Card, mobile credential, payment and security
In a recent interview, HID Global’s Amy Surprenant discusses the project management component of the mobile credential launch at George Washington University (GWU). With 26,000 faculty, staff, and students, the project marked a significant milestone for the institution and its partners, including HID, CBORD, and various on-campus departments and vendors.
The deployment of HID Mobile Access at GWU took more than 32 months of planning and collaboration.
She says managing a project of this scale is complex due to the numerous third-party systems involved – ranging from door access and printing to parking, transportation, and more.
GWU is a CBORD school, they use HID but they also have Allegion door access hardware. With just a firmware update, their Allegion locks were able to read the HID credential.
The shift to mobile ID required a full audit of every system currently relying on physical cards to ensure each could be supported by the new credential. This is mandatory due Apple’s 100% use case requirement.
In addition to HID hardware, GWU’s infrastructure also includes Allegion door hardware. Effective collaboration between technology providers ensured that both companies’ readers could accept the mobile credential.
Surprenant says the successful implementation at GWU illustrates how thoughtful planning and strong partnerships can deliver a modern, secure, and user-friendly campus experience.
To watch the full interview, click the image at the top of this page.
Transcript
Hi, I am Amy Surprenant, end user business development manager for higher education. I work at HID Global and I'm here at a conference for end users specifically in the higher education realm.
I'm proud to say that I was part of the GWU launch, George Washington University, they have 26,000 faculty, staff and students.
From a project management perspective, there's a lot of third-party applications – printing, bookstore, transportation, parking – it doesn't just include door access.
It was an awesome project implementation phase. After 32 months or so of meetings after meetings, we had HID on the phone, CBORD, and all the different on-campus departments and vendors.
It was a great project. You have to think about all the third-party use cases, door access, it just launched three weeks ago yesterday for mobile and they are beyond happy, so it was a definite success.
So as far as the project management piece, there's a lot of third-party applications that you have on a campus, whether it's printing, the bookstore, transportation, parking – it doesn't just include door access.
You need to make sure that those third-party systems integrate with data feeds out to the right system, so it's definitely a big lift, but it's definitely a lift that's worth it in the end. That is because the student experience, it's not only for convenience, but also safety. It's audit control, because it makes you actually look at wherever a student uses that plastic card today. They have to be able to use their mobile, because of the Apple 100% use case requirement.
You need to make sure that those third-party systems integrate with data feeds out to the right system, so it's definitely a big lift, but it's definitely a lift that's worth it in the end.
So, it's just seamless and convenient for the students, and let's face it, Generation Alpha is here, and they want mobile, everything is on their phone.
George Washington University is a CBORD school, they use HID but they also have Allegion door access hardware on campus. They're able to have Allegion locks that can read the HID credential with just an update on their firmware. It's an HID mobile identity, so we were pivotal in making that relationship work and forming a great partnership with all.
Our team is always here to help, we're dedicated all the time, I don't want to say 24-7, but we are. We have a great team of people that covers the entire country. Please reach out to us at any time, we're here to help.
Denison University and Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) rolled out mobile credentials to students and staff across their campuses. The projects were very different, however, because of the existing reader infrastructure on the two campuses.
Each partnered with Allegion and Transact + CBORD to deliver the new digital IDs – stored in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Now students access facilities, residence halls, and other campus amenities using their phones rather than traditional plastic cards.
Both institutions were already users of Allegion door access readers and the CBORD transaction system and access control system, CS Access.
Still, the workload was very different for each.
The per door work at Denison was not nearly as intense given their recent move to Allegion locks with CBORD CS Access. Most firmware already supported mobile Wallet.
“The campuses had different starting points in terms of prepping their electronic locks and readers for mobile,” says Jeff Koziol, Business Development Manager for Mobile Credential at Allegion.
“FIT has been an Allegion customer for more than a decade, so they have ten-year legacy hardware on campus,” he explains. “This required some at-the-door firmware and hardware updating.”
Specifically, some read heads in the existing Schlage AD-400 wireless locks had to be replaced.
In contrast, Denison College installed its Allegion hardware just four years ago. Their Schlage MTB readers and LE/ NDE mobile-enabled wireless locks already supported mobile credentials.
“The per door work at Denison was not nearly as intense given their recent move to Allegion locks and readers with CBORD CS Access,” says Koziol. “Most of the firmware already supported mobile Wallet.”
