Carmel, Ind. — Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies and the CBORD Group, Inc., the leading provider of campus card and integrated security solutions to colleges and universities, today announced the successful roll-out of near field communication (NFC)-enabled campus card credentials at the University of San Francisco (USF) for door access and spending at laundry terminals. The project’s first phase was recently completed with high acceptance, and further expansion is planned. The USF solution is comprised of the CS Gold® campus card system from CBORD® and Ingersoll Rand’s aptiQmobile™ web-based credential services and multi-technology readers.
In the residence hall included in the pilot, USF uses NFC for door access and laundry payments. Instead of presenting their USF One Cards, participating students use the aptiQmobile application on their personal iPhones to enter the building and pay for laundry using their existing credentials. The NFC credential seamlessly integrates with USF’s CS Gold campus card system from CBORD.
“We want our use of Near Field Communications to enhance the USF One Card experience on many levels, which is why we introduced it for both door access and laundry payment,” said Jason Rossi, Director of One Card and Campus Security Systems, University of San Francisco. “Our students have embraced it, telling us they prefer the convenience of their iPhones to digging for their One Cards. This convenience is important to us, but equally important is the security of using their existing contactless credentials, keeping our transactions secure. The combination makes for a first-rate experience for our students and our staff.”
CS Gold, the one-card system in use at USF, fully supports NFC credentials and seamlessly integrates with the aptiQmobile web service, so the credential download process is easy. Students download the aptiQmobile application from the iPhone App Store to install USF One Card credentials to their phones. To use the credentials, they simply open the app and present the phone to the reader. Access and spending are quick, easy and secure.
“An added benefit of the aptiQmobile NFC solution is that USF did not need to change readers,” added Raj Venkat, business leader for readers and credentials at Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. “This is because if Schlage® AD-Series locks or Ingersoll Rand’s multi-technology readers are already installed, it’s simply a matter of downloading the credentials to the students’ phones and they are ready to go.”
“We really enjoy partnering with forward-looking campus environments like the one at the University of San Francisco,” commented Max Steinhardt, President, The CBORD Group, Inc. “The USF pilot, and now this roll-out of NFC technology, means better benefits for students and system users, while at the same time fully supporting the integrity and manageability of campus security. We’ve seen interest in this approach from other customers, and we’ll be looking to work with them on NFC implementation as soon as we can.”
