Frequently Asked Questions

SECANDA Suite is a comprehensive campus card and identity management platform that unifies identity management, cashless payments, and access control into a single, cohesive solution.

The platform consists of five core modules:

• SECANDA Secure - Identity and person data management
• SECANDA Pay - Transaction-fee-free closed-loop payment system
• SECANDA Access - Physical access control integration
• SECANDA Connect - Integration hub for third-party systems
• SECANDA App - Mobile application for end users

SECANDA is trusted by 90%+ of Swiss universities and serves a wide range of organizations:

• Education - Universities, colleges, K-12 schools, vocational schools
• Healthcare - Hospitals, clinics, eldercare facilities
• Corporate - Enterprises, business campuses, industrial facilities
• Leisure & Events - Stadiums, fitness centers, event venues

Learn more about our clients and success stories.

SECANDA is part of the Polyright Group, founded in 1978 in Switzerland. With nearly 45 years of expertise in secure digital identity and cashless ecosystems, we bring proven, reliable technology to campuses worldwide.

SECANDA Inc was established in 2025 to bring our solutions to the North American market, with headquarters in New York.

SECANDA offers several key advantages:

• Zero Transaction Fees - Our closed-loop payment system charges no per-transaction fees, saving institutions $300K-$1M+ over 5 years
• All-in-One Platform - Single solution for identity, payments, access control, and card production
• Modern Architecture - Web-based interface, REST API, and flexible deployment options
• European Data Privacy - GDPR-compliant by design with complete audit trails
• Proven at Scale - 90%+ of Swiss universities trust SECANDA

Correct! SECANDA Pay is a closed-loop payment system that charges zero transaction fees on all payments. This is our most significant differentiator.

Competitors typically charge 2-3% per transaction, which can add up to $60,000-$200,000 annually for a typical university. Over 5 years, switching to SECANDA can save you $300,000 to $1,000,000.

SECANDA Pay supports multiple payment methods:

• RFID Card - Tap-to-pay at POS terminals and vending machines
• Mobile App - Pay via the SECANDA App with QR code scanning
• QR Code - Scan-to-pay functionality for mobile-first users

Users can load funds onto their account via credit/debit card, bank transfer, or at designated loading stations.

SECANDA offers a highly configurable voucher system that functions as a flexible meal plan system:

• Time-based restrictions - Limit usage to specific times (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
• Category-based eligibility - Different plans for students, staff, etc.
• Automatic resets - Daily, weekly, monthly, or semester-based resets
• Location restrictions - Limit usage to specific dining locations

This flexibility allows you to create meal plans that exactly match your institution's dining policies.

Yes! SECANDA Pay supports negative balance capability with configurable reset periods. You can set rules for:

• Maximum negative balance allowed
• Automatic notifications when balance is low
• Monthly or semester-based reconciliation

Automatic invoice/CSV generation makes billing for negative balances simple.

SECANDA Pay can be used across your entire campus:

• Dining - Cafeterias, food courts, coffee shops
• Retail - Campus bookstores, convenience stores
• Vending - Vending machines, laundry facilities
• Printing - With PaperCut or Uniflow integration
• Parking - Parking meters and garages
• Recreation - Fitness centers, sporting events
• Mobile vendors - Food trucks, pop-up shops using Payment Terminal app

SECANDA supports multiple RFID card technologies:

• Mifare DESFire - Our recommended secure card technology
• Mifare Classic - Legacy support available
• 125 kHz proximity - The prox cards still in circulation on many campuses are read, so existing badges keep working

We also supply multi-technology cards (e.g., DESFire + 125 kHz prox on the same card) and can help you manage technology transitions from legacy to modern systems.

SECANDA provides a complete automated card issuance workflow:

• Read - Card reader in printer reads the blank card's UID
• Encode - RFID chip is encoded with required applications
• Assign - Card is automatically assigned to the person
• Print - Card design is printed with personalized data

This one-step process eliminates manual card assignment and reduces errors. We support Evolis Primacy 2 and Evolis Agilia printers with TRW (thermal rewrite) capability.

