VingCard PERSONA Announces Interoperability Agreement with Blackboard Inc.
26 February, 2002
category: Education
February 26, 2002, Washington, D.C. – VingCard PERSONA, the commercial division of the VingCard Group, the world’s leading provider of electromechanical locking solutions, and Blackboard Inc., the leading software infrastructure company for e-Education, have signed a partnership agreement that will make the companies’ systems interoperable through Blackboard’s Building Blocks Program.
Under the agreement, VingCard PERSONA joins Blackboard’s Building Blocks Program (B2), which provides an open set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and developer services for creating extensions to Blackboard’s Transaction, Learning and Community Portal Systems. The two companies are exploring the development of interfaces between the Ving PERSONA system and the Blackboard Transaction System.
VingCard PERSONA provides an Advanced Stand Alone door access and locking system dedicated to the Higher Education Residence Hall marketplace. Interface with Blackboard’s Transaction System provides a strong compliment to Blackboard’s existing on-line door access system deployed on more than 150 campuses. VingCard Persona has already been deployed in a test or implementation mode on several Blackboard-powered campuses.
“The integration of the VingCard PERSONA system with the Blackboard Transaction System will be a significant benefit to our clients,” said Jim Hermens, General Manager of Blackboard Transaction Systems. “We are very pleased to see VingCard PERSONA join the increasing number of technology companies participating in Building Blocks.”
The partnership will benefit higher education institutions looking to implement security access solutions. Schools will now be able to provide students, faculty and administrators with expanded card services, while simultaneously reducing costs associated with traditional key locking systems.
“We are pleased to be offering our industry leading security systems to the higher education market in conjunction with Blackboard,” said Tor Baekkelund, Vice President of VingCard PERSONA. “We anticipate great success through this initiative and have already received a tremendous response from current Blackboard clients.”
Michael Stanton
Sr. Director, Corporate Communications
Blackboard Inc.
Ph: 202.463.4860 x305
FAX: 202.463.4863
[email protected]