In this episode of CampusIDNews Chats, Danny Smith, co-founder and co-owner of Color D, announces the company’s acquisition of CardExchange, a long-time partner in identity and credential management solutions. Smith describes that the move is intended to increase ColorID’s ability to offer more integrated and flexible identity management systems for higher ed and other markets.

For more than 20 years, CardExchange has been a key partner in developing sophisticated, custom identity solutions, helping ColorID implement complex credentialing projects. The acquisition cements their long-standing collaboration, enabling a more seamless approach to providing cloud-based identity solutions.

A major focus of the acquisition is CardExchange’s cloud platform, which has been in development for the past four to five years. This system allows institutions to manage credentials across different modalities—physical, mobile, and biometric—while integrating with multiple third-party applications and access control systems.

With the acquisition, Smith says ColorID will be able to provide universities with greater control over their identity infrastructure. Traditionally, identity management has been tied to one-card system or physical access control (PAC) platforms. He argues, however, that universities should own and manage their own identity ecosystems.

This would allow them to switch service providers or integrate new technologies without being locked into a single vendor. The CardExchange acquisition, Smith says, enables ColorID to deliver an agnostic integration platform, helping institutions centralize identity management while maintaining interoperability with existing systems.

One of the most notable applications of CardExchange’s solutions is the NYU project, where the platform was used to unify credentialing across 14 global campuses. The success of this implementation demonstrates the scalability and adaptability of CardExchange’s technology.

Listen to the full interview, by clicking the image at the top of this page.