Yes! SECANDA includes a built-in Card Design Studio with:

• Visual template editor with drag-and-drop positioning
• Design card layouts for both front and back
• Insert any person field dynamically (name, photo, ID, department)
• Support for partial pre-printed cards
• Multiple layouts for different categories (students, staff, visitors)

Absolutely! Our Print Job Service supports distributed card printing:

• Multi-location printing - Deploy printers at multiple sites
• Load balancing - Distribute jobs across multiple printers
• Network printer mode - Works transparently from any application
• Web interface - Manage print jobs and monitor queues centrally
• Batch operations - Process large volumes efficiently

SECANDA Secure provides comprehensive identity management:

• Standard fields - Name, ID, email, department, category, photo
• Custom fields - Unlimited custom field types to match your needs
• Customizable views - Different views per user role
• Person categories - Students, employees, visitors, contractors
• Complete audit trail - Data history and change logging

Role-based permissions ensure users only see data relevant to their responsibilities.

SECANDA Access integrates natively with leading access control systems:

• SALTO - Our primary partner with real-time sync, mobile keys, and bidirectional communication
• GANTNER - Locker systems and access control for recreation facilities
• Dormakaba - Enterprise access control integration
• Siemens - Building automation and security systems

Additional systems can be integrated via standard interfaces.

Yes! Through our SALTO integration, users can access doors directly from the SECANDA App:

• Mobile credentials stored securely on the phone
• No physical card needed for door access
• Instant credential updates - no waiting for card sync
• Works on both iOS and Android

When a card is reported lost or stolen:

• Instant blocking - Card is immediately disabled in the system
• Access revocation - All access rights are instantly revoked
• Payment blocking - Card cannot be used for payments
• Self-service option - Users can block their own card via the app

A new card can be issued immediately with all existing access rights transferred.

SECANDA Connect supports multiple integration methods for SIS systems:

• CSV/XML Import - Most common approach, compatible with Banner, PeopleSoft, Workday
• REST API - Full CRUD operations for real-time integration
• LDAP / Azure AD - Bidirectional directory synchronization

We provide pre-built import templates for Ellucian Banner, Oracle PeopleSoft, and Workday Student. Our configurable field mapping supports any column structure.

Yes! SECANDA is an authorized PaperCut reseller with native integration:

• User sync - Export users from SECANDA to PaperCut
• Payment integration - Use SECANDA Pay balance for print costs
• Single balance - One account for printing and all other campus services
• Print quotas - Full quota management support

We also integrate with Canon Uniflow and other print management solutions.

Absolutely! SECANDA provides multiple tools for custom integrations:

• REST API - Full CRUD operations on all entities
• Webhooks - Real-time event notifications
• DLL Extensions - Custom business logic modules
• Scheduled exports - Templated CSV/XML exports

Visit our SECANDA Connect page to learn more about our 50+ integrations.

SECANDA offers a hybrid deployment model:

• On-premise core - SECANDA Suite runs on your servers for data control and sovereignty
• Cloud connectivity - SECANDA Cloud Platform enables mobile app connectivity and external services

This hybrid approach gives you the best of both worlds: complete control over your data while enabling modern mobile experiences.

SECANDA supports two database options:

• Microsoft SQL Server - Traditional enterprise option
• PostgreSQL - Open-source alternative with no licensing costs

The PostgreSQL option is particularly attractive for institutions looking to reduce Oracle or SQL Server licensing expenses.

Yes! SECANDA is built with privacy and compliance at its core:

• GDPR-compliant - Designed from the ground up for European data privacy standards
• FERPA-ready - Meets US educational privacy requirements
• Complete audit trails - All data changes are logged
• Granular permissions - CRUD permissions per entity and role
• Data sovereignty - On-premise deployment keeps data under your control

SECANDA provides comprehensive support:

• Implementation support - Dedicated team for deployment and configuration
• Training - User and administrator training programs
• Technical support - Help desk for ongoing issues
• Updates - Regular software updates and enhancements
• Documentation - Comprehensive API and user documentation

Our US-based team is here to support North American institutions throughout your journey with SECANDA.

It depends on what you deploy first and how many systems we connect: your student information system, access control, points of sale. You can start with a single module and add the others in phases, with the old and new systems running side by side during the transition, and you keep your existing cards, readers and card printers. Before anything starts, we build the phased plan with you around your academic calendar.