Portfolio Company Spotlight: SmarterServices Introduces Student Authentication System

Sep 25, 2018 | News

SmarterID uses facial recognition to validate identity and document attendance

SmarterServices is an Alabama-based portfolio company of Main Line Equity Partners that offers data-driven eLearning applications that empower educational institutions to analyze relevant data about student readiness and organize proctoring tasks.

SmarterServices: Latest Innovation

In the past, regulatory bodies have accepted username/password validation as an acceptable form of identification. However, that is no longer recognized as a secure way to verify the identity of a student behind the keyboard.

SmarterServices has introduced SmarterID, a cutting-edge student authentication system that uses facial recognition in a two-step authentication process to validate identity and document attendance. It can be used as a standalone application within online courses or integrated inside SmarterProctoring, which is another application from SmarterServices.

SmarterID provides a low-friction authentication process which collects multiple data points and implements a robust liveness check and spoof detection. It does not require any change in delivery method or modifications of course design. Included are instant flagging and alerts of suspicious activity making it a perfect fit for validating identity in online courses.

Dr. Mac Adkins, CEO and Founder of SmarterServices noted, “the federal government is not known for its ability to predict the future. But back in 2008, when the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) was written they had enough insight to recognize that identification technologies would improve over time. The HEOA stated that all institutions offering distance education must establish that the student who registers for the course is the same student who participates in the course. Three acceptable methods for doing this were listed: (1) usernames and passwords, (2) proctored exams, and/or (3) new or other identification technologies that are effective in verifying student identification. SmarterID is that new identification technology that did not exist back in 2008.”

Main Line Equity Partners invested in SmarterServices May 2016.