HID Global recently named Tim Nyblom to a new position within the company that will expand its focus on the higher education vertical. CampusIDNews caught up with Nyblom to discuss the new role, expectations for HID campus clients, and what the company is envisioning for higher ed.

Tim, congratulations on your new position as Director - End User Business Development for HID Global’s higher ed market. What does that mean for you and our campus audience?

“Thank you very much! I’m ecstatic and honored to take the lead in the higher education vertical market here at HID under our Physical Access Control Business Unit (PACS). It’s hard to process, but I got my start in this industry back in 2006 and I’ve never left.

It’s really an exciting time for campuses. I’ve seen so much change in the past 16 years, and we are at a turning point as mobile takes center stage. I have a strong passion for this industry and welcome the opportunity to help institutions migrate to mobile credentials as they recognize the value it delivers to their campus.”

What about the higher education market makes it so special for you?

“Our higher education community is one of a kind – from the institutions to the partners and the solutions to the conferences. There are always challenges, but there is also never-ending camaraderie. It’s been a roller coaster ride, and it’s certainly not going to slow down!

For those that know me, one thing I’ve always prided myself on is being that trusted advisor. The good, the bad and the ugly – just providing as much information as possible so each institution can make the best decision for themselves. I came across a quote recently that has really resonated with me – “I never thought in terms of being a leader. I thought very simply in terms of helping people.”

Tell me about the higher education team at HID and who our campus administrators should be looking for.

“Yes, that’s enough about me. For those who haven’t met her yet, Nicole Fikes joined us in 2021 as our End User Business Development Manager handling the West. She has really hit the ground running, and I am really excited to be working with her.

Nicole Fikes, HID

Before Nicole joined HID Global, she worked as a Regional Director of Commercial Development for a security integrator, tasked with new business growth for large clients and national accounts. Prior to that, she was the Director of Client Partnerships, selling identity authentication SaaS to national accounts and financial institutions.

Nicole started her career in security with Stanley Security Solutions selling mechanical security solutions into National Accounts. She was excelled as a Global Accounts Business Development Leader and National Account Manager with Stanley’s security integration division.

She is an active member with ASIS Women in Security (WIS) global group. Currently, she is on the WIS global steering committee as well as the ASIS Indianapolis chapter WIS chapter liaison.

Nicole and her husband have two teenage sons that keep them busy attending high school cross country, track, and golf events. In her spare time, she runs marathons and walks her dog Lucy, the cutest black golden doodle ever.

Nathan Cummings, HID

Another important name to introduce is Nathan Cummings. Nathan is our technical lead dedicated to the Higher Education vertical market. He’s been at HID for 22 years, and as you can imagine, has seen it all! If you want to get down to the bits and the bytes, encryptions, keys and in general how it all works, Nathan is your guy.

Nathan has spent a majority of his time at HID in Product Management. He’s held several other positions, but the last 6 years have focused on pre-sales engineering, specializing in reader and credential technologies and more recently a focus on the Higher Education Vertical supporting mobile wallet credential implementations.

He enjoys his off time traveling, hanging with friends, and spending time with family in the High Desert in Southern California.”

Your promotion and expanding team would suggest that the company’s focus on higher ed is really strong, perhaps even growing, at this point. Would you agree?

"Yes, 100%. Our leadership recognizes the importance of the higher education vertical, including our strong partners and end users.

I say it a lot, but it bears repeating: The market for mobile credentials is forecasted for explosive growth over the next 5 years. We’re seeing a trend and believe that an increasing number of our clients will choose to migrate from plastic to mobile credentials because of the value it delivers to their business.

We believe the higher education market is positioned to continue to lead this charge and we are investing heavily to ensure that HID customers and partners have an easy path of transition at their own pace.

Adding to that investment, we are also actively looking to grow our team. We have some phenomenal candidates, and we look forward to welcoming new team members soon.”

HID has been working with universities for a couple decades at this point. Can you give me a sense for the number of campuses you serve?

“Under our PACS Business Unit, I’d say 1,000 campuses give or take. On these campuses, you’d see everything from older legacy style proximity cards and readers, iCLASS, Seos, Signo, Mercury Panels, HID Mobile Access via Bluetooth and NFC, Credentials in Apple Wallet and more.

That number certainly increases if you wanted to factor in our Secure Issuance/Printer lines and our Extended Access Technologies (EAT) Business Units. Our Fargo Connect solution is red hot right now and institutions are migrating to this platform all the time. As you can imagine, our groups collaborate quite a bit, and I’d like to give big kudos to the Fargo Connect Team and the solution they have brought to the market!

The same goes to our EAT team as they play a central role in supporting credentials for all other use cases across campus – POS, copy/print, vending, bookstore, rec center, parking, laundry and more. The Omnikey 5427 reader is becoming a major staple for campuses as they plan for the future.”

Are there any industry trends that will guide your efforts going forward?

“I think it will be important to streamline the mobile conversation. We understand that not every institution is going to make the move to mobile in the next few years, but everyone needs education on what they can do now to prepare the infrastructure to support mobile when they are ready.

I am also dedicated to educating the value that mobile can deliver to their students, their departments, their leadership and the campus as a whole. It can’t be highlighted enough; mobile has the ability to re-shape the campus as we know it.

I want to make sure our customers understand that they have choice and flexibility when working with HID. Lots of changes are happening in this industry right now and there is no one better positioned to help campuses protect their future than HID.”

With this market under your wing so to speak, what do you plan to accomplish in the new role over the next few years?

“Put simply – help as many institutions as possible. I want to continue to grow our team and our reach. The mobile conversation will continue to grow as more campuses make the move. Being able to provide all the necessary information campuses need to make an informed decision becomes imperative.

I understand that everyone has choices, and I look forward to talking to more and more campuses about the value that HID can deliver. I also want to continue to grow our relationships and leverage our partnerships. I firmly believe that we have the greatest customers and partner channel network in this industry.”