A new operational guidance piece argues that mobile credential deployments at universities should be evaluated for real-world reliability—not only technical architecture and procurement details. The article emphasizes that there is effectively no “soft launch,” because students experience credential failures immediately on move-in and during daily campus use. It frames credential evaluation around operational risk at specific moments—such as access issues at 11 p.m. on move-in weekend—and highlights that changing providers can require campus-wide reconfiguration. That includes rebuilding integrations with identity management, student information systems, dining and payment platforms, and reissuing credentials. The guidance also notes that encryption key ownership and portability are important, but the decision should account for end-to-end operational cost and cross-department coordination. In practice, provider transitions carry elevated downtime and campus-service disruption risk. As higher education expands digital access across housing, dining, and payments, the piece reinforces that credential governance should be measured by uptime and operational readiness, not just security statements in RFPs.