VCPI recently launched a new and proprietary application, accessed through ServiceNow, which substantially improves the process – and reduces the time it takes – to set up, modify and disable user accounts.
“The Identity Management System, or IMS, takes the pain and the delay out of our clients’ requests to change a user’s access,” said Amy Haffner, VCPI Engineering Project Manager. “What once could take up to several days can now often be accomplished in a matter of minutes, which will have a huge impact on our clients’ productivity and data security. VCPI is the first to offer and implement this level of service to the senior living community. There’s nothing else like it in the industry.”
From the client’s perspective, the on demand portal is fast and simple. The day-to-day tasks associated with system access during hiring, promoting, transferring, and terminating employees are easily handled with VCPI’s new IMS and its automated request, approval and notification process. Once approved, the client-customized IMS quickly determines that user’s access requirements based on their job role and, within minutes, can complete the request. “For example,” noted Chris Lisser, VCPI Manager of IT Operations and Identity Access Management, “a new user would be able to log into their Citrix desktop, access their network drives and send and receive email 15 minutes after the request has been approved by the client.”
The IMS incorporates role-based access control, or RBAC, which is a best practice for health care industry compliance. The client-customized RBAC consistently standardizes role access across the company and provides access to individual users. “In addition,” Lisser said, “IMS creates a robust audit log, including who requested and approved the changes, what access people have, et cetera, that helps our clients better comply with our industry’s role-based access regulations and provides better protection of resident, patient and company data.”
At present, IMS automates Active Directory account and shared network access; creates a Citrix desktop login, email address and Exchange mailbox; enables or disables membership to the client’s email distribution lists; and delivers new user emails. IMS will also integrate with a client’s payroll system to create a unique employee identifier and to process batch provisioning requests. Future versions will be able to automate access to other vendor applications (e.g., PCC or AHT) in a simplified manner similar to its current Citrix login and email capabilities. It will also include more dynamic RBAC confirmation and update capabilities.
Once fully implemented, the IMS application will replace the old identity management system, eSARF, which will be retired. “All new clients will have the customized IMS,” said Haffner, “and current clients will be brought onto the system based on their RBAC configuration and size. However, we would welcome requests from current clients who would like to adopt the new system sooner and ask that they contact their Technical Account Manager for more information or to discuss their implementation process.”
