Cardiff University implements our digital certification platform to enhance security and deliver an excellent user experience
About Cardiff University
Based in the capital city of Wales, Cardiff University is one of the UK’s leading teaching and research institutions. Cardiff University is the only university in Wales to be a member of the prestigious Russell Group, representing the UK’s most research-intensive universities. Originally founded in 1883, today, the University combines impressive modern facilities and a dynamic approach to teaching and research. Cardiff University is ambitious and innovative, focused on building strong international relationships while demonstrating its commitment to Wales.
- Cardiff Identified the need to provide a complete security solution for the issuing of high-security printed and electronic degree documents.
- Inefficient manual certification processes caused a lack of team flexibility and a poor stakeholder experience.
- Digital Certificates® Solution – Digital Certificates® is a holistic secure certification platform that provides an excellent digital experience, securely connecting and supporting education institutes, students, employers and other 3rd parties.
- Blockchain Paper® – Secure paper technology with unrivalled document security and technology innovation for advanced authentication.
- Advanced Secure Printer – Designed to provide secure laser printing of certificates, results forms, transcripts, diploma supplements, and other security documents. Our Secure Laser Printers ensure that your secure paper stock is protected and that the production of your documents is accurate, controlled and secure.
- Enhanced Security: Certification documents and processes that are protected from fraud.
- Improved Efficiency: Staff members can work simultaneously, easing workload pressures and improving operational efficiency.
- Excellent Stakeholder Experience: Faster and more reliable services to students, employers and other institutions.
Working with Advanced Secure Technologies
Cardiff University has worked with Advanced Secure for many years and was an early adopter of the secure Digital Certificates® platform. The University identified the need to improve the security and efficiency of its printed and electronic degree documents to prevent fraud and save staff time and resources.
The platform was initially installed on standalone PCs in the Registry department. However, the University eventually migrated to the web-based version to allow remote access, which has proven hugely beneficial, especially as more Registry staff now work remotely.
Cardiff University’s Digital Certificates® system now has almost 44,000 registered students and more than 3,000 third-party users, which includes employers, universities, other HE institutes and even embassies.
“Moving to the web-based version has reduced our response time and given our students a much better service. Now, anyone in the team can log in from a laptop, allowing multiple users to access the system and print simultaneously. We print and publish awards all year round, but July is the busiest, so this capability eases a lot of the pressures we face during that time.
This has been helped by the acquisition of a high-quality Advanced Secure Laser Printer.
In the last academic year alone (2023/4) the registry team has delivered:
The University’s printed certificates are now more secure than ever thanks to the advanced security features embedded in Blockchain Paper®. They offer faster verification through the use of a QR code. We are very comfortable that our awards are secure. We have witnessed attempts at fraud in the past and have been asked to verify fraudulent certificates, but we are confident in the security that our certificates provide.
Advanced Secure’s certification solutions have protected our reputation and in turn the reputations of our customers. Using QR codes to verify the authenticity of a certificate is a really good security feature. Due to the quick and easy degree verification process, I believe employers are more likely to verify degrees.”
– Helen Cowley, Head of Student Operations at Cardiff University.
Building a strong partnership
As long-term partners, Cardiff University and Advanced Secure have built up a strong and mutually beneficial relationship. Kelly Gale (Graduation and Operational Support Manager) manages the team that deals with certificates at Cardiff and is in contact with the team at Advanced Secure on an almost daily basis.
“We have a very good working relationship with Advanced Secure. It’s supportive and collaborative. They are very responsive; if you need to contact the service desk, they always get back to you on the same day. If you have any problems, they go above and beyond to support you”
“I’ve found Advanced Secure to be very responsive to feedback. If we identify any issues with the software or suggest any developments to improve it, they always take it on board and implement it as quickly as they can. They make you feel important as a customer. They are proactively looking at the market and what other services they can develop. Sometimes they contact us for our thoughts on a new development or bounce ideas off us, and we find that very valuable.”
– Helen Cowley, Head of Student Operations at Cardiff University
What’s next for Cardiff?
The Registry department is working to integrate the University’s Digital Certificates® with Hedd’s degree verification service. This will enable real-time degree verification, saving even more valuable time for staff. To enable this, the team is collating all its historic student data, including award and transcript information dating back to 2005.
The University is also exploring the possibility of moving to a Digital1st approach and printing documents on demand. “With the process of printing and transporting thousands of certificates every year having an environmental impact, it makes sense to encourage students to go digital, rather than automatically giving out paper copies,” explains Helen Cowley. “It will also help with security and ensure the integrity of our degrees.”
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