Building at North Carolina State University

NC State University Wolfpack One Card: Next-Gen Credential Issuance for Student ID Cards

Today’s colleges and universities demand secure and flexible solutions not only for safeguarding people, assets and data — but for connecting students to a myriad of services and applications campus wide. As one of the world’s leading public research universities, North Carolina (NC) State University is no exception. The university’s multifunction Wolfpack One Card not only ensures the safety of its students, faculty and staff, it provides convenient, yet secure access to a multitude of onsite facilities and amenities. Although One Cards deliver on the promise of security and accessibility, often the process to issue them can present some challenges without the right technology in place.

What Is a One Card?

One Cards are identification (ID), chip-embedded smart cards that have been encoded to allow cardholder access to on-campus buildings, labs, residence halls, gyms, libraries and other restricted areas. They can also be used to link debit accounts, access events, meal plans and serve as proof of student status for campus activities.

What ID Card Issuance Challenges Did NC State Face?

The Wolfpack One Card office was experiencing multiple challenges on a daily basis. From printer card jams and misprints to poor-quality images (even when a high-definition camera was used) — these issues netted a 10% card loss each week, the waste of thousands of HID multiCLASS® cards a year and a significant delay in overall ID issuance for new students.

What Next-Generation Technologies Were Selected to Overcome Challenges?

NC State partnered with identification solution provider, ColorID, and selected HID® FARGO® Connect™, a cloud-based card issuance platform that combines all elements of a secure card issuance program into a centralized and integrated system. In doing so, they were able to streamline operations, increase control and security, and expedite issuance. Because a cloud solution eliminates the need to install additional software or printer drivers — thus eliminating the need for card office-dedicated PCs — NC state can now scale up at a moment’s notice whenever they need to add carding stations on or off campus.

To address image quality, card jam and general reliability issues, ColorID recommended the HID FARGO HDP6600 card printer. Beyond offering an unprecedented print speed of up to 230 cards per hour, the HDP6600 produces ID cards in 600 dpi ensuring sharp, brilliant images and the precise printing of small text, complex characters and crisply defined barcodes.

After years of reliability issues and too much card waste, it was time to try something else. ColorID guided us to a solution that fit our campus needs. I’m excited to say now that we have substantially reduced the time spent fixing jammed or failing printers and lowered the number of misprints. — Chris Dunham, Director of One Card Operations, North Carolina State University

How Did a Next-Generation Approach to Student One Card Issuance Make a Difference?

With the implementation of the cloud-based card issuance platform coupled with the advanced HDP6600, the Wolfpack One Card team was able to eliminate multiple layers of program costs, increase issuance process efficiencies, and consistently produce high-quality, multifunction One Cards for students and faculty. In addition to achieving cost savings of 99%, this innovative cloud-based approach to card issuance ensures that NC State can now easily scale their card office to accommodate increased volume demands and future technologies as needed.

Image
person handing ID to student

Where Can I Learn More?

Want to know more about NC State’s solution? Read the entire case study, NC State University Implements HID’s Next-Gen Credential Technology for Student ID Cards or download our informative infographic.

Learn more about HID FARGO Connect and the HID FARGO HDP6600 or contact us at [email protected].

To explore the many benefits of the HID FARGO HDP6600, we invite you to watch our HDP6600 video.

Debbie Kappl is a Senior Product Marketing Manager with HID and brings over 20 years of experience marketing hardware and software security technologies spanning ID card printing, host access and integration, and B2B supply chain management and payment solutions. Prior to joining HID in 2015, Debbie served as a senior marketer, product evangelist and educator in both product marketing and sales support management roles for U.S. Bank and Attachmate Corporation. She is based in Minneapolis, MN.

RECENT POSTS