A digital credentials platform is essential when considering the flaws of traditional paper-based certificates. The introduction of digital transformative methods has caused an increased demand for digital credential platforms. The transition to remote work, online education, and MOOCs resulted in a growing need for reliable digital credential platforms for credentialing services.
The demand for digital credentialing service providers is expected to grow by an annual compounded rate of 14%. The market for digital credential platforms is gaining massive adoption in most developed nations, especially in the U.S. As organizations and individuals gradually understand the benefits of digital credentials, the popularity of digital credentialing software is bound to spread across more regions.
In this post, we will explain in detail the definition and functions of digital credential platforms. We will also discuss seven essential features of a digital credential platform. Furthermore, we will discuss their benefits over traditional paper certificates and highlight five popular digital credentialing platforms.
What Is A Digital Credential Platform?
A digital credential platform is a management system that facilitates the effective issuance, storage, and verification of digital credentials. Digital credentials are documents issued to people to recognize their achievements, skills, and qualifications. The documents are digitally protected using blockchain or other advanced technology.
Digital credential platforms are designed to help organizations issue digital credentials to designated recipients. Individuals or recipients also manage and store their digital credentials on the platform. Credentialing platforms are also used to verify the authenticity of digital credentials.
Three major parties use digital credential platforms. These three parties represent a balanced credential ecosystem. They are issuers, recipients, and verifiers. The issuers are individuals or organizations that want to send out credentials. Issuers can be organizations sending out credentials to their employees. Educational institutions also issue digital credentials to their students for course completion.
The second party that uses digital credentials platforms are the recipients or subjects. Recipients are individuals who receive digital credentials from issuers. Recipients receive their credentials through credentialing platforms. Verifiers are individuals or organizations that verify the authenticity of credentials. Verifiers are usually potential employers who want to authenticate a credential presented by individuals.
What Are The Features Of Digital Credentials Platform?
There are seven essential features that every credible digital credential platform must offer. These features include;
- Format-Agnostic Platform
- Data Security
- Customization Options
- Social Sharing
- Credential Verification
- Integrations
- Branding & White Labeling
Format-Agnostic Platform
A credible digital credential platform must be format-agnostic to enable organizations to issue credentials of their choice. The platform must support different file formats for organizations that want to issue digital certificates, digital diplomas, or micro-credentials. In addition to being a format-agnostic platform, credential platforms must offer all digital credentials.
Data Security
Securing users’ data is an important feature of every digital credential platform. Data security helps to protect user privacy and compliance with regulations. Data security helps to secure the information contained in the credential.
Digital credential platforms use various encryption technologies to protect data. The use of blockchain technology provides enhanced data security and immutability of records. Blockchain technology offers tamper-proof security, transparency, and effective verification of digital credentials.
Customization Options
Customization options are an essential feature of a digital credentialing platform. Digital credential platforms provide template designs to make the creation of credentials easier. In addition, they provide paper orientations of different sizes, allowing issuers to send out certificates that suit their brand and recipients’ needs.
Digital credential platforms should be user-friendly for issuers, recipients, and verifiers. A user-friendly credentialing platform improves accessibility and ease of use. This makes it easy for issuers to create unique design badges and certificates to match their brand.
Social Sharing
Digital credential platforms allow users to easily share their credentials on social media pages such as Linkedin, X, and Facebook. The social sharing feature helps users create an online presence and proof of achievements. Social media sharing enhances the visibility and recognition of educational achievements. This feature helps to foster employment opportunities and professional connections for individuals.
Credential Verification
Credential verification is a feature that helps to establish the authenticity of digital credentials. Credentialing platforms utilize a secure verification system that allows third parties to verify information quickly. Verification is important to eliminate certificate forgery or identity theft. Credential verification helps streamline employers’ recruitment processes, validate qualifications, and promote transparency.
Integrations
Digital credential platforms provide integrations with learning management systems (LMS), and other third-party applications. Integration with other systems helps to streamline processes, enhance usability, and improve productivity. Digital credentialing platforms support integrations with popular apps such as Zapier, Zoom, 360 learning, etc.
Branding and White Labeling
Branding & white labeling is a vital feature for digital credentialing platforms. It allows organizations to customize digital credentials to suit their branding elements. This includes logos, color schemes, watermarks, and other brand identifiers. Branding builds trust in a credentialing ecosystem and this includes issuers, recipients, and verifiers.
What Are The Benefits Of Digital Credentials Platforms?
Digital credential platforms offer a transformative approach to credentialing for organizations and individuals. For one, digital credential platforms contribute to the evolution of education by improving certification processes. Here are five other benefits of using digital credential platforms;
- Elimination of Credential Fraud
- Increased Security
- Accessibility
- Cost Effectiveness
- Verification
Elimination of Credential Fraud
Digital credential platforms eliminate credential fraud, resume fraud, and impersonation by providing a verification system. Organizations can verify the authenticity of a credential by verifying the details using a trusted credentialing platform. Unlike traditional paper-based certificates that can be easily manipulated, credentialing platforms utilize cryptographic methods such as blockchain technology to create tamper-proof documents.
By eliminating certificate fraud, credentialing platforms create trust among stakeholders. Organizations and employers are assured of the credibility of an educational institution. Trust in a credentialing ecosystem helps to improve an organization’s recruitment process and promote continuous learning.
