Blackboard Sees
Strong Momentum
for New
Contactless
Campus Card
Solution
More
than 50 Institutions Adopt
Contactless Platform Powered
by Sony FeliCa™
WASHINGTON – February 7,
2011
– Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq:
BBBB) and Sony Electronics
today announced they have
seen strong momentum in
customer adoption of the
Blackboard Transact™
contactless campus card
solution. Already, more than
50 institutions have adopted
the contactless platform,
which leverages cutting-edge
technology to provide a
safer and more convenient
campus experience.
Developed
specifically for higher
education institutions in
the United States, the fully
integrated technology
platform transforms the way
students navigate life on
and off campus. Using smart
cards with built-in
contactless chips
that
enable payment or entry with
a wave or a tap, students
can get into secure
buildings and facilities,
pay for books, meals and
laundry and even access
campus events - all at
significantly faster speeds
than with traditional
identification technologies.
Florida
State University recently
issued nearly 50,000 new
contactless campus ID cards
to students, faculty and
staff and has deployed
hundreds of new contactless
readers. Tulane University,
the University of Texas at
Tyler, and Georgia’s Mercer
University are among the
other institutions to go
contactless to enable a
faster, safer and more
convenient system.
“The
adoption of Blackboard
contactless technology
offered a seamless migration
path and provided
cardholders with an
intuitive, easy to use
upgrade to the card. The
addition of a new level of
security was another major
factor in our decision to
change from our previous
card technology,” said
Richard Wynn, FSUCard
Director at Florida State
University. “Contactless
technology has so many uses
on campus and will help us
improve security and student
services, not only today,
but well into the future.”
Earlier
this year, Blackboard became
the first technology
provider to bring a Near
Field Communication (NFC)
Contactless solution to U.S.
colleges and universities to
enable a more convenient
system that easily
integrates with many
technologies already on
campus. Blackboard
Contactless integrates with
Sony FeliCa™
technology and is comprised
of campus ID “smart” cards
and readers that support a
range of applications
including payment, building
access, copy and laundry.
“Blackboard
continues to increase its
investment in secure
technology solutions for our
clients,” said David Marr,
President of Blackboard
Transact. “We’re excited to
see so many clients move
quickly to adopt the new
contactless solution to
support their ever-evolving
security and commerce
needs.”
”We are
pleased that the Blackboard
Transact solutions that
incorporate Sony’s proven
FeliCa technology have been
well accepted on college
campuses across the U.S.,”
said Makoto Yamada, General
Manager of FeliCa business
development at Sony
Electronics. “Working
together with Blackboard,
Sony is committed to
providing FeliCa-based
solutions to meet a variety
of campus requirements.”
For
more information about
Blackboard Transact
Contactless solutions,
please visit
http://www.blackboard.com/contactless.
#
# #
About
Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq:
BBBB) is a global leader in
enterprise technology and
innovative solutions that
improve the experience of
millions of students and
learners around the world
every day. Blackboard's
solutions allow thousands of
higher education, K-12,
professional, corporate, and
government organizations to
extend teaching and learning
online, facilitate campus
commerce and security, and
communicate more effectively
with their communities.
Founded in 1997, Blackboard
is headquartered in
Washington, D.C., with
offices in North America,
Europe, Asia and Australia.
About Sony FeliCa
Technology
The Sony-developed
FeliCa microchip provides a
fast, convenient and secure
all in-one solution platform
for multiple applications,
including electronic
pre-paid transactions,
access, interactive signage,
and membership or loyalty
rewards systems. The
chip combines processing,
storage and communication
functions, and can be
implemented in a variety of
form factors like cards, key
chains and mobile phones.
Deployed in Asia for more
than ten years, FeliCa
technology has formed the
basis for transportation
access and merchant
communities where customers
can easily and rapidly
purchase goods and services.
More information about
FeliCa technology is
available at
www.sony.net/Products/felica.
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