Page 77 - Security Today, January/February 2022

University of Tennessee, Knoxville implemented their mobile VolCard in October 2019 for nearly 29,000 students across 294 buildings on the 910-acre campus. The university is now two years into its mobile pro- gram and has more than 20,000 mobile credentials deployed on cam- pus with students, faculty and staff. On average, the university sees tens of thousands of access and financial transactions per day, and more than 80% of those are happening with mobile devices versus plastic cards. Campus adoption has been strong, and administrators have received positive feedback from those using the solution.
Evaluating the Best Credential Solution
A fundamental criterion is looking for solutions that are secure— after all, security and student safety are at the core of access control. Mobile credentials using MIFARE® DESFire® technology offer encrypted security, which can protect against unwanted duplication. Encryption protects the data being relayed between the reader and credential by essentially taking the information in the chip of the credential, shredding it apart, sending it to the reader and putting it back together. Because proximity and magnetic stripe cards are unen- crypted, upgrading from one of these legacy technologies to mobile credentials can significantly improve security across campus.
Additionally, consider future proofing. The interoperability of the credential technology is important to your future choices in hardware and software. Regardless of the technology you choose, it’s important to pick a secure platform with open architecture.
How to Get Started
Implementation will look different for every campus, and it can be customized based on the hardware and technology in place—as well as the interoperability of solutions. Each campus has different secu-
rity needs and different pain points. To move forward, it’s important for campus security directors to consider every single way a student uses a card on campus. Entering the dining hall, accessing the fitness center, opening residence hall doors—all of it needs to be document- ed from the get-go, to ensure the rest of the implementation process goes smoothly.
The CATcard Service Center, which oversees the card services for the University of Vermont, implemented mobile credentials in the fall of 2019. In the past they had problems with students easily reproduc- ing cards for residence halls and needed a solution that was more secure and not as easily duplicated. To implement the mobile solution using Apple Wallet, the team developed a plan to achieve a 100% use case, which means that anywhere a student could use a physical stu- dent ID card, they need to be able to use their mobile credential. While the implementation seemed like an overwhelming challenge at first, the convenience it ultimately brought the campus population made adoption a breeze. They were able to build the case and imple- ment a seamless student experience, setting a favorable precedent that will shape future decisions as the city advances.
It’s important to consider your college or university’s needs to develop a plan for migrating to new, more secure credential technolo- gies and understand all the options available to your school. The way I see it, mobile should be the end-game. If your university isn’t ready for mobile, upgrade to smart cards first. This is a common path that will steer your campus in the right direction for years to come.
Jeff Koziol is the Business Development Manager - PACS Partners at Allegion. He spearheads higher education programs and supports campus software partners with the goal of enhancing user experience and improv- ing security.
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