he added. These vendors include not just credit card issuers or chip makers, but wireless carriers as well. And there’s more to mobile payment projects than just NFC. There’s one “payment scheme that will allow you to call up, enter a number and transfer money via a phone line,” said Mr. Rutledge. “A lot of smaller companies are experimenting with that.”
Along with NFC market projections from Ginger Schmeltzer, manager of Edgar Dunn and Co. and market opportunities in telecom-based payments by NXP’s Manuel Albers, the NFC/Mobile Payment Technologies session will also include a look at Visa’s pilot mobile payments programs and an “Update on NFC Reference Design” by Inside Contactless and a look at SIM-based NFC services from Gemalto.
There are also what Mr. Rutledge calls “merchant driven alternative payment systems, like Paypal that allows merchants to go beyond major credit card vendors to offer payment systems that don’t have anything to do with MasterCard or American Express. That’s started to take off in a lot of areas. Whether its online or over the phone, alternatives to different payment systems will be some key topics,” he said.
May Kay Bowman, senior manager, global payments for Amazon.com will discuss “The Retailer Rebellion,” while a Verizon representative will talk about the “Move to Mobile.” Under the heading, Battle of the Systems,” a panel discussion will include representatives from First Data Commercial Services, Gratis Card, Tempo and Yodlee.
With these alternative payment systems also comes different card form factors, he added.
A section titled “Battle of the Form Factors” will include panelists from Cardinal Venture Capital, iCache, and Aliaswire.
The CardTech portion will also feature an update on EMV migration, particularly in Canada. Catherine Johnston, president and CEO for ACT Canada, will head a panel discussion featuring representatives from the Bank of Montreal, Interac (the country’s national automated banking machine and POS debit sale network), MasterCard Worldwide and the Visa Canada Association.
There will also be an EMV case study, “Deploying a Full Grade EMV Card and Acceptance Network,” a look at “Contactless EMV: Finding its Place in the U.S. Market,” and “The Role of EMV in Fraud Mitigation.”
Another daylong session will cover contactless payment strategies and will look at those of Visa and MasterCard, Wells Fargo’s contactless card rollout, American Express’ contactless card, and “Consumer Perceptions versus Realities.”
SecurTech
The other half of CTST, security, won’t be outdone. “We’ve always talked about security at the card level. We have a new workshop called ‘Advanced ID Management and Cybersecurity,’ where we’ll be talking about network security, management of digital IDs, public key encryption,” said Mr. Rutledge. This Smart Card Alliance-produced session will include representatives from Gemalto, Microsoft, Actividentity, Verisign, Lockheed Martin, GSA, Intercede, the Department of Defense and Corestreet.
Some of the topics include: ID management on desktops and servers, managing the identity on the credential, shared services for ID management, the DoD’s Common Access Card and mobile credential management for first responders.
“We’ll be talking about the system holistically, taking it to a new level in terms of network ID, managing security life cycles, etc.,” said Mr. Rutledge. “This will be a very intense workshop.”
There will also be half-day sessions, back-to-back, covering biometrics security and the Real ID Act. Sponsored by the International Biometric Group, the biometrics portion will include what the federal government is doing with biometrics, consumer acceptance of biometric technology, and an update on biometric testing and technology. The Real ID portion will cover what some of the states are currently doing to comply with the act, a panel discussion on “obstacles and opportunities” to Real ID Act implementation, and some of the “benefits and challenges” to the Real ID Act. A panel discussion will feature representatives from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, California’s DMV, Department of Homeland Security and Digimarc.
Two other daylong sessions in the SecurTech track will cover Healthcare Card Technologies and Strategies and Data and Physical Security Convergence.
The former will feature speakers from Accenture, IBM Research, Healthmeans, G&D, Siemens and Gemalto and will include a look at healthcare cards market projections, open technology standards, best practices in healthcare card implementation, and case studies on the Taiwan Healthcare card, the Texas Medicaid Access Card and the French healthcare card.
The data/physical security convergence session will include speakers from the City of Vancouver, Symantec, Intel, the Boeing Company, Identity Alliance and Unisys and will feature global security management, interoperability standards for security convergence, case studies in convergence engineering, ID token technologies for converged security, and more.
A daylong session on Authentication and Secure Payment Technology for executives will include speakers from Crone Consulting, Javelin Strategy and Research, Volubis, mSystems, Magtek, eFunds Xiring, and IBM Canada.
For more information about this year’s conference, go to: www.sourcemediaconferences.com/CTST07/.
Compare FIPS 201 ProductsRiverside Community College District, a family of three distinct California institutions with 30,000 students, will add Wells Fargo financial services to the district-wide campus card program. The program will launch this summer at RCCD campuses in Riverside, Moreno Valley and Norco. Students will be able to choose to link the new RCCD College Card to a Wells Fargo checking account and can then use the card for ATM and point-of-sale (POS) transactions.
