This leads me to the first trend, system flexibility. Campus card providers need to make their products flexible in order to react to their client’s specific needs. An “out- of- the- box” solution simply no longer works.

We see more all encompassing features being requested by our clients. These include equipment check-out, student tutoring control and reporting, and emergency notification via cell phone.

Wireless is becoming more important. This is particularly evident not only with hand-held wireless point of sale devices, but also with vending machines, where wireless readers eliminate the wiring problems associated with changing machine placement.

Off-campus card usage is also becoming more desirable, not only with our clients, but also with their students. Students want flexibility, and parents want control, while the college likes the increased revenues, which result in a win-win-win situation.

Technology is progressing regarding the electronic medium we use on cards and other devices. Magnetic stripes still rule and probably will for the foreseeable future due to their cost. Desire for proximity technology seems consistent with other years; however iClass® interest is increasing as is biometrics. The latter has the burden of time consuming enrollment in addition to the added cost associated with all three.

People have been talking about cell phones as an adjunct or replacement for cards. This technology needs some standardization before it is viable.

Next year and beyond will present many challenges both in features and technology.

About the AVISIAN Publishing Expert Panel At the close of each year, AVISIAN Publishing’s editorial team selects a group of key leaders from various sectors of the ID technology market to serve as Expert Panelists. Each individual is asked to share their unique insight into what lies ahead. During the month of December, these panelist’s predictions are published daily at the appropriate title within the AVISIAN suite of ID technology publications: SecureIDNews.com, ContactlessNews.com, CR80News.com, RFIDNews.org, FIPS201.com, NFCNews.com, ThirdFactor.com, and DigitalIDNews.com.