Both have small enrollments showing that mobile isn’t reserved for large, power-five-conference institutions only.
While the infrastructure was different, they have other things in common.
Both have small enrollments – Denison serving 2,400 and FIT 3,600. They show that mobile isn’t reserved for large, power-five-conference institutions only.
Additionally, the move to mobile at both institutions is a direct response to student feedback and the desire to align campus services with the needs of today’s students.
“By adopting digital IDs, schools like FIT and Denison are doing more than modernizing credentials – they're showing an earnest commitment to student success," said Rasheed Behrooznia, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Campus ID and Commerce for Transact + CBORD. "Digital IDs have proven to remove barriers, foster a greater sense of belonging, and meet digital expectations.”
Palm Beach State College’s campus card office has opted to forego mobile credentials and stick with their longtime magstripe cards. While the decision may seem unusual to some, Jessica Bender, the college’s auxiliary services manager, explains to CampusIDNews the rationale and the research that went into it.
With a student population of 40,000, the college would face significant costs in transitioning to mobile, including annual licensing fees of $2 to $5 per credential. This compares to a onetime cost of just 25 cents per magstripe card.
She emphasizes that as a commuter-based community college, students don’t use their ID cards daily.
I don't think our students suffer by us not going mobile. As a community college, I'm not sure that they even know about it.
Most ID usage is tied to periodic events such as printing, financial aid transactions at the bookstore, or accessing the wellness center. They don’t have door access or meal plans that typically justify mobile adoption.
The average student age is between 23 and 26, and most live in the surrounding community.
If the college expands door access requirements to all students, the cost-benefit equation could shift. Then, Bender says, they would be open to reconsidering the decision.
She stresses that implementing mobile credentials should not be driven by trends. Incorporate careful evaluation of infrastructure, budget models, and long-term costs – including lost revenue from card replacements.
To watch the full interview, click the image at the top of this page.
Transcript
Our college has decided right now not to go mobile. One of the reasons is we're a very large community college and our use case doesn't really lend itself to mobile.
We have about 40,000 students, and we're still using magstripe cards. The cost is 25 cents a card.
To move to the mobile is a huge cost. We're carding 40,000 students. You have $2 to $5 annual cost per mobile.
We're not doing door access. We're not doing meal plans. We're doing mostly just stored value. So, for now, the magstripe works for us. That's why we decided no mobile for now.
I don't think our students suffer by us not going mobile.
Being a community college, I'm not sure that our students even know about it.
I hear the story that mobile makes the student decide whether they go to college A or college B. It gets a little bit different in the community college market because students stay near home to go to college.
Our students are not 18 to 21-year-olds. They're 23 to 26-year-old average.
I don't think that our students are suffering because we haven't gone mobile.
As a community college, we are all commuters, meaning we don’t have the residence halls so students don't need their card every day.
You know, I hear universities say that's why they found mobile because students always have their phone.
At a community college, the things students need their card for like printing, so you're not doing that every day. Financial aid at the bookstore, that's a semester thing. They want to maybe go to wellness center, so they need their card for that.
But it's not like a residential campus where you constantly need to present the credential.
I think that you really have to look at your use case to see if that makes sense.
That's funny that you should bring up when we might consider mobile. I was just in a meeting last week and we're slowly moving towards door access for our academic buildings. I was told by our chief safety officer that her goal is to have everything locked down 24x7.
And what that would mean would be someone would have to have a credential to present to get into buildings.
Right now we are using a MIFARE card for certain staff to have a limited amount of door access. But if you turned around and told me that from now on, every student was going to need to get that MIFARE card, so now you're at that same kind of price point at $5.
If that's where we get to, then I would say at that point that would change the conversation. Because you can save some costs by eliminating printers, eliminating staff at the printing locations, and still, you're going to be spending $5 on a MIFARE card. So I could spend $2 to $5 on the licensing for the mobile.
I just think when making a decision about mobile, it's a case by case decision and every school is going to be different.
I think some schools went with it because it was the cool, shiny thing to do, but I think you have to think about it.
Coming to things like NACCU and reading up on the industry, can help you understand all the costs involved.
Yes, the shiny new thing, but what I didn't know until I talked to a school that went mobile is it's an ongoing annual cost.
You have to have the infrastructure and the budget model to support that, and then you lose some income.
You lose your replacement fees and things like that, so you really need to make an informed decision and get all the facts before you decide, well, I'm going to do the shiny thing by going mobile.
