Higher Education Institutions Ready to Move from Legacy

Survey shows security and IT professionals want to unify access control credential

While access control is a fundamental element of security in higher education, many aging access control systems urgently need to be upgraded, according to a survey of 1,800 higher education security and IT professionals conducted by Genetec Inc. and HID Global. While organizations are ready to embrace new technology, they are looking to go “beyond the door” and integrate with other security and operations systems.

The survey shows that 33.76 percent of readers, 30.6 percent of controllers, and 24 percent of software are more than six years old. Older technologies such as barcode, magnetic stripe (mag stripe) and 125khz low-frequency proximity (prox) continue to dominate physical access control systems in higher education. More than half of survey respondents still use mag stripe, and almost a quarter still use 125khz prox. 64 percent of survey respondents said their current access control system experiences malfunctions.

However, more than a third of survey respondents (35 percent) are ready to embrace more modern technology as a way of improving the experience for students, faculty, and administrators. Over half of respondents (54.2 percent) would be interested in using their access control credentials to support multiple applications beyond physical access, and 44 percent stated that better integration with other security systems/components is a key driver to upgrade their access control systems.

Most colleges and universities want their students to use a single card or mobile credentials for multiple types of applications from accessing dormitory rooms and checking out books from the library to locking bicycles and paying for food, parking, and more. However, 64 percent of survey participants said while they want to upgrade their systems, they view costs as an obstacle. This may lead to institutions to ultimately migrate to systems that fulfill minimum requirements because of cost, rather than seek the features and integration capabilities.

“There are new technology options that can make life easier for administrators as well as those who use the systems,” said Jason Friedberg, commercial head, Education at Genetec. “With ever evolving threats, and a need for increased efficiency, accessibility and privacy, security on higher education campuses is an ever-changing environment. Institutions need to be prepared for these changes by upgrading to a unified video and access control solution that is flexible, connected, and easy to use.

“And while cost is seen as an obstacle, the true value is often not factored in. With a modern, unified system, ongoing costs often end up being lower than those of legacy systems because the additional capabilities of newer systems increase operational efficiencies across multiple departments,” Friedberg said.

Featured

  • Expanding Mobile Access Credentials

    The new academic year is now kicking into high gear at colleges and universities, and on many campuses, students were welcomed this fall with the added convenience and security of mobile access credentials. It is a trend that has become more of an expectation than a surprise in the world of higher education as the demand for advancements in electronic access control (EAC) like mobile credentials continues to grow. Read Now

  • New York School District Selects AtlasIED’s IPX Technology for Modernization Initiative

    The North Syracuse Central School District (NSCSD), a K-12 public school district in Central New York state, serves the communities of North Syracuse, Clay, Cicero, Bridgeport, and Mattydale. With 11 elementary, middle, and high schools, the district covers almost 90 square miles and has 7,792 students and approximately 700 teachers. With some of its school buildings over 60 years old, the district needed to renovate many of them, some more urgently than others. As part of the process, district administrators and staff reevaluated all infrastructure elements and their approach to campus safety, selecting AtlasIED IPX technology to modernize their intercom, audio announcements, and emergency communications systems. Read Now

  • New York Lifts Ban on Biometric Technologies in K-12 Schools

    New York Lifts Ban on Biometric Technologies in K-12 Schools

    On Sept. 27, 2023, New York State Department of Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa issued a determination that lifted the nearly three-year ban on use of biometric technologies in both public and private K-12 schools in effect from December 2020 Read Now

Webinars