Page 38 - Security Today, September 2018

Growing Adoption
Cloud and trusted identity technologies drive more intelligent customer experiences
BCy Ian Lowe and Mark Robinton
loud platforms and trusted identities are emerging as the fundamental building blocks for creating secure environ- ments that more effectively
connect an organization’s people, places and things. Organizations who embrace the pow- er of the cloud, combined with mobile and IoT technologies, will redefine the user expe- rience. At the same time, these technologies enable more unified credential solutions, and they pave the way for significantly improving workplace services and business processes.
One of the drivers for cloud adoption is that cloud security has expanded significantly. As confidence in these platforms grows, de- mand is rising to use trusted identity solu- tions in the cloud and benefit from its many advantages. Adoption will escalate with in- creased awareness of the cloud’s ease of de- ployment, flexibility, connectivity options and productivity benefits. Cloud-based platforms will provide the backbone for adding new and emerging technologies while improving how identity solutions are delivered. They also will give organizations greater flexibility to up- grade their security infrastructure, scale it as they grow, improve efficiency and adopt new lower-cost managed service models.
Cloud-based platforms will fuel new solu- tions that expand choices for organizations to get the most out of their investments. Among the most attractive options are solutions that provide location services so that organiza- tions have more information about how their buildings are used for workplace optimiza- tion. Organizations are adopting technology that expands how building occupants and tenants engage, interact and work in new intelligent workspaces. In addition, such in- novations enable facility managers to proac- tively provide a safer working environment, achieve a smarter building equipment main- tenance experience, and comply with myriad of local and federal inspection mandates.
Another benefit of the cloud is that it creates the opportunity for new managed service models. As an example, cloud-based ID card issuance platforms that give users the option for hardware, software and other re- sources to be leased and their costs bundled into a service offering billed on an annual or monthly-installment basis are now available. The service model not only cuts multiple lay- ers of program costs but also makes it easier for administrators to scale the card office to accommodate future technology capabilities
or changing volume demands. Administra- tors can opt to have commercial printing bu- reaus produce large card batches during peak demand periods. In general, cloud-based services deliver all the benefits of centralized issuance control and visibility along with the option of performing distributed or batch
printing, while improving user convenience. This model is particularly attractive to large healthcare and university campuses. At the university level, campus cards have long enabled users to buy meals, check out library books, open dorm room doors, and more. These institutions are seeing the benefits of
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0918 | SECURITY TODAY
CLOUD SECURITY
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