WELLS FARGO TO PROVIDE ENHANCED COLLEGE CARD BENEFITS, FINANCIAL SERVICES TO RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Enhancements link RCCD College Card to Wells Fargo accounts
RIVERSIDE – March 29, 2007 - Riverside Community College District (RCCD) has selected Wells Fargo to provide financial services opportunities to students, faculty, and staff through the District’s new College Card, which will also serve as an official campus ID card.
The program, to be introduced this summer at RCCD campuses in Riverside, Moreno Valley and Norco, will offer the option to link the enhanced RCCD College Card to a Wells Fargo checking account. The card may be used for ATM and point-of-sale (POS) transactions everywhere PIN pads are present. Plus, as an official campus ID card, the RCCD College Card will provide access to various campus services, such as library access, entry to campus events and more.
“We are very excited to offer this opportunity with Wells Fargo for our students, faculty and staff,” said RCCD Vice Chancellor of Student Services Debbie DiThomas. “After a competitive request for proposal process, the district selected Wells Fargo because of the company’s commitment to the community and its track record in the campus card market. We look forward to a successful relationship.”
RCCD College Card cardholders who link their cards to Wells Fargo checking or savings accounts will enjoy the convenience of Online Banking and My Spending Report, an online tool that categorizes purchases and helps manage and organize finances. In addition, financial aid disbursements will be accessible through the RCCD College Card when student cardholders open a free Wells Fargo College Checking® account. Wells Fargo will provide onsite account opening services for university students, faculty and staff during peak registration and orientation times.
“We are committed to building lasting relationships with our customers, and by establishing connections with students now, we are helping them build healthy financial habits that will serve them well over their lifetimes,” said Richard Domagalski, Wells Fargo regional president for the Inland Empire. “This program is a stepping stone towards a bright financial future and we’re excited to partner with the Riverside Community College District.”
Wells Fargo has the fourth-largest network of ATMs in the nation, with 32 in Riverside, Moreno Valley and Norco, and more than 6,700 ATMs in 23 states around the country. Members of the RCCD community will be able to conveniently access cash through their linked RCCD College Card at any ATM, and at all Wells Fargo ATMs for free.
Wells Fargo offers a wide range of products and services especially developed for students – including Wells Fargo College Checking® account, Wells Fargo College Visa® Credit Card, student loans, insurance, financial education workshops and the Hands on Banking® financial literacy training program available in English and Spanish at www.handsonbanking.org and www.elfuturoentusmanos.org. Students can find more information about Wells Fargo Student Financial Services at www.wellsfargo.com/student/.
Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $482 billion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance through more than 6,000 stores and the internet (wellsfargo.com) across North America and internationally. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is the only bank in the U.S., and one of only two banks worldwide, to have the highest credit rating from both Moody’s Investors Service, “Aaa,” and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, “AAA.”
Off-Campus Advantage (OCA), a provider of merchant solutions for campus card programs, will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of The CBORD Group. OCA was originally SA Cash, a component of Student Advantage’s offering, and later an independent company. Student Advantage was acquired by CBORD late in 2005. Stay tuned to CR80News for more details on this development as they arise.
The CBORD Group Acquires Off-Campus Advantage
Deal expands CBORD’s off-campus solution set
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Ithaca, NY and Boston, MA: The CBORD Group, Inc., one of the world’s leading suppliers of campus card, housing, and foodservice management systems for the College & University market, today announced it has acquired Off-Campus Advantage, LLC (OCA), a leading provider of off-campus payment services for colleges and universities.
OCA expands the functionality of the University-issued ID card by enabling merchants in the local community to accept it as a form of payment. Since 1999, OCA has been providing CBORD’s CS Gold® customers with a robust and secure off-campus payment platform. OCA’s Central Server Solution, which eliminates modem banks, phone lines, and other hardware on campus, will now be expanded to CBORD’s Odyssey PCS™ customers with new or existing off-campus payment programs and will help accelerate the building of CBORD’s UGryd™ national network of merchants, which links participating merchants with participating colleges and their students across America.
“OCA brings a proven, Central Server technology platform to CBORD’s 800+ university clients to address the demand for the campus card to be used off-campus, without adding overhead to the university infrastructure,” said Shawn McCarthy, CBORD’s Vice President of Wide-Area Commerce Solutions. “We are excited to work with the OCA team with their proven track record of excellent customer service.”
“The combination of CBORD’s industry knowledge and campus card systems expertise with OCA’s technology is a terrific win for universities,” said Rory Hersch, President of OCA. “Whether a school is thinking of going off campus for the first time, or has had a program up and running for years, we now offer options to build and maintain those programs according to each university’s unique needs.”
The combined company will offer universities:
OCA will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The CBORD Group, Inc. with offices in Boston. Existing OCA client schools will continue to work with their current OCA account managers.
About The CBORD Group, Inc.
