News

There’s no denying that the meaning of “campus” or “workplace” has changed in every way possible. Now, studying or working from anywhere is no longer a concept, but a reality. We’ve seen that there’s no one single answer that works for every university on how to define the student or workplace experience, whether they move to permanent remote students or work, bringing students or employees back full time, or instituting a hybrid, flexible model where students or employees can work on both the campus and remotely. Each approach is unique to each individual university, based on their own campus needs and view on how to best implement a return to the campus.

Campuses that welcome back students and employees back to the campus in any capacity are faced with what probably feels like the impossible task of simultaneously keeping students and employees safe, maintaining business continuity, staying in compliance with local health regulations and protecting sensitive data. So what’s a campus facilities management team to do? And what are the key considerations around building safety and security as we return to the traditional campus experience?

Campus card administrators may no longer be on-site every day

Before the COVID-19 pandemic uprooted our lives, campus card administrators were expected to be on-premises to issue ID cards to new students, employees, and visitors. However, now that campuses and the workplace have become more flexible, so too should the ways in which we approach building access. Today’s campus card administrators need to be able to issue ID cards from anywhere at any time (i.e., remotely and across time zones). And, it’s equally important to be able to issue digital ID cards as it is physical cards, especially as organizations begin to provide mobile ID experiences for their students and employees.

More sophisticated cyber threats

As threat actors become more sophisticated in their attacks on organizations, campus card administrators need to re-evaluate the security features of their ID issuance solution. Encryption, encryption key management, and malware safeguards are important features that allow the ID card printer to become a trusted internet of things (IoT) endpoint. And, the printing of the physical card itself should also be done in a way that provides extra protections from counterfeiters.

Visitors on-site means heightened health and safety concerns

According to our recent data study on securing the new hybrid workplace, 96% of leaders agree that they will be paying more attention to who is going in and out of the office building, likely due to the heightened sensitivity surrounding the global pandemic. Further, 96% of leaders and 93% of employees who responded to our survey said it is important to have a system in place to log and track their visitors. Many organizations are incorporating pre-screening questionnaires, tracking of visitors throughout the facility, and are looking for solutions that provide the ability to pull an accurate list of who is in the facility at any time should a problem arise.

Regardless of whether your students, faculty, and administration are in-person, remote, or a blend of the two, Entrust has a student ID issuance solution to meet your evolving campus needs. Do not hesitate to Contact us to talk to an expert.