Nova Southeastern University leading edge Campus Card from SmartCentric Technologies International Ltd Goes Live !

Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has just successfully completed implementation of their new “Shark Card” campus wide smart card program. The NSU Shark card program, provided by SmartCentric Technologies International (SmartCentric) in conjunction with Siemens Communications Inc, combines the latest in leading edge smart card technology using both contact and contactless chip technologies and allows for fast and highly secure payments and access to systems and services. Utilizing SmartCentric’s latest software SmartCity® 6, the new Shark card gives cardholders access to meal plans, purchases in retail shops, vending machines, photocopying, printing, and physical door access. In addition, students and faculty in the Heath Professions Division are using the SmartCity Password Wallet application for access and authentication with their Dental Practice/Clinic Management System. All these functionalities reside on one card.

The whole deployment process was well managed and supported by the vendors and university alike. The carding of 25,000 students, faculty, and staff was staged over four main re-carding sessions to reduce the impact on the university and also ensure a simple and painless changeover to the new system.

The main incentive for changing to the new card system was the need for a flexible and secure solution that could be enhanced and extended over time. “We wanted a system that could support our campus card needs today and for years to come, while also offering flexibility and the highest quality customer support. We found all this in the SmartCentric solution” says Marc Crocquet, Associate Vice President Business Services at NSU. ”In addition, the incorporation of a biometrics in the new “Shark Card” allows the university to develop new authentication options for high security and data sensitive applications”.

Benny Mohall Executive Director-Projects, Systems & Technical Support at NSU added “we wanted a system that was based on the most advanced technologies available today that would provide a platform for the university’s needs not only for today but provided a platform for rapid expansion well into the future. SmartCity® and SmartCentric gave us this”.

Kieran Timmins, CEO of SmartCentric “The NSU implementation is the next generation of smart card systems. The technology is revolutionary in the world of campus card technology. It will be available across all facilities and services on campus, offering cardholders a huge range of benefits from meal plans to logical access, all on one card. The new system will benefit not only student cardholders, but faculty and staff as well, today and into the future”.

Chris Rizzetto, SmartCentric’s Director of Sales for North America, adds, “SmartCity® 6 will enable more campuses to take advantage of what smart card technology has to offer. Our SmartCity 6 platform allows the flexibility to combine multiple solutions for a well rounded program, whether you choose to use one or all of our applications”.