Blackboard Sees Strong Momentum for New Contactless Campus Card Solution

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.  

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-Q filed on November 5, 2010 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of February 7, 2011. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to February 7, 2011.

SOURCE Blackboard Inc.