What's Next in the IoT: Social Spaces

It’s undeniable—the digital world and the physical world have collided. Through the power of social media, mobile device and APIs, we live in a hybrid world where social identities and physical locations are intertwined. We can pay for a meal with the flash of a mobile device, geotag an image on social media and authenticate our own identity through a connected device. The power of social is staggering, launching itself from a purely consumer market into the world of business technology.

By bridging the gap between the digital and the physical, companies and employees are able to leverage social identities to streamline access control. How is this possible? Think of it this way—if you can log into Amazon with your Facebook (News - Alert) account, why wouldn’t you be able to “log into” a building? Social media has transformed physical locations into social hubs that recognize your presence. Once an employee’s identity is connected to a building, businesses have an opportunity to construct a social space, facilitating security and adding convenience.

Imagine this technology deployed in a hospital. When staff members arrive at work, their mobile devices alert the building. The appropriate doors unlock as employees approach the doors they have clearance to enter, allowing managers to monitor what time employees are arriving, who is entering which rooms and where staff members are located within the building. Social spaces can also be extended to accommodate patient needs. For example, as a patient approaches the building, the mobile device they have on hand can alert the receptionist he or she has arrived. Contact information and medical records can be transferred seamlessly, eliminating the needs for check-in paperwork. If it’s an executive meeting, a mobile device could even alert the receptionist that the visitor would like a cup of coffee, adding a level of personalization to the access control experience. 

What are the tools needed to build a social space? You may start with brick and mortar, but the process ends with social media, mobile devices and APIs.

Social Media

• Social identities are a powerful thing, and everyone is already carrying them around in their pockets. The digital presence employees have cultivated travels with them, creating a unique opportunity to address authentication and authorization concerns. In lieu of a key card, why not use social presence to prove an employee’s identity?

Mobile & Wearable Devices

• Mobile and wearable devices have authentication privileges embedded within them. The mobile device lets the building know the person has entered, and provides critical information, including who the person is, designated access privileges, as well as past behaviors. These details are then connected to the building, using API technology, bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds.

APIs

• While social is the glue between a person’s identity and his or her mobile device, APIs are the connection between devices and physical spaces. Once the building knows an employee is there, the possibilities are endless. By registering who is entering the building through a mobile device, the facility can provide a seamless access experience, unlocking doors as the visitor or employee approaches them. APIs can then add a layer of convenience to the experience. For example, if an employee’s mobile device has shared his or her social identity with the office, the building can push through meeting notifications when the employee arrives, and share directions to the correct room.

Social spaces are like people—they remember routines and behaviors, they learn preferences and they trust who to trust. By turning an office building into a social hub, digital applications and physical locations can communicate, facilitating a frictionless experience, both in the office and the outside world.