To gain access to secure university services and student accounts, Princeton students use a multi-factor authentication solution from Duo. In the past, users could opt to receive secure codes from Duo via text message or phone call, but these methods have been phased out.
An article in the Daily Princetonian cites an email from the university’s Office of Information (OIT) Technology saying that these older methods are now, “a common target for hackers looking to compromise accounts.”
Between 2022 and 2024, there was a 44% increase in unique phishing emails and a 186% rise in reported incidents.
In mid-June, the switch was made, and all users must now rely on one of two more secure methods.
OIT’s preferred method is the Duo Mobile app, which uses push notifications that require the account owner to verify that the login attempt is valid. Second, biometric authentication using Windows Hello; TouchID or FaceID on Macs and iPhones; and Android biometric options may be enabled.
Princeton is not the only campus to take this action. Some have already eliminated SMS and phone options in their Duo system, and others are in process of doing so.
The rise in phishing attacks at Princeton prompted the institution to make changes to its spam filters and email delivery processes earlier in the year.
In the two years between 2022 and 2024, there was a 44% increase in unique phishing emails and a 186% rise in reported incidents.
In response, Princeton’s Information Security Office ratcheted up the threshold on its spam filters, making it harder for phishing emails to reach inboxes. They also began diverting more of these messages directly to the user’s trash folder, bypassing the junk folder altogether.
These phishing emails are often sophisticated and targeted to the student community. They promise research assistant positions or internships, include university logos, and appear to come from actual university leaders.
The Princetonian received data from OIT on phishing attacks dating back to 2021. Authors did an in-depth analysis, and the findings provide great insight.
Specific areas of analysis include:
The trends at Princeton are likely pervasive throughout higher education, so the article is a must read for all campus administrators.
A significant acquisition in the security industry is set to impact the campus card space. On June 12, door access reader and mobile credential provider, Allegion, announced that it will acquire ELATEC for $380 million.
Germany-based ELATEC manufactures door access readers, USB-connected readers, and embedded reader modules. While Allegion already provides industry-leading electronic door access readers, ELATEC’s USB-connected readers and modules will be a new addition to Allegion’s offerings.
Sarah Bowling, ELATEC’s VP of Sales, Business Development, and Marketing told CampusIDNews that this means a stronger, more unified approach to mobile-first in higher ed.
ELATEC readers are frequently used to address challenging use cases, enabling existing contactless and mobile credentials to be used for print/copy control, dining, library patron ID, EV charging, and network authentication.
“Allegion and Elatec share a vision of creating open, interoperable access infrastructures,” says Bowling. “Together, we can provide colleges and universities with a broader suite of solutions – from campus card systems and door hardware to multi-credential readers that support mobile wallets and future-ready authentication.”
For Allegion, the acquisition helps support the company’s non-residential markets – such as higher education – and increases strategic relationships with channel partners like campus card and transaction system providers.
In the campus market, ELATEC readers are frequently used to address challenging use cases.
Their connected readers enable existing contactless and mobile credentials to be used in applications such as print/copy control, dining, library patron ID, EV charging, and network authentication.
Because they can be programmed to return a custom string of data to a computer via USB, they are also ideal for supporting legacy applications.
According to the press release, “ELATEC readers support nearly 100 credential types, making the company a leader in interoperability, which aligns well with Allegion’s partner of choice strategy.”
“Elatec supports more than 300 colleges and universities globally through our embedded technology partnerships with OEMs,” says Bowling. “With Allegion’s reach and established presence in higher ed, we fully expect this partnership to help us scale faster, build deeper integrations with campus systems, and introduce new innovations tailored for the market.”
The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, and ELATEC is expected to generate $65 million in net sales in 2026.
Last summer, Harvard announced that it was phasing out its decades-old Crimson Cash declining balance program. Citing declining usage and the prevalence of open system debit and credit cards, they began a yearlong multi-step elimination plan.
This month, the final stages of this plan will be complete, and the one of higher ed’s pioneering declining balance and off-campus merchant programs will be no more.
In 2024, residential dining, gyms, and vending ceased to accept the payment method. The once-popular off-campus merchant program managed by the university also ended, with Grubhub stepping in to fill the gap.
At the start of 2025, Crimson Cash was no longer accepted at retail dining locations.
This left three areas to complete the phase out – laundry, copy/print, and Student Grilles. These areas were more difficult to eliminate as they relied heavily or exclusively on Crimson Cash.
