Benefits of Smart Resourcing

Smart Resources allows for network and services infrastructure to be seen as independent, but in reality to be share to reduce costs.

It enables users in multi-tenanted buildings to consume services without the need to duplicate the infrastructure. Much of this infrastructure is also solution agnostic (i.e. different base services can be specified). One connection provides access to different infrastructure. It can even allow trusted visitors to share those same resources.

Shared Resource Capabilities
Some of the key service available from Shared Resources are:

• Issuing of flash (ID) passes and allowing these to be used automatically in multiple systems.
• Allows one network connection per location to be specified to multiple customers or multiple business units and this is irrespective of the network base technology.
• Allows for 802.1x wired and Wi-Fi network connections to be enabled with one access point solution for multiple organisations and affiliated guests seamlessly.
• Ability to provide credentials for 802.1x services automatically.
• Authentication to a network or service based on user, computer, organisation or combination of all.
• Full visitor management facilities.
• Provisioning and update of VMS (Visitor Management Systems) automatically.
• Allowing VMS records to be converted into affiliated or permanent staff records.
• Provisioning and update of Physical Access Control Systems (PACS) automatically.
• Provisioning and update of Locker systems automatically.
• Provisioning and update of AD and/or Azure AD from existing stores.
• Meeting room booking systems.
• Share printing solutions using technology such as ‘Follow Me Print’.
• Statistics on resource utilisation such as floor and area utilisation and room utilisation down to attendees that were there, not there and remote without special hardware or booking systems.
• Capacity indicator for floors and areas to mobile devices to easily find a desk in a shared resource area.
• Contract tracing to ensure that only people that have had contact with a person need to isolate rather than the whole building.
• Ability to provide clock in and out times based on different data points like logon times, WIFI computer usage and (PACs) information.
• Ability to restrict access to services (even valid logons) based on the location of the individual (It can block a user from logging onto a computer when they are not recorded as being in that location).

Smart Resources is the next generation of a New Zealand Government initiative called Technology enabled Shared Accommodation (TeSA).

There are a number of business drivers pushing the adoption of smart shared services. These include the cost to manage separate services in a single location, cost of credentials, difficulties in complying with regulations and the interoperability complexities associated with supporting multiple identity protocols. Organisations need only establish one connection that allows the authentication of third parties rather than a complex web of connections. Efficiencies are gained in that each organisation only needs to integrate with only one identity broker to be able to accept and use many types of credentials, with rules assigned regarding what services can be accessed.

Overall, the lack of clear, cohesive communication between and integration of organisations was a strong business driver. There are several challenges that Smart Resourcing is able to address including:

• A lack of organisational efficiency from the struggle for staff to find available desks, software, and hardware.
• Inability to determine long- and short-term usage statistics of rooms, buildings, etc.
• Inability to easily determine who may have been in contact with a COVID contact.
• Lack of automation of credential creation.
• Lack of the ability to provision and deprovision multiple services based on changes in one system.
• Duplication of infrastructure, such as each organisation using a different network providers.
• The ability to provide network agnostic base external connections to multiple organisations out of one location.
• Increased costs of duplicated infrastructure and managing multiple credentials.
• Increased complexity of multiple network providers, such as several, concurrent Visitor Management Systems.
• Increases in complexity and cost related to duplicated physical infrastructure such as printers and lockers.
• Inability to apportion costs for share resources appropriately such as printing, desk and locker costs.
• Linkages between multiple identity stores and supporting multiple identity protocols.
• Complex management of shared attributes, not including an organisation’s passwords.
• Management of network and other access.
• Difficulties complying with multiple sets of regulations.

Enhanced Efficiency
Smart Resourcing allows an organisation to establish a single connection that utilises the authentication of third-party organisations, rather than operating through a complex network of connections. Smart Resourcing proves more efficient than previous systems by requiring that each organisation only integrate with one identity broker once, accepting several types of credentials with assigned limitations on what each organisation can and cannot access.

Reduce Complexity and Costs
Smart Resourcing reduces the complexity associated with operating within shared locations by allowing one organisation to provide the infrastructure used in the day-to-day functioning of the space, identifying these, and allowing the other organisations within the shared accommodation to securely share these facilities services. The infrastructure can also be provided separately to the sharing tenants as its own tenancy related to the location too. The separate organisations can share a single Visitor Management System, photocopiers and printers, shared lockers, desk, WIFI and internet access. This allows for the sharing of costs rather than running duplicated services. Smart Resource solutions integrate complex infrastructure networks and systems into a seamless, cohesive system.

Generate Business Insights
Smart Resourcing’s reporting system can provide valuable statistics and insights regarding the utilisation of space within a shared building that are difficult to determine through other means. As Smart Resourcing tracks the movements of staff within a building, it can generate live reports that staff can utilise to efficiently determine what zones are in high demand and what desks, meeting rooms and areas are available for them, without the need to spend time searching the office floor or rely on anecdotal experience. Smart Resourcing reporting can also provide information on the availability of meeting rooms and track the flow of staff over a set period. It can advise an organisation on the long and short term usage statistics to advise not just how many people were invited, but who attended in person, remotely and did not come at all based on information such as Microsoft Teams data and computer network location information.

Linking Organisations Across Buildings
The platform behind Smart Resourcing, Jellyfish, can interface with multiple building’s Physical Access Control systems (PACs). If an organisation’s staff were split across multiple locations, such as having offices in multiple cities, a user can be automatically provisioned access to the different building’s PAC systems from a single location. Jellyfish also allows the customisation of a user’s permissions based upon the access requirements of their organisational role.

Tracking and Tracing applications
Smart Resourcing allows the location of an individual within a building to be determined by tracking where their computer was last located within the network, or via tracking their access through a door barrier system. This can be useful for finding a person using shared accommodation or performing contact tracing against others to prevent a whole location lockdown being required.

It can also be used to ensure timesheet compliance or role compliance where location is a factor. Another use of the technology is the prevention remote attacks where a logon using the correct credential is provided, but the user and computer are not located in the same area. This can be beneficial for security and emergency response.

Increase Security
Smart Resourcing systems are secure by design, allowing organisations to retain control over the handling of their own data. The configuration of the shared infrastructure is managed by the organisations themselves or by the connectivity providers.

Strong authentication
Smart Resourcing systems also support the implementation of stronger authentication of users in the network. Jellyfish allows for multiple types of credentials to be provisioned and automates the process, and also allows a user’s physical and logical access to be deprovisioned simultaneously if their pass were confiscated.

Cogito Group has successfully deployed Smart Resourcing systems for multiple government agencies, solving the complex problems of large-scale organisational integration. To do this, Cogito Group implemented the Jellyfish Network Access Engine (NAE) and its Shared Access Federated Directory (SAfD). These projects have allowed several government organisations to share accommodation and services without requiring organisations being in the same security domains. It has allowed these organisations to share Wi-Fi, printing, visitor management systems, meeting room booking systems, secure locker systems and more in a secure and efficient manner.

Download our Benefits of Smart Resourcing Fact Sheet below