The CBORD Group, Inc., founded in 1975, has provided service to the campus-wide needs of higher-education facilities for over 30 years. CBORD works with a wide variety of clients and markets, providing cashless and ID card privilege control systems, housing management systems, Webfood® online ordering service, and the Student Advantage® discount membership program. In addition, CBORD serves thousands of chain restaurants, hospitals, universities, supermarkets, and gaming facilities with its suite of foodservice, catering, and nutrition software products. The CBORD Group has customers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. To learn more about CBORD, visit us at www.cbord.com.
About Off-Campus Advantage, LLC
Off-Campus Advantage, LLC expands the functionality of the University-issued ID card by enabling merchants in the local community to accept it as a form of payment through its proprietary Central Server technology. With its suite of services, OCA creates fully customized programs for schools with existing off-campus vendors. By leveraging relationships with national retailers, OCA’s Loyalty platform rewards students with prizes for each dollar spent off-campus, creating a strong revenue source for university partners. The Company can be reached online at www.offcampusadvantage.com.
By Jerry Banks and Les G. Thompson, co-authors of RFID Applied
The most basic radio frequency identification solution is made up of three main hardware components. These components are the RFID tag, the RFID reader, and the antenna. This is, of course, an over simplification of what it takes to apply today's RFID technology to a real world problem, but these are the fundamental building blocks. Understanding the fundamentals of RFID is the key that allows practitioners to be successful in their application of the technology. Even though this article does not discuss the software required to interpret and make use of the RFID data, its role in a complete RFID solution is vital.
The components of the basic RFID tag are an integrated circuit (IC), an antenna, and the substrate that holds it all together. The IC is responsible for controlling the tag; much like a CPU controls a desktop computer. The IC controls what is broadcast from the tag, processes commands received from the reader via the antenna, and manages any peripherals such as temperature and pressure sensors. The antenna plays multiple roles in most RFID tags. It is responsible for receiving and transmitting data from and to the reader, and, in the case of passive type RFID tags, they collect the energy required to power the tag. Passive tags power themselves off of the energy they collect from high gain antennas that are connected to the RFID reader; therefore, they must be in close proximity to the RFID reader's antenna in order to collect enough energy to function.
RFID tags with onboard batteries are known as active tags. Unlike passive tags, they transmit their data even when they are not in close proximity to an RFID reader. In most cases, active tags can be read at a longer distance than passive tags. There is a hybrid tag known as the semi-active tag. It has an onboard battery just like the active tag, but it will only transmit when it is in close proximity to the reader.
RFID tags may transmit many different pieces of data, but the most fundamental piece of data is the tag's unique identifier. The unique identifier is, in most cases, associated with a real world asset that is to be tracked. The unique identifier is used as the key that identifies information about an asset in a database in most applications. Tags may also transmit state information or telemetry such as temperature or humidity if they have the sensors to collect this type of information. Most passive tags do not have peripheral functionality due to the power limitations of not having an onboard battery.
The RFID reader is sometimes referred to as the interrogator. The reader receives all of the data that the tags are transmitting. The data is then passed on to software that makes use of the data. The tags that are in close enough proximity to a reader are referred to as the reader's "tag population." As a reader's tag population grows, the density of tags around the reader also grows, and the reader may require more time to read all of the tags in its vicinity. This is due to the fact that if all the tags transmit at the same time, the reader will not be able to separate their data into discreet transmissions, so it is important that the tags do not transmit all at once.
Passive tag readers select subsets of the population to query over time until beacons from all of the tags in the population have been received. Most active tag readers do not control the sampling of the tag population like passive readers do. Active tags beacon at a pseudorandom interval to avoid transmission collision with other tags. Anti-collision algorithms such as the ALOHA algorithm determine when the tag will beacon. The ALOHA algorithm assigns transmission time slots to each tag. The name ALOHA is not an acronym, but was given its name because it was developed at the University of Hawaii. The ALOHA algorithm is a common anti-collision algorithm that is used by many RF applications, not only RFID. Over time, the randomization of the tag transmissions will ensure that the transmissions from all the tags are eventually received. There exists a threshold where the tag density is so great that it cannot be guaranteed that all the tags will be sampled in a timely manner. The tag density maximum is different for each RFID tag and reader manufacturer. Some manufacturers even allow the anti-collision algorithm to be changed based on the needs of the solution.
The importance of the antenna that is connected to the reader cannot be underestimated. In a passive RFID solution, the antenna must be sensitive enough to receive the RFID tag transmissions and it must also be powerful enough to power the tags. Passive tag reader antennas may be deployed in many different configurations depending on the application. A portal configuration is the most common type. Portals place an antenna on each side of the tag's path (i.e., at a loading dock door or on an assembly line). Sometimes, a portal configuration may also affix antennas on the top and bottom of the pathway to completely surround the tag's path, thus increasing the chances of reading the tag as it passes through the portal.
