IdentiSys acquired the ID Division of Claritus, which provides identification technology solutions including card personalization and smart card/biometric applications to clients in Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa. This purchase is IdentiSys’s ninth acquisition in the last seven years. “With the addition of the Claritus ID Division, we now offer sales and on-site services in over 40% of the U.S,” said Michael R. Shields, founder and CEO of IdentiSys.  

Datacard Group, a provider of secure ID and card personalization solutions, has rolled out a new blog designed to cover industry topics and offer insights on the latest news of the day. Called Datacard Edge, the company wants to enhance its communications with customers, partners, prospects and industry experts.

In addition, the blog is designed to showcase industry information and best practices. Focused primarily on the markets Datacard serves–including financial, government and secure ID–the blog will feature various content contributors who are knowledgeable in their respective fields.

The first articles on Datacard Edge relate primarily to the financial market, including a post that outlines the advantages of implementing an instant issuance program as well as one that discusses EMV technology migration in the U.S.

Visitors can subscribe to the blog’s RSS feed and share posts via Twitter and LinkedIn. They can also suggest topics for posts and submit comments.

Tallahassee-based Florida A&M University and campus card service provider CardSmith have announced plans to upgrade the university’s multi-functional Rattler Card program.

The new Rattler Card will feature Rattler Bucks, a prepaid spending account offering FAMU’s more than 13,000 students cashless access to an expanded range of campus facilities and services including the bookstore, dining venues, mobile payments, campus offices and off-campus merchants.

The card includes facility and library privileges and can also be used as a bank debit card. The university is upgrading its card production system to issue cards to all incoming students this fall.

The new Rattler Card is powered by CardSmith’s managed cloud transaction system, enabling the university to provide campus-wide transaction services without local systems, software or dedicated administrative staff.

The university’s new service features Web and mobile cardholder account access, funds transfer service, on-line reporting, on-line administrative access and 24/7 monitoring. The upgrade will include new branding and graphics for the card and a dedicated Web site. The University and CardSmith also plan to build an off-campus acceptance network for Rattler Bucks.

Obtaining fake IDs, such as driver licenses, is becoming harder for college students. Not only must they deal with local law enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security can also get involved.

That’s what happened recently when dozens of Seattle University students were caught importing fake driver licenses from China.

Homeland Security officers got wind of a suspicious package heading for a residence hall on the Seattle University campus. The package turned out to be fraudulent licenses that were to go to 65 students.

While those students could have ended up with a felony record for importing fake IDs from overseas, DHS officials decided to let the school fine and sanction the students instead of making a federal case out of it.

Read more here.

Max Steinhardt, COO for campus card provider CBORD, has been named the company’s new president effective May 1. He succeeds Tim Tighe, who has served as a CBORD executive for more than 25 years.

“At CBORD we have planned for this transition,” said Tighe. “CBORD will keep front and center our tradition of excellent customer service and an active customer voice in product innovation. Max is fully engaged with our customers. He’s demonstrated steady focus on quality of service and customer satisfaction. I am confident that CBORD is in great hands.”

Since joining the company in 2006, Steinhardt has served as the senior vice president of operations and more recently as chief operating officer.

“The CBORD team is a terrific group of dedicated and accomplished professionals,” said Steinhardt. “It’s an honor to become their president. The company is in great shape, with enviable products, a world-class customer base, and a powerful culture that puts the customer first.”

He added that CBORD “is gaining momentum in its markets and has added important new international areas of expansion. As our team looks at this internal transition, we’re very aware of the leadership strength that has guided the company. We are aware of the vision our leadership has shared. My priority will be to carry that vision forward as we build a successful future at CBORD.”

The CBORD Group provides campus cashless and security solutions and foodservice and nutrition management software and related services.

UK printer manufacturer Magicard has upgraded one of its ID card printers, now called Enduro+. The redesign includes fraud proof ID card printing technology which helps to reduce costs and make card printing quicker and more secure.

The printer is good for schools, colleges and medium sized businesses that print up to 10,000 cards a year.

Other new features include:

• Ethernet connectivity to enable remote printing from any office;

• Improved color mapping for better photo clarity;

• Multiple encoding options;

• Rewrite technology;

• Easily ungradable from single to double sided printing;

• Secure watermarking with Magicard’s HoloKote feature.

The original Enduro printer was launched in 2008 and is Magicard’s most popular card printing machine with tens of thousands installed worldwide.

Heartland Payment Systems has launched the latest version of its WaveRider Laundry System, a wireless payments and account management solution that gives laundry service providers a secure method of accepting credit and debit card payments.

