HID ID Card Solutions For Colleges & UniversitiesColleges and universities present unique security challenges for access control as they are like protecting a small city, large corporation, research center and creative think tank all in one. Campus security requires controlling physical access to buildings and events, in addition to logical access to networks and sensitive information, and controlling operational costs while serving the diverse needs of the campus community.

For more than a decade, colleges and universities around the world have depended on HID access control solutions — primarily their proximity card technology — to protect campuses. HID Global makes the necessary components for creating a complete access control solutions: ID cards, ID card readers, programmers, ID card printer/encoders, photo ID software, ID card services, ID card holders and ID neck lanyards. Advantidge can outfit your campus with a secure ID card system featuring HID Global products and solutions!

Security under pressure
Recent tragic events have prompted security officials to tighten physical access to school campuses. Both HID Global and Advantidge have been working with colleges and universities to upgrade their security systems so they can quickly respond to critical situations, track the location of suspicious persons and lock down buildings when necessary. Security extends beyond physical access and HID’s iCLASS® contactless smart card technology provides high-level access protection for computers and networks. All HID Global contactless technologies, including proximity and iCLASS, eliminate the fundamental security problem of magnetic stripe ID cards.

It’s relatively easy to copy and change the information on magnetic stripes, but virtually impossible to do so with HID contactless ID cards. HID also protects the security of ID cards and badges themselves as counterfeiting operations that sell fake ID cards are all too common. HID secure credentials feature custom holograms and visual security features such as morphing images and microtext that pose a formidable challenge to would-be counterfeiters.

Many functions, one secure card
Photo ID cards, residence hall key cards, library ID cards, cafeteria passes, bus passes among other ID credentials — amount to a large number of identification cards for students to juggle. In addition to being hard to keep track of, there is an increased expense in managing multiple single-function ID cards rather than one multi-purpose technology card. With HID iCLASS contactless smart cards, all the above functions can be combined in one highly secure campus ID card that streamlines operations.

HID smart campus ID cards provide a unified technology platform for access control, campus services and financial transactions, as well as future applications not even thought of yet! iCLASS technology is flexible and extensive enough to serve an institution’s needs for years to come and HID iCLASS smart cards are also extremely secure. They employ strong data encryption and the computing power of the internal smart chip to protect the information on the card. Even in the brief wireless hop between ID card and ID card reader, encryption prevents interception of the card data.

Migrating to the future
While new smart card technologies like HID iCLASS are full of exciting potential, migrating to a new platform can seem like a daunting project, especially when working on a tight budget. HID Global and Advantidge have helped many colleges and universities upgrade their current access control systems with relatively painless transitions to new access control and smart card technologies. HID secure credentials can accommodate multiple technologies — magnetic stripe, proximity and smart chip — all on the same identification card, providing the flexibility to migrate away from legacy ID card systems whenever the time is right.

Another critical factor in setting up a secure access control system is expert help. Before you start any access control or campus ID card project, talk to us at ADVANTIDGE. HID and Advantidge have built thousands of access control and secure credential systems for educational institutions worldwide and know how to meet the needs of any project, finishing on time and within budget. Support services can custom-design your campus ID cards, and then produce 30,000 of them if needed, as more than ever, the security and convenience of students, faculty and staff depends on the credentials that are carried by them. One of the advantages of using HID Global products is their ability to provide integrated, end-to-end solutions for secure identity and access control. HID Global Fargo ID card system components have been designed to work together, and one technology can be leveraged to support multiple applications.

Secure credentials
HID Global offers a full range of personalized credentials and secure ID card technologies. Depending on the needs of your institution, choose from basic photo ID cards with magnetic stripes and barcodes, HID- and Indala®-format proximity cards, OMNIKEY® contact and contactless smart cards, and HID iCLASS multifunction smart cards.