Antennas used in active tag applications must solve a different set of problems. Many times, active tags are used in a real-time location system (RTLS). An RTLS is used to track tagged assets as they move through a building, yard, or supply chain. Active reader antennas are usually installed in the middle of the desired coverage area. For example, an antenna could be placed in the ceiling in the middle of a room. This antenna could then read all of the tags in the room. Because of the increased transmission power of most active RFID tags, when compared to passive tags, the antenna may also read tags outside of the room. Transmissions from tags in adjacent rooms, hallways, or in a room immediately above the antenna in a multistory building may be inadvertently received by the antenna. This is known as "bleeding coverage." Most RTLS's require that the coverage be well defined to a single room or to a zone within a room. To resolve this issue, the correct antenna must be selected that meets the needs of the RF environment. Antennas must provide smooth and consistent input to the RFID reader in order for it to efficiently decode the tags' transmissions. Bad input will yield bad results, especially in RTLS's.
In the words of Scotty from Star Trek, "You can't bend the laws of physics, Captain!" Even though RFID practitioners are bound by the laws of physics, they can make smart decisions about what components they choose and how they are deployed.
This article is the first in an ongoing series that will explain the principles of RFID. The series is developed for RFIDNews by Jerry Banks, an Independent Consultant working in Atlanta Georgia and Les G. Thompson, Chief Technical Officer for Lost Recovery Network, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia. They are two of four co-authors of the book RFID Applied, John Wiley, 2007, ISBN-10 0471793655; ISBN-13 978-041793656.
Blackboard’s newest vending reader, the FlexVend, enables payments from campus cards as well as credit cards. The reader, manufactured by USA Technologies, will also accept major association label (e.g. Visa, MasterCard) contactless payment cards.
Blackboard Releases New Contactless Vending Reader
FlexVend Device Supports Acceptance of Major Credit Cards in Addition to Campus Cards
Washington, DC, – March 26, 2007 – Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) announced today the release of a new vending reader for the Blackboard Commerce Suite™, a family of applications supporting one-card transactions on-campus, off-campus and online and allowing for identification and security access.
The new FlexVend reader, provided by USA Technologies (Nasdaq: USAT), allows for cashless payment at campus vending machines. Cardholders can pay for vended products with their campus card as well as all major credit cards, including the latest contactless cards that allow for ‘touch and go’ transactions. Wired and wireless options of the FlexVend reader are both available.
“Our new FlexVend vending reader utilizes the latest in contactless technology that allows for quick ‘touch-and-go’ card transactions,” said Russ Carlson, president of the Blackboard Commerce Group. “FlexVend provides Blackboard cardholders the ultimate in convenience by allowing them to purchase vended product with a variety of card types including credit cards.”
The easy-to-use vending machine interface allows a cardholder to purchase multiple items with a single swipe or tap of their card. Campuses can also support vending of higher-priced products such as computer or desk supplies.
Online reporting capabilities allow for user-configurable reports on account data of processed transactions.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) is a leading provider of enterprise software applications and related services to the education industry. Founded in 1997, Blackboard enables educational innovations everywhere by connecting people and technology. Millions of people use Blackboard everyday at academic institutions around the globe, including colleges, universities, K-12 schools and other education providers, as well as textbook publishers and student-focused merchants that serve education providers and their students. Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
PockeTracker, the popular handheld ID card verification application from Visionbase, now includes support for HID prox and contactless credentials. The application will read the prox or iCLASS card and check against an onboard or external database for access, eligibility, loyalty, and mustering applications. PockeTracker runs on Motorola Symbol devices, or any PocketPC device paired with an appropriate card reader. An intuitive red or green display permits or denies entry. The product will be demo’d at the ISC West show in Las Vegas next week.
VisionBase adds contactless options to PockeTracker with HID technology
PockeTracker, VisionBase’s mobile handheld ID card tracking device, now includes HID Proximity and iCLASS® technology
Jupiter, FL, March 19, 2007: VisionBase Inc, a premier developer of mobile ID card tracking solutions, today announced that it has integrated technology by HID Global Corporation, a leading manufacturer in the access control industry, to bring improved functionality to PockeTracker Red/Green. PockeTracker works by reading ID cards using the card technology of the user’s choice. PockeTracker now has the ability to read HID Proximity and iCLASS cards, adding secure HID contactless functionality to its list of compatible technologies, which also include barcode and magstripe scanning. Emil Bonaduce, president of VisionBase Inc adds, “I’m excited about joining the HID Connect Partner Program. HID Global’s contactless technologies, paired with our mobile software know-how, bring added security, speed, and convenience when our clients need it most.”
PockeTracker is used to log individuals in and out of events by ID card reading. It runs on Motorola Symbol devices, or any PocketPC device paired with an appropriate card reader. It has a simple red or green display for permitting or denying entry. It can track simple attendance or be used for paperless ticketing. It contains a mustering feature which allows the user to quickly identify who is in, or who is not in a building, a bus, or any other location. It can also tally points for loyalty applications. With HID Proximity and iCLASS as part of the system, an administrator only needs to present the ID card to the reader and they will have access to the photo and data of the individual scanned.
“PockeTracker is a perfect fit for the type of application we look for to make our contactless products stand out in a unique and helpful way,” said Debra Spitler, executive vice president of HID Connect. “VisionBase’s PockeTracker represents a forward-thinking approach to credential-based applications.”
