EDITOR’S COMMENT
What’s inside the connected
workplace of tomorrow?
Ashish Malpani, Director Product Marketing, HID Embedded Solutions.
T
he modern workforce is changing
and enterprises need to evolve to
attract, retain and challenge the
new generation of employees to be more
productive. Employees desire a simpler,
individualised work experience that fosters
productivity while meeting the demands of
anytime, anywhere resources access within
a protected environment. The key to
delivering a personalised work experience
is one that not only delivers convenience
but also has security built-in to make
business systems identity aware.
The concept of pervasive identity has
been around for a while but organisations
have struggled with technology and
privacy implications. As the workforce
evolves, the workplace needs to be more
‘connected’ and offer employees the best
work experience.
The technology behind a
connected workplace
The best practice approach to make
enterprise systems identity aware is
leveraging existing identity credentials and
authentication mechanisms that utilise
existing infrastructure. Streamlining
the end-user experience is much more
desirable, so using a single, more universal
credential that can be validated by
different enterprise systems is preferable
to carrying multiple tokens connected to
disparate systems. Secure identity can be
programmed either at issuance or when
another system is brought in-line and
made identity aware. In the case of a lost
or stolen credential, the compromised
identity can be quickly and seamlessly
revoked across an enterprise.
Enterprise systems can be made
identity aware by embedding a credential
reader within the system, which
communicates to the host system(s) over
standardised protocols like USB and do not
require a complete revamp of the systems.
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Physical access control and
proof of presence
As users approach a door to enter a
building, the same credential can unlock
the door and record entry/exit times via an
integrated time and attendance (workforce
management) system. The same identity
and access control credential can also be
used to establish proof of presence or to
deliver relevant, location-based emergency
messages to people. Areas that require
stricter access control can add a layer of
biometric verification where needed. Studies
estimate that ‘buddy punching’ – the act
of clocking someone in when they’re not
actually there – affects approximately 75 per
cent of businesses in the US and can cost up
to 7 per cent of a company’s gross annual
payroll. In service organisations that charge
their clients by hourly rate, inaccuracies
in reported time can lead to overcharging
clients and time-sheet ‘padding’. Identity
aware integrated workforce management
systems can thus result in significant
savings while ensuring compliance and a
more seamless user experience.
Access to networked services
and applications
In a connected workplace, users can perform
daily tasks in any available space through
a pooled virtualised desktop infrastructure
(VDI). VDI not only delivers a convenient,
seamless experience but also improves IT
support, security and availability.
Secure printing applications
Cost savings have been a primary driver for
managed print services. Print devices that
are identity aware and centrally managed
add security and fulfil most regulatory
compliance directives. According to a
recent study on the Managed Print Services
landscape, conducted by Quocirca, 61
per cent of organisations have reported
at least a single print-related data breach
in the past year. Organisations that have
deployed identity aware managed print
services reported 23 per cent cost savings.
Unified collaboration
Audio/video conferencing has become
more prevalent over the years as travel
has become more expensive, and time
is of the essence. However, poor sound,
visual quality and technical challenges can
cause difficulty in connecting and therefore
make collaboration and co-creation in the
workplace challenging. An identity aware
collaboration system can synchronise
with the meeting management application
and individuals’ calendars. It results in
seamlessly setting up meetings with zero
touch and helps eliminate connection
issues on both ends.
Employee wellness applications
Employee wellness is the new mantra
for the distributed workplace design.
From in-house gymnasiums to activity
trackers, employers are providing tools
and incentives for their employees to stay
healthy and be more productive while
cutting costs. However, privacy concerns
have hampered the adoption of such
initiatives. Making the wellness system
identity aware and masking personally
identifiable data can help address privacy
concerns while providing security and
convenience to employees.
The distributed workplace relies
on agility. Designed to enable higher
productivity, better collaboration and more
co-creation, the focus on employee well-
being is best enabled by a more universal
approach to identity. A secure embedded
reader can help these disparate systems
become identity aware without the need
to access a common identity database.
This design delivers a better end-user
experience, centralised management and
increased cost savings for employers.
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