The solution for laundry came via a payment app from the institution’s laundry provider CSC. The CSCPayMobile App lets students add funds to a dedicated laundry account to pay for services.
“This will be a significant improvement to user convenience accepting all major credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay,” says the Crimson Cash website. “In addition, the app will show the availability of machines, wash and dry cycle status, and account balance information.”
TouchNet is providing the solution for the Grilles and copy/print services.
The Student Grilles – which previously only accepted Crimson Cash and flex bucks – will now accept credit and debit cards via the TouchNet solution. They will continue to accept BoardPlus, the $65 of flex bucks provided with undergraduate meal plans.
Harvard’s copy and print services, known as Crimson Print, will complete the transition to a dedicated account that can be recharged via debit or credit card through the TouchNet payment gateway.
As described by the Crimson Cash site, “students and guests will be able to add to or manage their printing account balances from the Crimson Print web portal.”
As of June 30, there will be no place left for students to use any remaining Crimson Cash funds. They can, however, request a refund online until June 30, 2026.
R.I.P. Crimson Cash. You were a model for campuses across the country and made life better for hundreds of thousands of students over the years.
A new facial recognition reader from Assa Abloy’s Control iD line can store 100,000 templates on the device, enabling standalone usage or integration with existing security systems.
In a conversation with CampusIDNews, Jeff Bransfield, Regional Director of Digital Access Solutions for Assa Abloy, introduces the iDFace Max. The new seven-inch facial identification terminal is receiving significant attention for its ability to support multiple deployment configurations.
In standalone mode, it manages access privileges, enrolls users, and authenticates identities without relying on a system of record. Alternatively, it can serve as a reader connected to systems like Genetec, Lenel OnGuard, or Software House CCURE 9000, pulling cardholder databases directly for rapid deployment.
In addition to biometrics, it supports a wide range of contactless and NFC wallet credentials.
iDFace Max is especially suited for environments like athletic facilities, where managing physical credentials is cumbersome. Using facial recognition as the primary credential streamlines access while enhancing security and convenience.
Thanks to its integrated HID OmniKey core, it also supports multiple credential types – including Seos, Prox, NFC wallet credentials, QR codes, PINs, and more.
To watch the full interview, click the image at the top of this page.
Transcript
Hi, I am Jeff Bransfield, Regional Director of Digital Access Solutions for Assa Abloy.
We're here this week following up after ISC West. We have a lot of interesting products that we've shown at the show. Now we're at NACCU and talking to campuses and really highlighting one specific product that's getting a lot of buzz.
So Control ID, we launched a new terminal this year called iDFace Max. It's our seven-inch facial identification reader controller. iDFace Max is a transformational technology.
It has the ability to be deployed in so many different flexible deployment modes, meaning I can put this thing out there standalone, have it run all the access privileges, rules.
I can enroll all my users standalone.
I don't need to rely on an access control system of record necessarily.
If we do have an access control system, we can actually hook it in as a reader so that the access control system actually makes those yes/no decisions, but I'm managing the templates on the device and the facial identification on the device.
And then lastly, we have the ability to have a fully native integration to the software OEMs as well.
So, if I'm running a Genetec or a Lenel OnGuard, or Software House CCURE 9000 system, they can literally bring the cardholder database to the terminals directly so that I can deploy tomorrow and I've already got cardholder photos in the system of record.
In they go. It's authenticating their face and we're ready to move forward.
So we're seeing a lot of use cases, especially around the higher educational institutions where athletics facilities, you know, places where managing credentials or lack thereof for credentials is a difficult task to do.
iDFace really gives the ability to just use the human as the credential so they can just walk into the facilities. It's an intentional act of using your face as the credential. It's security and convenience really coming together in those facilities and allowing for flexibility of deployment.
With iDFace Max, the seven inch terminal we're releasing, it also has an HID OmniKey core inside of it.
So I can support all of those contactless credentials as well, whether that's Seos, whether that's Prox, whether that's NFC or wallet credentials. I can support all of those inside that terminal.
So you can have one device at the opening doing facial rec, you can do PIN, you can do QR code, you can have a card, you can have a mobile wallet, etc. It's an extremely powerful device.
So what's really nice about the terminal too is whether it's connected to an access control system of record or it's native integration, or if it's standalone, iDFace Max has the ability to do up to 100,000 faces inside the terminal itself.
It can process 100,000 faces, and you can distribute QR codes to hundreds of thousands more users as well.