ID Card Administrators need not worry about the headaches of data integration when starting out with PockeTracker. Since launching the PockeTracker Gateway earlier this year, PockeTracker can easily work with current ODBC compliant databases such as Oracle, SQL Server, etc. and that also includes the majority of the ID card software available on the market.
VisionBase will be giving demos of the new PockeTracker functionality at the upcoming ISC West Security Conference in Las Vegas March 28-30, 2007.
About VisionBase:
VisionBase is a software development firm specializing in ID card systems and tracking devices. After success with its ID card software RapIDcard throughout the 1990’s, VisionBase soon branched off into PC based and handheld tracking solutions. PockeTracker, VisionBase’s handheld mobile application is used by college campuses nationwide as well as other organizations in need of wireless mobile tracking by ID card. VisionBase also sells all the components needed to get ID systems up and running including handheld devices, printers, software, cameras, and a wide array of ID carding supplies.
Learn more about VisionBase Inc – www.visionbase.com
About HID Global:
HID Global is a leading manufacturer in the access control industry, serving customers worldwide with proximity and contactless smart card technologies; central station managed access controllers; secure and custom card solutions; photo ID and ID card application control software; and secure card issuance solutions. Headquartered in Irvine, California, HID Global operates international offices that support more than 100 countries and is an ASSA ABLOY Group company. To learn more, please visit www.hidcorp.com.
Access, attendance tracking, lunch programs drive the implementation provided by Scholarchip
Andy Williams, Contributing Editor
Colleges have been using campus card ID systems for years. But with increasing security concerns, similar products are moving into public schools. One example: Philadelphia, Penn.’s school system where high school students at 60 schools have been provided a contactless ID card needed to gain admission to school property, track attendance, and, in some cases, buy lunch in the cafeteria.
“We have 56,000 high school students and we wanted a better handle on (them),” said Patricia DiLella, senior project manager for Philadelphia School District’s Office of Information Technology. “Before, everyone was assumed present until marked absent. We needed something to track students. With this new system, everyone is assumed absent until they tap (their card) and have physically been seen by school personnel.”
Via a request for proposal process, the district selected ScholarChip Card LLC, a seven-year-old organization whose origins date to higher education and has since incorporated K-12 schools in its lineup. While ScholarChip had been conducting a pilot program in two of Philadelphia’s middle schools, it landed the five-year contract because it had “better technology, ease of implementation and cost,” said Ms. DiLella. “It was state of the art and they had experience with smart cards in universities.”
“We spent a year and half doing evaluations in the pilot program (with the middle schools),” said Dr. Maged Atiya, ScholarChip’s founder and chief technology officer. “We’ve provided a contactless card (using NXP’s MiFARE technology) to every high school student in the district.”
Ms. DiLella added that the district, Pennsylvania’s largest, was “in the process of implementing the system in three large middle schools. We concentrated on high schools first because they needed it.”
Students are encouraged to wear the lanyard-attached badge around their necks, however, many are still simply carrying them on their persons, said Ms. DiLella. “We want them to get used to wearing the cards because they’re going to be used (eventually) for classroom attendance.”
The smart ID badge is tapped when a student enters school grounds. Attendance is taken in a classroom in the normal fashion and the results are compared with the records generated when the students first enter the school. In addition, the badges can be read by portable, PDA-style readers. So, if a student is in the hallway, the badge can be read by an administrator to determine where the student should be.
To accomplish this, the card contains the student’s picture and also his class schedule. Other information can be added, such as any special health needs and whether he’s on free or reduced lunch, which can be read by a POS device in the cafeteria.
The next step is implementing electronic attendance at the classroom level. She said some schools would like to put readers in classrooms so students can walk by, thus registering their physical attendance in the class. But that’s not something the district is looking at as a whole because it’s expensive and would require readers in each classroom.
“The (first) challenge is making sure teachers have computers,” she said. “If a child is marked as tapping in (when he first enters the school) when the teacher gets to her class for the day, it shows he’s present.” She then manually identifies that the student is in the classroom. If he’s not, a notation is made on the computer.
“We opted right now not to have devices hanging on the door,” she said. Inevitably, they would be subject to vandalism. “So the teacher will be doing it. This system does help tremendously in finding kids and keeping track of them.”
Eventually, the POS system in the cafeteria will be able to have the foodservice portion on the card and ultimately an e-purse. But right now it just notifies cafeteria personnel that the child is eligible for free and reduced lunch, said Ms. DiLella.
In, the technology-savvy Microsoft School of the Future in Philadelphia, the cards are also used to open lockers. “I don’t think it will be implemented at our other schools anytime soon,” she said. It would require either upgrading the lockers or, more likely, installing new ones, which is an expense the district isn’t willing to undertake at this point.
Each school issues its own cards. “The school can queue a card and print it or we can print it at our data center,” sats Dr. Atiya. “It’s all up to what the school wants to do. (It is a major) implementation of distributed smart card issuance and printing. We have almost 70 printers in the field.”