Increased Security
Digital credential platforms employ advanced encryption measures to provide enhanced security. These platforms protect digital credentials using sophisticated measures, making them impossible to falsify. They maintain the confidentiality and integrity of digital credentials.
Accessibility
Digital credential platforms make it easy for individuals to access their credentials. They are used as storage for safeguarding digital credentials, providing individuals with total access to credentials at any given time.
Cost Effective
Digital credential platforms offer a less expensive credential solution. Credentialing platforms eliminate the need for manpower to issue and verify credentials. In addition, the use of digital credentials has eliminated the cost of printing, mailing, or physical storage. This is a major advantage for educational institutions to issue credentials at a reduced cost.
Verification
Credentialing platforms utilize advanced cryptographic techniques and decentralized ledgers for the verification of credentials. This allows quick and reliable verification of credentials by organizations, recipients, or third parties. Seamless verification provided by credentialing platforms reduces the time and effort required by third parties to confirm the authenticity of qualifications. Easy verification process streamlines processes for employers, educational institutions, and other verifiers.
What Are The Popular Digital Credential Platforms?
The market for digital credential platforms is somewhat competitive, with different providers competing for a share of the market. However, there are five popular digital credential platforms known to offer credible credentialing services. They include;
- Accredible
- Credly
- Diplomade
- Certifier
- Sertifier
Accredible
Accredible is a popular digital credentialing platform that provides credentialing solutions to organizations and individuals. Accredible offers solutions for creating, issuing, and verifying digital certificates. Accredible’s credentialing solution is focused on digital badges and certificates.
Accredible makes it easy for organizations and recipients to verify digital badges. They offer customization options to users, allowing easier creation of digital badges. Accredible was founded in 2013 and offers a pricing plan that starts at $996/yr.
Credly
Credly is another popular digital credentialing platform primarily known for issuing and managing digital badges. Credly offers a range of tools to help organizations create, issue, and manage digital credentials. Credly offers white labeling for organizations to design badges that match the brand.
Credly does not have its pricing plan displayed on its website. In addition, there are other alternatives to credly suitable for small or mid-sized businesses based on the pricing structure.
Diplomade
Diplomade is a state-of-art digital credential platform that offers blockchain-based digital credentials. Diplomade is the best provider credentialing software in terms of security, cost, and user interface. Digital credentials issued using diplomade are stored on a blockchain, which makes them impossible to manipulate.
Diplomade offers one-click verification to third-party verifiers, individuals, and organizations. Diplomade offers a friendly user interface and customization options. Diplomade provides credentialing solutions to small, mid-sized, and big organizations. Diplomade provides a trial plan and other pricing plans to suit larger audiences.
Certifier
Certifier is a digital credential platform focused on edTech. It is one of the popular alternatives to Diplomade. Different educational institutes employ Certifier to create, issue, and verify digital credentials. Certifier allows for the tracking of credentials, integrations with LMS, and social media sharing. Certfifer is less expensive, and the pricing plan starts at $33/month. Certifier offers a free plan.
Sertifier
Sertifier is a digital credentialing platform that provides verifiable digital credentials to both individuals and organizations. Sertifer is known for its integration with different LMS tools and customization options. Sertfifer also provides detailed analytic reports and credential tracking. The pricing plan is affordable when compared to Accredible. However, the interface seems complex for users.
How To Choose The Ideal Digital Credential Platform?
Choosing the ideal digital credential platform is dependent on several factors, such as budget, customization, user interface, and business needs. Scalability, integrations, and functionality are also essential factors to consider before choosing a digital credential platform.
Choosing the ideal credential platform contributes to an organization’s efficiency and reputation. Security mechanisms employed by digital credential platforms are necessary for compliance and protection of user data. Blockchain technology offers a transparent and decentralized way to manage digital credentials.
What To Do On Digital Credential Platforms?
Digital credential platforms allow individuals and organizations to issue, manage, and verify digital credentials. A digital credential platform is designed to automatically issue credentials to worthy recipients and also verify the authenticity of these credentials. Digital credentials platforms allow integration with LMS tools such as Moodle, 360 Learning, and Canvas to easily track credentials.
Digital Credentials
Digital credentials are digital documents issued to recognize achievements, claims, or qualifications. Digital credentials is the generic term to represent online certificates. The types of digital credentials include digital badges, digital certificates, digital diplomas, and micro-credentials. They are an evolution of paper certificates, diplomas, and badges.
Digital Badges
Digital badges are digital documents used to recognize achievements. They are digital representations of traditional badges. They are available in different colors, shapes, and symbols. Digital badges are suitable for rewarding volunteers, non-profits, professional training, etc.
Digital Certificates
Digital certificates are digital copies of traditional paper certificates. They serve the same function as paper certificates. Digital certificates are issued to recognize academic success, joining a professional organization, etc.
Digital Diplomas
Digital diplomas are simply digital versions of paper diplomas. They are also issued to reward academic achievements or completion of a course. Digital diplomas offer more benefits than traditional diplomas regarding storage, accessibility, and verification.
Micro-Credentials
Micro-credentials are digital credentials used to reward small units of work. It is a framework for rewarding progressive learning or short-term learning. Micro-credentials are usually stackable. This means they are used to reward small units before receiving the final credential.
