Page 101 - Security Today, April 2017

Administrators must also meet growing demand for securely provi- sioning connected services while protecting user privacy in today’s increasingly digital world, and they also must navigate a shift in the use of identities that is fueling broader adoption of mobile and advanced smart card technology while putting greater emphasis on the cloud and emerging IoT use cases. More than ever, they need to trust user identities in both the physical and digital worlds, and employ these trusted identities via a combination of both new and existing technolo- gies to create a secure and convenient user experience across all facets of university life.
CHARTING A COURSE
The best path forward for today’s universities is to systematically replace legacy technology with the latest “One Card” solutions that deliver improved the end-to-end card issuance capabilities and a path to new capabilities and ROI value. A successful One Card implementa- tion must deliver flexible student and faculty accessibility through visual security, while also enabling cards to be used for many applica- tions from opening dorm room doors to making cashless transit sys- tem payments or checking out media center materials. These systems are dependent on physical cards so implementation must also support campus “green” initiatives through features like wasteless ID card lam- ination and eco-friendly card printers.
To make the upgrade to contactless smart card technology, univer- sities must evaluate the time, cost and logistics associated with replac- ing existing card infrastructure and then re-badging tens of thousands of campus card holders. What is required is a comprehensive, end-to- end ID solution and multi-year, phased process for upgrading an exist- ing card system. This enables incremental deployment of new contact- less smart cards while still using legacy student ID cards and the existing campus hardware.
Key solution features include an integrated ID card system with the power to issue new cards, multi-technology readers, card technol- ogy, and a combination of ID card printers and encoders with card personalization software. Some universities will need their readers to support both new contactless smart cards and legacy magnetic stripe cards, as well as wireless locks with built-in encryption and enhanced security. Choosing the right card technology will deliver advanced security and interoperability between locks, readers, and multiple card applications. The cards, readers, and software technology should be flexible enough for physical access control (i.e., opening doors) as well as logical access control (i.e., used with desktop readers to pay for cafeteria meals, or checking out library materials).
Also important is the choice of ID card printers and encoders, and associated card personalization software. A big time-saver for univer- sities at registration time is the use of in-line personalization technol- ogy. This enables the card office staff to print student information to the card at the same time they are encoding and programming both the magnetic stripe and contactless smart card technology, all in a single, in-line issuance process. This approach significantly reduces total issuance time, and eliminates mistakes that are often made when data is entered manually. Additionally, some card production solu- tions are offering the flexibility to print and encode through a com- mercial print bureau, further easing the burden of time and errors. Advances in print quality, lamination and visual security features mean today’s cards are more secure and durable than those produced by legacy printers.
Card issuance choices can also affect sustainability. Two key devel- opments include adopting “wasteless” lamination, and reducing car-
bon footprints as defined through the GreenCircle® certification pro- gram. With wasteless lamination, the lamination patches that are applied to cards for increased durability are attached to one another in a continuous stream of material on a single roll. Through technology that ensure precise placement the need for an underlying carrier film is eliminated so that, once the supply roll has been depleted, all that remains is a single empty core. GreenCircle certification delivers fur- ther cost savings through advancements in card lamination technolo- gies that have reduced the significant energy required to heat up and maintain optimal operating temperature.
In addition to these latest smart card advancements, there are other developments underway as the industry changes how it uses trusted identities.
PREPARING FOR A SHIFT IN THE
USE OF TRUSTED IDENTITIES
The more identities are used to access a growing variety of campus facilities and services, the more important it is that they can be trust- ed. New technology is driving new forms of digital connected trust- ed identities, and a shift in how we use these trusted identities is leading to increased adoption of mobile devices and the latest smart card technology, a greater emphasis and reliance on the cloud, and a new way of thinking about trust in the smart campus and Internet of Things (IoT).
For instance, credential issuance for physical ID cards will soon experience a digital transformation, as the use of cloud technologies will enable service-focused models for badge printing and encoding. Cloud -based models for delivering network-based ID badge issuance management will feature the security of end-to-end encryption and eliminate the need for stand-alone card printers attached to dedicated PC workstations. This will transform the user experience and opera- tional management of ID badge printing, reduce costs, increase administrative visibility, simplify system maintenance, and improve security as compared to on-premises solutions.
Administrators are also increasingly aware that cell phones, which seem to be permanently in their students’ hands, can provide a very convenient and quite natural way to carry trusted campus IDs for opening doors and performing other tasks that require presentation of a secure credential. In addition to improving convenience, adding mobile access to their campuses will enable universities to reap the benefit of cost savings on credentials. Plus, students lose their cell phones less often than they lose their cards so, ultimately, the cost for replacement credentials will be reduced. University employees also benefit from carrying credentials on their phones. They aren’t required to wear their ID cards, so they may arrive at a facility without one and have trouble gaining access. But since most carry their cell phone everywhere, the ability to gain access is a given if these phones also carry their credentials.
Rather than acting as competitive forms of ID, traditional physical ID cards and mobile IDs that have been securely provisioned onto mobile devices will function most effectively in harmony, multiplying each other’s benefits. Digital identities in the form of smart cards have been successfully used in business and for a variety of government- issued, card-based programs for over 10 years, including employee IDs, national IDs, healthcare cards, government employee credentials and even “smart” driver licenses.
The concept of mobile IDs is particularly compelling in the univer- sity environment where trusted identities are already used for every- thing from accessing physical areas, like dorms and research labs, to
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