If you're connected to an OEM, a software OEM, you're kind of limitless at that point as far as the users that can be pushed down because then the system can manage however many.
If you have access to that terminal or that door, that's when iDFace will actually download the template to the device.
So like with every Assa Abloy product and family that we have, we've got a ton of resources in our sales teams. We've got over 700 people that just represent everything opening solutions.
So if you need door hardware questions, you need door questions, you need decorative handle questions, electronic questions, we've got people on the team that can direct you in the right place.
I would reach out to your local Assa Abloy people, whether that's your campus rep, whether that's your integrated solution specialists, or just go visit our website.
So www.intelligentopenings.com is a great place to start for all the smart stuff on the digital access side.
So I appreciate and look forward to hearing from you.
While most people know Southern New Hampshire University as a private, online institution, it does have a physical campus. Its 3,000 students need ID cards, and its facilities require security and other transaction-related services.
In terms of total enrollment, SNHU is the second largest accredited higher ed institution in the country. With more than 175,000 students, it trails the largest institution – Western Governors University – by just 10,000 enrollees.
It is well more than twice the size of the two largest on-campus and hybrid institutions – Arizona State and Texas A&M College Station – and three times the size of the remaining universities in the list of top 25 enrollments.
More than 500 readers from Allegion are replacing outdated technology to prepare the campus for future credential technology.
But where Western Governors University is totally online, SNHU’s 300-acre physical campus has academic buildings, residence halls, dining facilities that require physical access control.
Recently, SNHU began updating door access hardware across the entire campus. More than 500 readers from Allegion are replacing outdated technology to prepare the campus for future credential technology.
An article in the Penmen Press says that about 450 of the 500 locations have transitioned to the new hardware. The rest require a custom size reader so they will be installed when ready.
Stacy Gomez, Manager of Site Services with SNHU’s Network Operations Team, says the project was driven by lifecycle management and mobile credentials.
Her team is responsible for making sure campus technology – like physical access systems – stays current and reliable.
This upgrade is part of a larger Network Operations Team initiative – in conjunction with Facilities – to incorporate campuswide hardware lifecycle management.
This upgrade is part of a larger Network Operations Team initiative – in conjunction with Facilities – to incorporate campuswide hardware lifecycle management.
“We applaud SNHU for their proactive approach to infrastructure upkeep,” says Jeff Koziol, Business Development Manager for Mobile Credential at Allegion. “It is always good to see institutions actively address aging infrastructure and plan for what lies ahead.”
Beyond lifecycle management, SNHU is also paving the way for mobile credentials.
“These new readers are compatible with future integrations like mobile credentials,” says Gomez. “While we don’t have a go-live date, we’re taking steps now to be ready when the time comes.”
Allegion’s Koziol says the Schlage MTB readers selected by SNHU will support both current contactless credentials today and, when ready, mobile wallet credentials.
Genea is a cloud-based smart building security provider that recently entered the higher education market via a partnership with Transact+CBORD. CampusIDNews talked with the company’s President and CEO Michael Wong to learn about the company and its offerings.
Though new to this market, Genea has deep roots in corporate security with major customers such as Target Corporation. Target uses the Genea platform across 18 countries and 1500 locations.
According to Wong, when Transact+CBORD was seeking a replacement to its on-prem TS Access solution, they selected Genea as a best-in-class cloud solution.
Most enterprise software applications no longer sit on a server in the basement of the building. They've migrated to the cloud. We're that cloud solution, best-in-class.
The company’s first higher ed implementation is underway at Mercer University, a former TS Access client looking to transition to a modern platform.
Wong highlights Genea’s flexibility, integration capability with other providers, and commitment to open hardware standards. Using Mercury hardware instead of proprietary controllers gives customers the freedom to switch vendors if needed.
Built natively in the cloud, Genea stands out for its speed of innovation. In 2023, the company rolled out 55 major feature updates, compared to just one or two typical of on-prem systems. This agility allows Genea to respond quickly to customer feedback and deliver requested features in weeks rather than months.
To watch the full interview, click the image at the top of this page.
TRANSCRIPT
Hi, I'm Michael Wong, President and CEO of Genea. We are a cloud-based smart building security platform.
We are relatively new to the higher ed space, partially because of our partnership with Transact+CBORD, where they're starting to end the life of some of their security products. They did their research on all the different access control solutions in the marketplace, and they said ours is the best. So that's how we got introduced to this industry.