The printers from Evolis are customized to encode the contactless chip during the print cycle. According to Dr. Atiya, as the blank card is physically printed, a unique digital ID is added to the card that contains the student’s schedule data, emergency information, cafeteria e-purse, etc.
“Our approach is ideal … for large urban school districts,” adds Dr. Atiya. “We installed 300 devices in Philadelphia inside of five weeks. That’s because of the architecture of our system. Everything is self-configurable.”
It seems that the Philadelphia experience supports his claim. “The technology is unbelievable,” Ms. DiLella said in rating the overall system. “We implemented in 59 schools in six weeks. That’s unprecedented. ScholarChip was out here helping them with training and helping us get more accurate data. Now we’re able to assist schools manage and keep accurate attendance records.”
Additional resources:
Visit Scholarchip online at www.scholarchip.com.
This spring, students at New Mexico State University will be able to add a Visa debit card option and Wells Fargo bank account to their campus ID. Via RFP, the school selected Wells Fargo to provide financial services to the Aggie Access Card program.
WELLS FARGO TO PROVIDE ENHANCED CAMPUS CARD BENEFITS, FINANCIAL SERVICES TO NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY
Enhancements link NMSU Aggie Access Card to Wells Fargo accounts
LAS CRUCES – Jan.29, 2007 - New Mexico State University has selected Wells Fargo to provide financial services opportunities to faculty, staff and students through the university’s new Aggie Access Card, which also will serve as an official campus ID card.
The program, to be introduced this spring by Wells Fargo and NMSU, will offer the option of selecting the enhanced Aggie Access Card – a Visa debit card issued by Wells Fargo and linked to a Wells Fargo checking account. The card will provide access for ATM, debit and point-of-sale (POS) transactions everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. As an official campus ID card, it also will provide access to NMSU’s library and select campus buildings, entry to university events and programs and more.
“As we launch our new Aggie Access Card, effective for the fall 2007 semester, we are thrilled to be able to offer this additional opportunity with Wells Fargo for our faculty, staff and students,” said Angela Throneberry, assistant vice president for auxiliary services at New Mexico State University. “After a competitive request for proposal process, we selected Wells Fargo because of the company’s commitment to the community and successful track record in the campus card market. We look forward to a successful relationship.”
“We are pleased to provide our market-leading campus card program to New Mexico State University,” said Mike Cheney, Wells Fargo Regional Banking president for Southern New Mexico. “We are committed to building lasting relationships with our customers that help them succeed financially, and this new service is a step in that direction for the NMSU community.”
Along with Wells Fargo checking and savings account access, NMSU Aggie Access cardholders also can choose the convenience of Wells Fargo Online® Banking and organize their finances with My Spending Report, a new online tool that categorizes purchases. In addition, financial aid disbursements will be accessible through the NMSU Aggie Access Card when linked to a free Wells Fargo College Checking® account.
Wells Fargo has the third-largest network of ATMs in the nation, with nine ATMs in Las Cruces and more than 6,500 ATMs in 23 states nationwide. Members of the NMSU community will be able to conveniently access cash through their NMSU Aggie Access Card on campus at Wells Fargo ATMs and at all Wells Fargo banking locations. The NMSU Aggie Access Card also can be used at merchants that accept Visa debit cards or PIN-based transactions.
NMSU is the first New Mexico campus to team up with Wells Fargo and offer optional access to financial services through an official university ID card. Wells Fargo has similar programs at other college campuses in California, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas and Arizona. Wells Fargo also offers a wide range of accounts and services especially developed for students including the Wells Fargo College Checking account, Wells Fargo College Visa® Credit Card, student loans, insurance, financial education workshops and the Hands On Banking® financial literacy training program available in English and Spanish at www.handsonbanking.org and www.elfuturoentusmanos.org.
Wells Fargo will provide onsite account opening services for university students, faculty and staff during peak registration and orientation times at NMSU and will participate in the Welcome Back Event in the International Mall on Jan. 31.
“By establishing relationships with students at New Mexico State University, we are helping them build healthy financial habits that will serve them well over their lifetimes,” Cheney said. “We want to be their financial services provider now, when they’re students, and throughout their lives, as their needs for banking, mortgage, investments and insurance – all their financial needs – evolve.”
In New Mexico, Wells Fargo has nearly 2,000 team members and more than 102 stores. Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $482 billion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance to more than 23 million customers from more than 6,000 stores and the internet (wellsfargo.com) across North America and internationally. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. has the highest possible credit rating, “Aaa,” from Moody’s Investors Service and the highest credit rating given to a U.S. bank, “AA+,” from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services
Change could open floodgates for contactless and other payment cards in vending, transit, unattended locations
By Chris Corum, Editor
Regulation E, the rule outlining consumer rights with regard to electronic financial transactions, can make things tough on new payment offerings – but many argue that is its mission. Electronic payment providers have to make a slew of disclosures, they have to guarantee against fraudulent usage, they have to provide periodic statements, and they have to provide receipts for transactions. But this receipt requirement may be loosening. The Federal Reserve (Fed) is considering a change that would exempt transactions under $15 from the need to provide a receipt. Big deal you say? Read on.