Visual security is a critical element of any credential, because an identity system is only as secure as the ID cards are themselves. If an ID card is easy to alter or counterfeit, it could give hackers and identity thieves the key they need to break into school facilities, networks and information. Fargo® holographic ID card overlaminates add visual security devices such as morphing images and microscopic text that are easy to verify, yet extremely difficult for a counterfeiter to reproduce. HID Global’s University 1000 Program gives each educational institution its own highly secure, customized 56-bit card format. With this card format HID tracks card number sequences to prevent duplication so one credential can be authorized to work at any of your institution’s sites anywhere.

Card production
With thousands of students, faculty and staff all needing secure credentials, ID card production requires careful consideration. HID Global ID card printing supplies give you the flexibility of producing ID cards on campus, through a service bureau, or both using Fargo ID Card Printer/Encoders, known for their ease-of-use, adaptability to different applications, and reliable operation in the most demanding situations.

Fargo ID card printer/encoders provide the ability to produce a variety of personalized ID card credentials on demand: not just student and staff IDs, but also visitor badges, conference name tags, parking cards and more. The HID Global Fargo HDP5000 and HDPii ID card printer/encoders use HID’s High Definition PrintingTM (HDP®) technology for outstanding continuous-tone print quality. HID Global Fargo high-definition ID card printers can print an ID card, encode multiple card technologies and apply a holographic overlaminate all in one time-saving pass.

Asure ID® card production photo ID software makes ID card production easy and efficient. Asure ID photo ID software scales up from designing and printing simple photo ID cards to sophisticated, database-driven ID card production. Fargo OnQueueTM Card Production Software centrally manages a network of Fargo ID card printer/encoders for efficient, high-volume ID card production.

ID card personalization and preprinting services can handle the job of producing 30,000 campus ID cards all at once — taking the pressure off your campus ID card office at busy times of the year such as student registration. ADVANTIDGE ID card fulfillment services work with you on ID card design, and use your current databases for populating card data. You can also order preprinted campus ID cards that exactly match your school’s graphics and colors, and then personalize the cards on-site using your on-campus ID card issuance system.

ID Card Readers
Once your campus ID cards have been designed, printed, and encoded, it’s time to put them to use within a complete access control system. HID Global makes ID card readers for both physical access such as to residence halls, buildings, labs, and other facilities; and logical access to personal computers, networks, and sensitive information. HID ID card readers work with the most popular ID card technologies in use today: magnetic stripe; HID and Indala proximity; FlexSmart®, MIFARE® and DESFire®, SmartIDTM and iCLASS. Multi-technology ID card readers combine proximity and iCLASS capabilities to make migration to smart cards as painless and cost-efficient as possible. HID EdgeTM is the next evolution of access control. It distributes intelligence and decision-making right to the door and leverages existing IT infrastructure for system communications.

OMNIKEY PC-linked smart card readers provide secure access to computer workstations, networks, and servers. OMNIKEY readers connect to desktop computers via USB or serial cable, and to laptops through USB or PCMCIA/Express Card interfaces. Some OMNIKEY readers work with HID iCLASS card technology so the same campus ID card that’s used for physical access can be used for logical access control as well.

Migration Experts
Many institutions are planning to upgrade campus security with more intelligent access control systems. Advantidge is an excellent partner for such projects, using HID Global’s ID card system products and our deep knowledge and experience with both old and new access control technologies. We will help you achieve a smooth, cost-efficient transition to all the benefits of an advanced HID Global smart card ID system.

Making the Grade
Schools of all sizes are already benefiting from the high security, efficiency, and cost savings of a campus student ID card program based on HID smart cards. Arizona State University replaced its magnetic stripe “Sun Card” system with HID iCLASS contactless smart cards. ASU’s 57,000 students use their new Sun Cards for secure access to buildings, meal plans, and cash machines, while ASU administrators gain more flexible access control and an upgrade path to future applications. Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania is also building an iCLASS-based campus ID card program for access control and cashless transactions featuring HID’s single-card solution that eliminates the hassle of carrying multiple ID cards for photo ID, library, cafeteria, copy services, and more.

The security and efficient operation of your educational institution is more critical than ever. Email Advantidge today at sales@advantidge.com or call 800-965-5932 to learn more about implementing or upgrading your campus ID card system. We provide excellent customer service!