Similar to a card reader at a gas pump, WaveRider card readers attach to washing machines and dryers, providing a secure payment process for consumers using any major credit or debit card. WaveRider not only eliminates coins and reliance on closed-loop laundry cards, it removes cash collection procedures for laundry service providers.

Incorporating Payment Card Industry compliance standards that protect payment card data, the newest version of WaveRider adds a series of enhancements for both service providers and consumers. Providers now have online Test-Vend card management tools that allow technicians to start laundry machines for troubleshooting and problem diagnosis. Providers can also track card usage and add or delete cards as necessary. Additionally, providers can perform remote software updates, eliminating the need to visit laundry rooms to install new features.

For consumers, WaveRider is optimized for mobile devices, providing smart phone functionality that enables users to view the status of washers and dryers before visiting a laundry facility. It also lets them receive text alerts when their laundry cycles are complete. For college students using Heartland’s Campus OneCard system, WaveRider also accepts OneCard transactions.

WaveRider streamlines workflow for laundry operators, allowing them to remotely manage multiple facilities through a secure Web-based account management portal. Laundry operators can review revenue generated at a property and adjust or change prices. They can also minimize downtime and potential loss of revenue by receiving real-time alerts the moment a machine breaks down. The system also supports coin and card operation on the same machine.

“We’re seeing a tremendous interest in WaveRider because consumers want to use their debit or credit cards to pay for common purchases such as laundry, and laundry service providers need to reduce the amount of driving to collect quarters from machines, especially with gas at nearly $4 per gallon,” said Ron Farmer, executive director of campus solutions and micropayments for Heartland.

If you want to use a credit card to pay your tuition at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, be prepared to pay more. In addition to the 4.11% tuition hike, which recently went into effect, students will now have to pay an extra 2.75% surcharge if they use a credit card.

With a tight economy and budget cutbacks, it’s another way colleges and universities are looking for ways to save money. In the past, the university absorbed the annual $250,000 cost for allowing students to use cards, but President David Maxwell said the university can’t afford that anymore.

“It’s part of the operating budget, and this is passed on to all students in the form of tuition,” he said. “By doing this, it will be the people who choose to pay with a credit card who are paying the charge, not everyone else.”

But some students aren’t too happy with the plan.

“A 2.7% fee is ridiculous, especially if it’s like $1,000 for your tuition,” commented one student.

Obviously, the surcharge is forcing most students to switch how they pay, either with a check or debit card.

According to the Times-Delphic, Drake’s student newspaper, the National Association of College and University Business Officers said that 28.7% of payments to universities and colleges are via credit card. At small institutions such as Drake, 24.3% of payments are made through credit cards.

Read more here.

The CBORD Group rolled out GET Funds, an online and mobile commerce software application that puts account information in the hands of students wherever mobile smart phone services are available.

GET Funds gives students 24/7 account access utilizing a mobile phone or computer. Students can instantly look up account balances and transaction histories, make or request account deposits, report campus cards lost or found, view locations that accept the campus card for payment, and more.

Students can also deposit money into their own accounts or instantly send messages to parents requesting funds. Parents then make online deposits to the specified accounts.

GET Funds integrates with CBORD’s CS Gold, Odyssey PCS and OdysseyOne campus card systems, making it easy to manage existing accounts without complicated interfaces or conversions.

“The mission of GET Funds is to provide the ultimate in convenience and value in students’ day-to-day lives,” says Cindy McCall, CBORD’s marketing vice president. “Colleges and universities are looking for ways to provide quality services to a new generation of students. CBORD listened to the users and responded with a solution that meets the needs of today’s students.”

Arizona State University, Tempe, and the state’s largest privately-held bank have partnered to implement a MasterCard student ID for students and faculty. Labeled the Pitchfork ID after the school’s nickname, the Sun Devils, the MasterCard is intended to function as a check card and student ID, enabling access to dorms, recreation centers and meal plans.

The switch to the new card, backed by MidFirst Bank, comes as ASU announced on its Web site that the Sun Dollars program designed for off campus use will soon be extinct. The new check card will take its place.

Students and faculty can still opt out of the MasterCard plan and receive a regular Sun Card that functions as an ID, carries meal plans and allows building access, but they would not be able to use Sun Cards for campus vending machines, health services or parking services. Instead, students will have to pay for those with a Pitchfork Card or other form of payment.

The check card will be directly tied to students’ free Sun Devil Checking Account with MidFirst Bank which students can begin signing up for now.

Read more here.