Illumia and HID have expanded their partnership to make mobile credentials more accessible and affordable for colleges and universities transitioning to cloud-based campus technology.

The agreement extends HID mobile credential support to IDX, Illumia’s cloud platform, building on existing support for CS Gold, the company’s on-premises campus card system. The expansion allows CS Gold customers adopting HID mobile credentials to migrate those credentials to IDX later.

The partnership also gives institutions more flexibility in modernizing campus technology by separating campus card platform upgrades from physical access infrastructure replacements. Schools with compatible HID readers already installed can retain that equipment as they transition to IDX, reducing the cost, complexity and disruption associated with adopting mobile credentials.

“Campus technology rarely changes all at once,” said Don Smith, senior vice president and general manager of higher education at Illumia. “Illumia’s expanded HID partnership gives schools more options to cost effectively adopt mobile credentials today with Illumia’s IDX and CS Gold platforms while giving them the flexibility to move to the cloud on their own timeline.”

The expanded agreement comes as colleges and universities accelerate their cloud adoption plans. Illumia’s 2025 Higher Ed Innovation Index, developed with Hanover Research, found that 80% of institutions planned to fully migrate their core systems to the cloud within 24 months.

“Door access infrastructure is built to last, and campuses need technology that works with what they already have,” said Daniel Gundlach, vice president of physical access control solutions (PACS) for North America at HID. “By extending HID mobile credential support to IDX, we’re ensuring our ecosystem continues to support existing readers while expanding how institutions can deliver secure, mobile-first access experiences.”