Here is the Fed’s summary description:
“The Board is proposing to amend Regulation E, which implements the Electronic Fund Transfer Act … The proposed amendments would create an exception for certain small-dollar transactions from the requirement that terminal receipts be made available to consumers at the time of the transaction.”
What was some of the justification suggested for the change?
Consumers are using electronic payments where they used to use cash as the dollar value ‘threshold’ for card payments has been lowering in consumer eyes. The idea is that consumers ‘want’ to use cards to pay for things that, in the past, would have required cash. Examples include vending machines, transit tickets, parking facilities, and other small ticket items and unattended locations.
According to the proposed rule change:
“Merchants, financial institutions and payment card associations have responded to the shift in consumer preferences towards non-cash methods of payment for small-dollar transactions in various ways. Payment card associations have changed their rules to enable quicker processing of transactions for both debit and credit cards. For example, these associations have waived the signature and personal identification number (PIN) authorization requirements for certain types of purchases under $25. Moreover, to encourage merchant acceptance of payment cards, these associations have also reduced their debit and credit card interchange rates for certain small-dollar transactions. In addition, some card issuers have integrated new technologies into their products which allow consumers to swipe or wave radio frequency-enabled cards or other devices to authorize payment in “contactless” transactions. These initiatives have reduced the amount of time consumers spend at checkout, which has in turn allowed merchants to process more transactions in the same amount of time.”
Arguments for and against the change …
The comment period on the proposed change ended on January 30, 2007, and more than 30 comments were received in response to the proposed changes. As one might expect, consumers submitting comments tended to react negatively to the proposed change while industry came down in favor of the change. Of course, this should, in no way, be deemed a true representation of either group’s opinion as only those with a vested interest or extremely strong opinions are likely to take the time to comment.
The arguments against the proposed change centered on the following themes:
Arguments in favor of the change centered around the fact that this could help to open up the use of the payment cards at new locations and venues, to the benefit of the modern consumer.
Additionally, many industry comments suggest that the threshold for the receipt exception be raised from $15 to $25:
David DeMedio, commented as a representative of USA Technologies, a leading manufacturer of payment readers for unattended devices. He explained the potentially insurmountable challenges to providing receipts at many unattended devices:
“Deploying a credit/debit payment option, with the requirement to provide a receipt, would be a major, if not insurmountable impediment to industry wide acceptance. In vending, for example, many of the makes and models of the estimated 8 million vending machines installed in the U.S. do not have the required space to accommodate the additional receipt printer and paper roll. Also, since the newly introduced contactless credit/debit readers utilize the existing, available power from the host vending machine, adding a receipt printer would now require an additional power source to power the printer.“
He also addressed the service challenges that we have all likely experienced when trying to get a receipt from unattended gas pumps, stating:
“Significant servicing issues arise with offering receipts because of the unattended, distributed nature of these machines and the infrequency in which they are serviced. Malfunctioning printers, empty paper rolls and litter from discarded receipts, which could go uncorrected for the reasons above, could actually cause the consumer to have a negative experience while purchasing from the machine, thereby negating the purpose to install the printers in the first place.”
What happens next?
According to a spokesperson for the Federal Reserve, the proposed change will follow an established process. Staff will review the comments and consider them as they prepare a final recommendation. This will be presented to a Board committee for consideration and, if approved, will be presented to the Board of Governors for final consideration.
Though a timeline is not available, other proposed changes have taken as long as eighteen months from start to finish. Several things, however, work in favor of this change being accepted or rejected in a more rapid period. First, it is the only proposed change to Reg E currently under consideration. Second, it is fairly straightforward issue for consideration and does not possess the degree of complexity of many other proposals.
Stay tuned.
Additional resources:
To download a copy of the proposed rule change as published in the Federal Register on December 1, 2006, click here.
To view comments submitted for consideration by the Board, click here.
The pay-for-print solution stands alone or integrates with Blackboard, CBORD, Nuvision, more
By Andy Williams, Contributing Editor
Forty years ago, a new automobile cost about $3,500 and a printed page–at that time using a daisy wheel, dot matrix, or copying machine–cost about 10 to 15 cents. Today, the price of cars has more than quadrupled, but that same printed page of much higher quality–costs the same.
GoPrint Systems’ Steve Haber’s point–that he makes when visiting with college students–is simply that the pay for the print and copying process has evolved tremendously over those 40 years but the price has not. “When I was going to college, paying a dime or 15 cents for a printed page was the single biggest bargain you could ever come across,” he said. “I ask students to tell me one thing they can still pay the same thing for 40 years later. And I have little trivia contests in our company to find something that costs the same.”