We're now working with some of the other providers as well to do integrations.
We do all Target security worldwide, so access control across 18 countries, 1,500 retail locations, all their corporate offices, data centers, distribution centers.
Right now we are doing our first implementation for Mercer University. So, I talked to Ken Boyer. Once we're fully implemented, he'll be able to tell you what the experience has been like.
In terms of other industries that we've worked with, Target Corporation is our largest customer. We do all Target security worldwide, so access control across 18 countries, 1,500 retail locations, all their corporate offices, data centers, distribution centers.
So we know we can handle higher ed and the scale and complexity that it requires, because we've done it for a Fortune 50 company.
You know, one of the things that's happening right now with the industry is, for example, Transact is end of life’ing their TS access solution, and so those customers need to find a different solution.
So once again, as Transact looked at not developing another solution internally and trying to bring that to the cloud, they picked us as a best-in-class solution.
So that's what brings us back to Mercer University. Mercer was a TS access client. They were looking at trying to figure out what was the next step. And so we're right now at the beginning of the implementation process for Mercer University, and it's going well.
A lot of the end users that I've been talking to at the conference are just trying to figure out what else is available.
With Mercury hardware, they have 23 software providers that could use that same controller. So, if you do nothing else besides make sure that you get onto a Mercury platform, you future proof your investments.
And so with most enterprise software applications, they no longer sit on the server in the computer in the basement of the building. They've migrated to the cloud. We're that cloud solution, best-in-class.
We use Mercury hardware, which is very important, by the way. There's a lot of proprietary systems out there where they will sell you a proprietary hardware or a controller. And then if you want to switch to something else, no other software provider can use that.
So we lean in with Mercury as the platform on the hardware side because we always want to have our customers stay with us because we're providing great service and support, not because we sold them something that they can't get away from.
So with Mercury hardware, they have 23 software providers that could use that same controller. So, if you do nothing else besides make sure that you get onto a Mercury platform, you give yourself options and future proof your investments.
We are natively built in the cloud in AWS, which means our architecture is all microservices.
What does that mean? It means we can innovate faster than any company in the space. We had 55 major feature releases last year alone, where your typical on-prem solution with their monolithic code base, they can't be nimble like that. They're typically maybe releasing one or two.
And so when you talk to our end customers, one of the things you'll hear from them is they're just astonished about how quickly we can bring their ideas to fruition. We do it in months and sometimes weeks.
So if you want to learn more about Genea, go to our website. It's getGenea.com. Reach out, we'll set up a meeting, and we'll walk you through our platform.
Across the board, our editorial team is hearing that tariffs between 3% and 10% are impacting virtually all products used in campus card and access control systems. Suppliers and resellers report increases in PACS readers, cameras, biometric devices, cards, printers, and consumables. It is hard to say what portion of these price increases are being passed on to institutional end users, but it seems almost certain that costs are rising.
In a Security Info Watch article, editor-in-chief Paul Rothman said, “just like the supply chain crisis before it, new price increases are flowing downward in the channel, reaching integrators and, unfortunately, customers.”
Unfortunately, most (increases) we have received are effective immediately which makes it difficult for us and our customers.
Though many or most of the suppliers for campus card programs are U.S.-based companies, their products often contain parts or are assembled overseas. This is where the increased tariffs come into play. It costs more for suppliers to obtain or manufacture the products, and these increases must be covered by one or more parties in the chain.
The unsettling news is that many of the largest proposed or threatened tariffs have been postponed until later in the summer. If they come to fruition, impacts could be far more severe.
Because the timing and scale have been moving targets, it has been difficult for suppliers to plan. Some say they’ve already received multiple price increases for the same part or product.
“Some partners have planned accordingly and given us a 30-day window,” says Todd Brooks, Vice President of Products & Technology at ColorID. “Unfortunately, most (increases) we have received are effective immediately which makes it difficult for us and our customers.”
While prices may be rising, Brooks notes that there haven’t been any extended lead times or delays in product availability.
In some cases, there may be alternative products or solutions available that are less affected by tariffs.
“If you are flexible and your ecosystem allows for alternative products, we can help identify those,” says Brooks. “It’s going to be a case-by-case scenario.”
Are there lessons from the Covid supply chain crisis that can apply here?
“It’s that flexibility and interoperability win,” he says. “Those who have ecosystems that allow for different plug-and-play third-party applications are going to have less stress through all of this.”
