Working from home or remotely has been the norm for many in the last two years of the pandemic. How will we ensure a safe and flexible working environment for those returning to office and secure access to information for those working remotely? In this article, we deep dive into physical access trends, such as touchless solutions, data protection, user convenience and visitor management that will ensure the safety of both workers and security or IT professionals.

Today, we are in the midst of Industry 4.0, where advances, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence are automating repetitive tasks, freeing workers to concentrate on higher-value problem-solving. Driven by the pandemic, we have seen a radical acceleration of changes that were already occurring. The pandemic also laid bare the inflexibilities and vulnerabilities within existing security architecture. 
 

The security and identity industry must evolve to meet emerging challenges and expectations of a workplace that is everywhere, now that the future of work is here. Remote working will vary in different parts of the world depending on IT adoption, culture, and industries. In 2022, 31% of all workers worldwide are remote with a mix of hybrid and fully remote.

In the U.S., remote workers are at 53% in 2022. Whereas, across Europe and the U.K. remote workers represent 52%, just 1% behind the U.S. While remote workers in Germany and France will account for 37% and 33%, respectively.

With the shift to remote work and the likelihood that more flexible work models will persist, security has evolved to zero-trust strategies and a focus on touchless technology, data protection, and increased convenience for users. This evolution includes leveraging integrated technologies that contribute to the health and safety of people and the security of data, no matter the location.

Zero-trust strategies reflect the new reality of an office “perimeter” that is now anywhere and everywhere. “Never trust, always verify” is the new watchword as organizations seek to protect this virtual perimeter by cyber-hardening digital systems along with physical spaces. When accounting for every device on the network, from peripherals to access points, security implementations should include rigorous and uniform controls that don’t impede users as they go about their workday. 

The easiest approach for security teams and most convenient for users is when identities become the new perimeter. Each employee is given an identity and an identity-based access credential that, increasingly, can be used on a mobile phone. This defines how people enter workplaces and access the applications and services they need so they can do their jobs, while eliminating the hassle and vulnerabilities of remembering and entering passwords.
 
With the zero-trust approach becoming a top trend dominating the security industry in 2022, leaders are tasked with ensuring a safe environment for those returning to the office – and secure identity and access management for those working remotely – are looking to the latest physical access trends and the best practices enabling them. Touchless solutions, data protection, and visitor management technologies are ensuring healthy and secure on-site environments while multi-factor authentication solutions take center stage for remote applications.
  
This trend is also impacting tenants that are driving new ways to work that require the commercial real estate (CRE) industry to accommodate additional needs. They are offering their employees flexible, multi-location work styles that include work-from-home and in-office hot-desking. They want intuitive features and amenities that make their journey to and from the office easier. And the ubiquitous mobile phone has become the command center for their lives; a single device that consolidates both work and life, and can be simply tapped or held close to a reader for touchless access to doors, elevators and more.
 
Mobile devices, likewise, can readily integrate with a visitor management solution, simplifying the credentialing process for administrators and end-users. Credentials can be delivered by email and downloaded to the device without face-to-face interaction with the front desk. With mobile, thousands of credentials can be issued remotely to users’ phones through a few mouse clicks, allowing tenants to walk straight into the building on a Monday morning.
 
The benefits of mobile include a single device for access control and other integrations, a more seamless experience, and touchless functionality in support of health and safety. Integrations beyond physical access control support things like tenant engagement, logical access systems, and mobile-friendly access to building amenities. The trusted identities and mobile technologies underlying these experiences have also been used during the pandemic as part of location-based physical-distancing and contact-tracing solutions that make it easier to implement health and safety protocols, and to identify and mitigate Covid-19 outbreaks is and when they occur.
 
Solutions like these will also address the big shift in what employees expect from their work environment. Those who return to the office have a new mindset forged during a lengthy period of working from home. Some will want the same digital conveniences of their home environment. Others will need the assurance of touchless access, social-distancing, and hygiene measures that can only be efficiently managed through a tenant experience platform that integrates with beacon-based location services technologies and other automated solutions to these challenges. 

Author Bio

David Gentry is the SVP of Human Resources at HID Global. Connect David Gentry Follow @HIDGlobal

Error: No such template "/CustomCode/topleader/category"!