Remote Work Considerations – Access Control and the Changing Role of Active Directory

Having provided virtual desktop and infrastructure solutions for over 11 years Evolve IP has seen a massive shift take place in the way IT provides applications to end users.  11 years ago, customers were utilizing 90% client-server based software. Meaning companies would acquire a server, whether physical or virtual, install the application and then install the client on each user’s desktop.   

Now, fast forward to today and I would argue that the number is down to around 25%. So, where are all those applications moving? It should be no surprise when I write ‘Software as a Service’ (SaaS).  Companies like Salesforce.com, ADP, Concur, Outreach are all delivered via a browser with no software to install. 

For the purposes of these posts, I’ll be using the term “before” to describe how applications were delivered to end users in the “old days” and “after” to describe how applications are delivered today.  We will cover the four main differences and what IT has to be cognizant of regarding these dynamics. This first post looks at Access Control.  

As networks matured over time, IT realized they needed some “rules of the road”.  Active Directory (AD) was put in place to control which network resources users could access.  So, by creating user groups with permissions, IT could enable a user with one set of credentials and off they went.   

Unfortunately, SaaS providers are all independent of each other.  Therefore, there is no common framework IT can enable in order to control access to SaaS providers.  In theory, you could control access from the corporate network to decide which SaaS providers your users could get to, but as with many ideas on how to lock down security, that would prove to be completely inflexible in practice. 

The result? IT is forced to not only provide AD credentials for corporate legacy access, but then enable, manage and finally disable access to all SaaS providers individually.   

For enabling and managing access, this equates to a massive commitment of time from IT.  However, the larger consideration here is when employees are offboarded.  IT must first figure out which applications users were given access to when they started, then what access they may have gained throughout their tenure and finally what other applications do they have access to that IT may not even know of – also known as Shadow IT. When this is an amicable parting of ways, it’s more of an annoyance, but when it’s a sensitive or negative offboarding, this can present huge business risk if not done quickly and accurately. 

Remote Work Considerations – Securing the New Corporate Network

Enter Workspaces

Evolve IP has been working diligently to address the access management needs of businesses while enabling mobility, security. Evolve IP Workspaces include: 

• Active Directory Integration – Control access to legacy and SaaS applications through AD 
• Multi-factor Authentication – Increase security posture requiring a second form of authentication 
• BYOD Friendly – Allow employees to use any device while maintaining security controls 
• Custom Toolbelt – Users get just the tools they need, the way they want them, increasing efficiency 
• SSO and Self-Service Password Resets – Users adopt, and adhere to technologies that make their lives easier 
• Full DaaS capabilities for power users 

Enjoyed this post? Download all four sections of the Remote Work Considerations - Securing the New Corporate Network brief here. For more information about Workspaces please visit www.evolveip.net/workspaces or give us a call at 855-481-3798 for a demo. 

Source: https://www.evolveip.net/blog/remote-work-considerations-access-control-and-the-changing-role-of-active-directory

2023 Buyers Guide

Get Listed

IVR

 

1.)

Premium Listing Call Center Studio Call Center Studio Call Center Studio is the world’s first call center built on Google and is one of the most secure and stable systems with some of the industry’s best reporting. It is one of the most full-featured enterprise grade systems (with the most calling features, one of the best call distribution, outbound dialing features and integrations—including IVR, AI Speech Recognition, blended inbound/outbound calling and includes Google’s new Dialogflow and Speech API. Call Center Studio is the absolute easiest to use (with a 10 minute setup), and is the price performance leader with lower equipment cost and less setup time.

2.)	Computer Data Services, LLC VIRTUAL PBX Get the benefits of an expensive, on-premise telephone system without the high price tag and annoying maintenance. - Never miss another phone call - No more busy signals - Feature rich - Answer your calls from anywhere

3.)	eGain Corporation eGain SmartIVR eGain SmartIVR is an over-the-top solution to modernize IVR systems. Businesses can offer smartphone callers an easy choice to resolve queries via digital messaging and intelligent self-service. And they can optimize the IVR experience with end-to-end analytics.

4.)

Megacall Virtual Switchboard Megacall provides a fully customised Virtual Switchboard software for all companies (including IVR service). No matter the size of your business, our services adapt to the needs of each client. Are you looking for a more effective way to communicate with your customers? Discover the advantages of using the IVR and how it can help in your communications.

5.)	MightyCall MightyCall's IVR that will increase your business’s efficiency at a fraction of the cost of a secretary. Your auto-attendant is designed to: - Greet callers - Deliver necessary information - Forward calls to the appropriate extension - Take human error out of the system

6.)

Nuxiba Technologies CenterWare Provide your customers with an effortless self-service experience. Easily create menus using predefined or custom prompts and data dips and route customers to live agents when needed. Enable your customers to make payments and access information 24/7 at their convenience. Request a quote or live demo today.

7.)

OpsTel Services SPEED The SPEED solution solves for service level issues while cost optimizing the environment with automation. Provides an enhanced way to speed up & optimize invoking temporary agent skills configuration changes into the contact center environment. Speed allows you to schedule both future changes & temporary changes that auto-revert back to the original state when scheduled time expires. Speed features: *Automated / Scheduled Temporary Agent Skills Configuration Management *Immediate Temporary or Reoccurring Schedule Skills Configuration Changes *Easy to Use/Operations Administration Focused *Descriptive Monitoring Activity Dashboard *Detailed “End to End’ Audit Trail and Performance Monitoring

8.)

