Credential Management

A manual credential management approach means recording details of everyone’s credentials on paper and storing them away securely. It means checking those credentials every time a person needs to enter a site or start a particular piece of work, which in turn means that copies of all credentials are needed wherever and whenever an authorised person needs to work.

More than anything, it means a very inefficient system that’s difficult to administer. When credentials are issued, updated or withdrawn, copies have to be circulated to every site. The difficulty here is that new versions may not be issued in time, may not be correctly replaced and that different versions may exist at various locations. Manual credentials also can’t be used to control access to software systems, so separate passwords or other types of authorisation have to be set up, which gives even more chance of duplication and error.

When time-limited credentials are due to expire, reminders have to be sent out manually and have to be followed up to make sure they’re acted on correctly. It all takes time and a lot of effort, and it’s extremely inefficient.

Introducing a computerised system to replace a manual one will certainly improve matters in terms of better record-keeping and easier administration. But you won’t get full value unless it’s cloud-based and has many automated features. The features and benefits include:

• a dashboard that gives an overview of credentials and allows detailed views and reporting so you can always see the overall situation and what needs to be done
• identification of due renewals with reminder emails sent out automatically in good time and followed up so nothing is missed
• availability of up-to-date credentials at all relevant sites so that authorisation is immediate and assured
• real-time updating and distribution so that the latest versions of credentials are always available
• accessible by suitable mobile devices anywhere and at any time
• all requests, updates and transactions are recorded so that there is complete transparency and full auditing automatically
• establishment of role-based credentials that can vary depending on what a person is doing
• credentials are available for multiple uses, including site entry, job authorisation, and system access so that there is no need for multiple and confusing checking methods

A properly designed and implemented credential management system will keep your business safe and secure, preventing all unauthorised access but in a way that doesn’t interfere with the smooth operation of the company. Once your system is breached, it’s a time-consuming task to re-issue credentials and restore some sort of order.

With LinkSafe, the maintenance and authorisation of credentials is undertaken effectively so no such breaches will occur. And there are no adverse consequences, just a business that operates securely and well. Our online training software and contactless visitor management system also became indispensable tools during this pandemic times, since they help your business to run smoothly.