Mr. Haber, GoPrint president, created his company 10 years ago. “I was hiring myself out as part-time COO and I ran across a company making print utility software. They were developers for Hewlett Packard. I came in as a CFO and within a couple of years I was president of the company. In 1997, I left to form GoPrint Systems (a print management company) and began to build a network printing solution using card readers for libraries and colleges. I literally took a year and we created a whole new product from scratch. I hired programmers, but I designed the concept, the look and feel and its key components.”
While developers typically sell through resellers, Mr. Haber didn’t want to do that. “I wanted a direct relationship with our customers, so I developed over the top servicing. We live and breathe it every day.”
GoPrint can provide its customers the software, hardware, including computers, and touch screen monitors. “It’s a full on-site turnkey service,” he said. “If any component ever fails for any reason, we replace it overnight, freight-free with a plug and play device. They simply plug in power and they’re up and running. It’s all cost-free for the life of the service contract.”
Middle Tennessee State University was GoPrint’s first client. “It has had every upgrade since,” said Mr. Haber. The school has the company’s software running in libraries and computer labs. “They bought everything from us,” he added, “including custom security kiosks.”
The newest release fights “wasteful network printing”
Last year, the San Ramon, Calif.-based company introduced its new GS-4 product–an enhanced, automated and scalable pay-for-print management solution equipped with a host of customer-requested advancements and new features.
The GS-4 is designed to help campuses recover costs associated with what it calls “excessive and wasteful network printing,” said Mr. Haber. The GoPrint solution is server based and supported on Windows, Linux, Macintosh X, Novell, Sun Solaris, and Thin-Client platforms with a web enabled control center. GoPrint offers both a release station and non-resident client workstation popup option for easy release and or payment of print jobs. He says that implementation of GoPrint products can result in customer print cost reductions of 30% to 50%.
All of the GoPrint software is written in Java. “That gives us the portability for Macs, Linux and Windows. We wanted to be multiple platform-driven.”
The program is also certified to work with some of the major campus card systems–CBORD, Blackboard, NuVision, ITC and various payment systems, such as debit or stored value, cash acceptors, user quota accounts, online transactions and one-card systems. In addition, it supports PayPal and other credit card gateways for self-serve funding of user accounts with a credit card. Use of credit cards to add value to a user account is supported from any web accessible workstation.
GoPrint currently services more than 200 colleges across the country plus one university in Japan and two U.S. Air Force bases in Germany. “They (the Air Force bases) found us on the Internet. They loved our product and wanted it for their libraries because they needed a secure pay system for their printers,” said Mr. Haber.
Creating an intuitive, game-like user experience
He said when he initially designed the software, he wanted something that was student-friendly, “that they would love, like a vending machine or a game.”
The result is “a simple three screen release station. “I’m a student at a workstation in a library. I hit print at my work station and the job is directed to the GoPrint server, where it’s paused. The release station, which has a game-like user interface, is where (I) go to release that job. Typically that release station is located near a cluster of printers. It’s like walking up to an ATM.”
At the touchscreen (designed for rapid access and to support students with disabilities) the job is selected and priced according to the print rules built into the system. “The student clicks on the jobs they want to print and the third screen comes up and lists the amount … requests the student to insert their card or choose another payment method such as cash or account number depending on how the system is configured.”
But jobs can also be released directly from the workstation, he adds. “Hit print and up comes this Web interface dialog box which acts as the release station. The user selects the jobs he wants to print. In this case, he has to use a student account. Our system supports purses. I took this idea from chip cards where they were offering multiple purses. We have soft purses … so schools can give students individual quotas that can only be used for labs … or individual departments could give out individual quota accounts.”
He further explained it this way: “If you’re printing out your class notes, it prompts you for payment. Now you can choose how you’re going to pay. You know the science lab gave you a student quota. You scroll through the purses until you come to science and charge it there.”
Extreme customer focus facilitates quick response to user needs
GoPrint employs just 14 people, including three developers, four customer support representatives, and the rest in sales and administration.
“Here’s another little secret,” he added. “When you send an email to support at GoPrint, I am copied on every single one, both incoming and outgoing.”
Like the Avis car rental ads used to claim, he considers GoPrint as “one of the other guys. One of the benefits of not selling through a reseller is you can add specialized programming features. If you’re dealing with resellers, it might take eight months to get the changes you need made. We can get it out fast.”
This example of GoPrint being able to act, or react is one of the company’s main advantages, said Mr. Haber. “I can set a print rule that you pay 10 cents a page or half dollar. I can set something that every third page in color is charged a 15% premium or every Thursday from midnight to 4 a.m. you can receive a 50% discount. These are just some examples of the power built into the algorithms.”
“Our job is to build a great package of tools and then allow the customers to use those tools most efficiently as they grow; we’re always looking five years out,” said Mr. Haber.
By then, the average price of an automobile may be approaching $50,000 or more, but it’s likely the cost of a printed page will still be hovering around the 10-cent mark.
Additional resources:
For further information, visit www.goprint.com.
