Case Study: Indiana Institute of Technology

At a Glance

• Industry: Higher Education
• Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Website: indianatech.edu
• Previous Platform: A commercial parking platform
• Modules Implemented: ParkAdmin, ViolationAdmin, PL8RDR Mobile LPR, SAML SSO
• Equipment: Survision Picopak camera, PL8RDR, ruggedized Android with mount and Bluetooth printer
• Key Result: A full platform replacement (digital permits, mobile LPR enforcement, and SAML SSO) for less than the cost of renewing their previous software

Overview

Take Command of Your Campus. Unified Parking & Security Operations.

Indiana Institute of Technology replaced a commercial parking platform with a more capable one, and did it for less than the cost of renewing the system it was leaving. The university now runs virtual, license plate based permits, mobile license plate recognition enforcement, and SAML single sign-on from one connected platform.

For a mid-sized private university, parking is a real operating cost. Indiana Tech’s parking operation had grown around a commercial platform that handled the basics, until the renewal pricing arrived.

When their previous vendor’s latest pricing increase landed with Indiana Tech’s parking administrators, it prompted a straightforward question: what else is available, and what does it actually cost?

The answer led them to OperationsCommander (OPSCOM), and to a full platform upgrade for less than what they were being asked to pay to stay where they were. That cost outcome is reported by the client for this deployment and is specific to this campus.

The Challenge

Indiana Tech had been managing campus parking through a commercial parking permit application. The system handled the basics, but when renewal pricing increased to a level that was difficult to justify for what the platform delivered, the university began evaluating alternatives.

Key operational priorities going into the search:

• Replace physical paper permits with a virtual, license plate based permit system
• Improve enforcement efficiency with mobile License Plate Recognition rather than manual plate lookups
• Maintain self-service access for students and staff with online permit purchasing and violation payment
• Integrate with the university’s existing identity infrastructure through SAML SSO
• Reduce overall platform cost without reducing capability

The goal was straightforward: broader capability across permits, enforcement, and identity integration, at a lower overall cost.

The Solution

Indiana Tech implemented OPSCOM with a focused package of ParkAdmin, ViolationAdmin, and PL8RDR Mobile LPR, supported by a ruggedized Android device with mount and Bluetooth printer, and a Survision Picopak camera for vehicle capture.

ParkAdmin: Permit Management

ParkAdmin replaced Indiana Tech’s paper permit program with a fully virtual, license plate based system. Students and staff purchase and manage permits online, with no physical hangtag to distribute, track, or replace. Permit data lives in the platform and becomes visible to enforcement officers in the field as it is recorded.

• Online self-service permit purchasing for students, staff, and faculty
• Virtual permits tied to license plates, with no physical distribution required
• Customizable permit types, zones, and enforcement rules by lot
• Role-based administrative access for parking office staff
• Online payment processing for permit purchases and renewals
• SAML SSO integration for login with existing university credentials

ViolationAdmin: Enforcement and Citation Management

ViolationAdmin gave Indiana Tech’s enforcement team a connected digital workflow for citation issuance, payment, and appeals, replacing the manual processes that had supported the previous platform.

• Handheld citation issuance with photo evidence and timestamped records
• Live permit validation against current ParkAdmin data in the field
• Online violation payment, so parkers pay and appeal without visiting the parking office
• Complete violation history by plate for repeat offender tracking
• Configurable appeals workflow with online submission and administrative review

PL8RDR: Mobile License Plate Recognition

Mobile LPR is the capability step that separates Indiana Tech’s new operation from what they had before. A Survision Picopak camera mounted on a patrol vehicle reads and validates plates during drive-by patrol, checking each plate against live permit data.

• Drive-by plate capture and validation against active permits
• Automatic flagging of unregistered or expired permit vehicles
• Substantial improvement in patrol efficiency versus manual plate lookups
• Integrated with ViolationAdmin so officers can issue citations from flagged vehicles

The connected design matters here. Because LPR, permits, and violations share one database, a plate read resolves against the same permit record the parking office sees. Learn more about how connected enforcement systems reduce manual lookups in the field.

The Results

A Full Platform Upgrade for Less Than a Renewal

The headline outcome is straightforward: Indiana Tech replaced its previous parking platform with a more capable system (virtual permits, mobile LPR, SSO, and connected enforcement) for less than the previous vendor’s renewal pricing. For a university managing a tight budget, paying less for more is a meaningful result.

Paper Permits Eliminated

Moving to virtual, license plate based permits removes the cost and administrative overhead of physical permit production and distribution. There is no printing, no mailing, and no replacement requests for lost hangtags. Permits live in the database, tied to plates.

Enforcement Efficiency Improved

Mobile LPR changes the arithmetic on patrol coverage. Manual enforcement requires an officer to stop and look up each plate individually; drive-by LPR validation lets a patrol vehicle cover a lot continuously and flag vehicles that need attention. For a campus managing multiple lots, that changes what a single officer can cover per shift.

Seamless User Access Through SSO

SAML SSO integration means students and staff log into the parking portal with their existing university credentials: no separate account creation and no separate password to manage. The same identity infrastructure that governs access to other campus systems now covers parking.

Why OPSCOM

Indiana Tech found OPSCOM through independent web research and reached out through the contact form. The platform delivered what the university needed (virtual permits, connected enforcement, mobile LPR, and SSO), and the pricing was a decisive factor against renewing a platform that did not include LPR capability.

For other universities weighing a renewal conversation with an incumbent vendor, the Anderson University case study describes a similar replacement decision. Institutions considering mobile LPR specifically can see a comparable mid-sized campus deployment in the University of North Alabama case study. More on campus parking and security for higher education.

About Indiana Institute of Technology

Indiana Institute of Technology is a private university located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Founded in 1930, Indiana Tech offers undergraduate and graduate programs across engineering, business, health sciences, and the arts and sciences, with a focus on applied learning and career preparation. The university serves students from across the United States and internationally, and also offers programs at regional locations and online.