01 January, 2003
category: Biometrics, Education, Library
What’s on the horizon for 2003 and beyond?
CR80News asked five vendors to answer key questions on the future of campus cards. The results of the first two questions is presented below and nswers to others will be published in future issues.
Do you think biometrics will play a significant role in campus card systems in the next decade?
Jeff Zander, Vice President, General Meters:
“Yes. Biometric technology is gaining greater acceptance as the costs have come down. Both hand and finger print scans are acceptable by most users – less acceptable to users are retinal (laser) scans which many are fearful of (due to limited scientific evidence assuring users of no long term damage).”
Mark Reinart, Manager Marketing Systems and Development, Diebold:
“Yes. Biometrics will play a role in campus card systems in the next decade — and even sooner than that. Security and convenience will be the main drivers of this technology. Diebold has used biometrics in various applications over the past decade and will soon release more information in this area.”
Bruce Lane, Vice President, CBORD Group:
“I certainly think a decade is a reasonable span of time for biometrics to make their mark if they are going to. We track those technologies and still find that reliable “first read rates” are still way behind mag stripes. I also worry that the more “Big Brother” aura of biometrics might be acceptable in the corporate or government world, but might naturally find tougher going with students and academics.”
Jim Hermens, General Manager of Transaction Systems, Blackboard:
“We do believe that biometrics will be important to particular market segments. We’ve certainly seen its applicability among the defense and government segment and believe that K-12 will have some attraction to this technology. However, that being said, we aren’t directing our efforts to design our solution for a specific piece of “what’s next” technology. Rather, we believe we need to offer a valuable core that is intentionally designed to allow clients to pick and choose – and extend to – the best tailored solutions for them and the best emerging technology that can originate from a variety of providers.”
Bob Merkert, National Accounts Manager, Colleges and Universities, Ingenico/Debitek:
“The government has several programs that are using biometric authentication. The use of biometrics in a college environment has several areas that would need to be addressed. The one area that is probably the most challenging is not the technology but the personal freedom. A decade is a long time and technology is constantly improving and changing. Biometrics makes sense in so many applications that it is unrealistic to think that it will not be adopted in some fashion on the college campus. As to the specifics, we can only keep our eyes and ears open and finger prints ready for these types of applications.”
What is the most significant change to be made to your campus card product line in 2003?
Jeff Zander, Vice President, General Meters:
“General Meter’s OneCard 6.5 (Platinum Plus) will include automated/unattended web based deposit/statement/meal plan selection as well as Replaceable Data Drivers which permit General Meters University One Card Software to access any Microsoft ADO accessible database.”
Mark Reinart, Manager Marketing Systems and Development, Diebold:
“The most significant change to our card system is the launch of the 4.0 version of CS Gold. Significant enhancements to the security and flexibility of CS Gold include: the use of Oracle 9i, which allows for clustering and total server redundancy for increased reliability; alarms management, 170 standard report styles and added trend analysis features using Crystal Reports; native Windows™ 2000 programming, which eliminates the need for middleware and makes the software simpler to support; Windows XP support for the graphic user interface (GUI); image import and export capabilities in the form of familiar .jpg files, expanded device support, and seamless upgrades.”
Bruce Lane, Vice President, CBORD Group:
“We will be offering an Oracle version of our industry-leading Odyssey PCS campus card system for those schools that prefer Oracle.”
Jim Hermens, General Manager of Transaction Systems, Blackboard:
“This year we will truly be enabling our transaction system to extend beyond the normal confines of a campus card system. Blackboard believes we sell a Transaction System, not a campus card system, and as such our initiatives in wireless and online transactions are part of our view that this system truly needs to provide to campuses and institutional partners an extendable transaction platform that reaches beyond cards, card readers, and physical installations. We have initiatives in both wireless verification and online commerce that are launching this year. These initiatives are all aimed at addressing two critical needs. For administrators, the benefits include enhanced flexibility and operational efficiency and greater overall return on investment. For end users, these extensions will greatly enhance customer satisfaction and provide a more seamless environment for accessing and using campus web services – both online and offline.”
Bob Merkert, National Accounts Manager, Colleges and Universities, Ingenico/Debitek:
“Debitek is constantly improving our campus card to provide the college and university a full complement of system options. Debitek has the ability to provide magnetic debit card systems commonly referred to junk stripe systems, a smart card system MoneyClip that allows the institution to control and manage the system, and an on-line system with our partners. We plan to improve the process of integration of our systems into a campus environment. Thereby, increasing the ease at which a campus may acquire and use our MoneyClip technology for their card based programs. In addition, we have some new products that we will be launching that will reduce the cost of the system while increasing the functionality.”