PEC Telecom Virtual Phone Numbers (DID) and Business VoIP Phone Service Whether a customer is running a Call Center business, an IVR system to take phone orders or a voice mail service bureau, he still needs inbound lines and access numbers (DIDs). These lines and DIDs give customers the ability to call in and use the service. Traditionally, these lines and DIDs were obtained through the local telephone company (i.e. Verizon, AT&T or Time Warner) and a company could only purchase numbers with area codes in the region the system resided. With VoIP, this has changed. DID Live is an IP DID service that allows you to accept incoming calls via VoIP as an alternative to standard digital or analog lines. The service provides the same quality of sound you expect from... (read more)Whether a customer is running a Call Center business, an IVR system to take phone orders or a voice mail service bureau, he still needs inbound lines and access numbers (DIDs). These lines and DIDs give customers the ability to call in and use the service. Traditionally, these lines and DIDs were obtained through the local telephone company (i.e. Verizon, AT&T or Time Warner) and a company could only purchase numbers with area codes in the region the system resided. With VoIP, this has changed. DID Live is an IP DID service that allows you to accept incoming calls via VoIP as an alternative to standard digital or analog lines. The service provides the same quality of sound you expect from standard lines at a fraction of the price. In addition, it allows you to purchase DIDs all over the United States. A company in California can purchase access numbers in New York or Texas for the same price as access numbers in its local area. This feature gives the company the opportunity to provide local access numbers to its customers around the United States at a fraction of the cost of traditional phone lines and access numbers. Local phone companies often take weeks or months to install phone lines at a company's location; and in many cases they are unable to install more than a few lines do to physical limitations. The DID Live Virtual Number service only requires a company to have an Internet connection, therefore eliminating the limitations posed by local telephone lines. If the company has a solid Internet Connection, the DID Live service can be up and running within hours.

9.)

Pointel Voice self-service can reduce cost and improve customer satisfaction. As with every system implementation, it is not the software, but the implementation that will define the success of the project. This also holds true for self-service implementations. Pointel follows a unique and proven process to implement voice self service. This process has been fine-tuned through years of experience implementing contact center and self-service applications. Pointel can design and develop solutions that will meet and exceed our client’s voice application needs. With several years of experience in Genesys GVP(Genesys Voice Platform) implementation and integration, Pointel can provide an integrated voice... (read more)Voice self-service can reduce cost and improve customer satisfaction. As with every system implementation, it is not the software, but the implementation that will define the success of the project. This also holds true for self-service implementations. Pointel follows a unique and proven process to implement voice self service. This process has been fine-tuned through years of experience implementing contact center and self-service applications. Pointel can design and develop solutions that will meet and exceed our client’s voice application needs. With several years of experience in Genesys GVP(Genesys Voice Platform) implementation and integration, Pointel can provide an integrated voice self-service application to improve overall customer experience. Why Pointel? Extensive experience in implementing and integrating IVR and CTI/CRM applications Specialized in implementing contact center solutions using Genesys Genesys premier consulting partner Worked with Fortune 500 customers building voice self-service applications and integrating front office and back office applications including data retrieval from Mainframe-based systems Experience in building applications using VXML and custom self-service speech grammars Follows best practices in implementing voice self service applications Experience with self-service products such as Service Ware, Motive and Kanisa Developed products using Genesys GVP to provide voice self-service Reputation of 100% success in all implementations with a 100% reference-able customer base Partner with Nuance and Microsoft for developing speech applications

10.)

Teckinfo Solutions Pvt. Ltd. IVR Edge IVR Edge is a high performance, robust and scalable ivr system that works on various leading hardware such as Dialogic, Keygoe and Synway etc. It can handle the simplest of simple to the most complex of requirements to when it come to creating an IVR. Integration with any 3rd party database, be it for banking, telecom, insurance, travel, payment gateway etc can be handled with ease. Ideally suited to create Hosted IVR and virtual patching solutions with scalabilities that can range from 4 to 128 E1’s per setup with voice recording and CDR functionality. Integration with leading text to speech (TTS) and speech recognition ASR engines add to the flexibility and functionality.

 

View more from Evolve IP

Recent Blog Posts:

Hosted Unified Communications in a New Era of Care	February 10, 2022
Top Three Unified Communications Market Trends	November 23, 2021
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Workspace Explained	October 26, 2021
Your Guide to Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) with Microsoft Teams Integration	October 5, 2021
3 Takeaways from the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Contact Center as a Service	August 24, 2021
Hybrid Work - 5 Keys to Building an Effective Hybrid Workforce	April 5, 2021
Hybrid Office & Microsoft Teams Direct Routing	March 23, 2021
The Virtual Private Network (VPN) – Is it Dead?	October 9, 2020
The Contact Center Solution for Covid-19 Challenges	September 18, 2020
Compare VDI to Hosted Virtual Desktops / DaaS	July 14, 2020