Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Keys or Cards? What's the Problem?

  • 02/01/15

Near field communication (or NFC) may well be the future of access control on college campuses — because NFC solves the major problems associated with key and card access systems.

What are those problems? Ingersoll Rand interviewed more than 1,000 key influencers at U.S. colleges and universities to find out.

Key problems: Eighty percent of the survey participants complained about the number of lost and stolen keys. Sixty-three percent identified the failure of key-users to return keys as a problem. Forty percent pointed to the problem of damaged or broken keys. In each incident of lost keys, keys not returned and damaged keys, the school would need to issue a new key and send someone to re-key the lock to fit the new key. Costs include materials and labor.

Card problems: In the Ingersoll Rand interviews about cards, 70 percent identified lost or stolen cards as a major problem. Fifty-six percent cited damaged or broken cards as problematic. Twenty-two percent pointed to the time required to manage the cards.

NFC solves each problem. As you probably know, students, faculty and everyone else, for that matter — rarely lose smartphones. Sure, it happens now and then. When it does, all the credential administrator must do is turn off the permissions. The student or faculty member replaces the phone and reloads the credentials.

The same goes for damaged phones. The administrator turns off the permissions on the damaged phone. The owner replaces the damaged phone and reloads.

Since the user owns the phone, there is nothing to return at the end of the year.

When only a handful of phones get lost, stolen or damaged, the time required to manage the system plummets.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • California District Debuts New High-School CTE Center

    The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new CTE Center at Analy High School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) for the facility’s design and GCCI for its construction, and funding came from local Measure A bond funds.

  • Wenger Names New Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts, Controls

    Wenger Corporation, which provides products and solutions for music and theater education, performing arts and athletic storage, recently announced the hiring of a new Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts and Controls.

  • California District Opens New Robotics Center

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) in Cupertino, Calif., recently held a Grand Opening ceremony for a new, district-wide Robotics Center, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility was designed by Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA); Landmark Constructors served as the builder and Blach Construction as general construction manager.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.