Secure Shared Workstations

What it is

Fast User Switching in Imprivata OneSign^® lets clinicians make better use of shared computing resources that are widespread in healthcare settings today.  Hospitals are utilizing shared kiosk workstations and desktops to boost clinician productivity, streamline workflows, and lower costs. But to actually gain these benefits, hospitals need to provide clinicians with fast and easy access to shared resources, while minimizing the risks that they can pose.  Imprivata OneSign’s Fast User Switching capabilities make it easy for hospitals to strike a ‘just right’ balance they need between access and security.

Why it matters

Fast and fluid access to shared kiosks and desktops is the key to their utility. But hospitals must comply with regulatory requirements to safeguard the privacy and security of patient data. For clinicians, adhering to these mandates means they need to log in to shared kiosks and desktops individually – authenticating as themselves – to ensure only authorized access backed by an audit trail.  They also must log out when they are done using a particular machine or resource. 

Manual and repetitive log-ins at shared kiosk workstations and desktops simply don’t cut it. Healthcare delivery today is fast-paced, and clinicians are highly mobile. Making them type user names and passwords dozens of time during a shift disrupts their clinical workflows, bogs down their productivity, and causes great frustration.  Automation is the obvious answer, and Imprivata delivers with OneSign Fast User Switching capabilities.

How it works

Fast User Switching eliminates the need for generic log-ins.  It secures Windows desktops without requiring every user to go through a Windows log in at every machine they use.  Instead, clinicians get the benefit of Imprivata’s No Click Access^®, the ability to access infrastructure, applications and patient records with just the tap of a badge or swipe of a fingerprint.  

With another tap of a badge or touch of a finger, care providers can instantly close their sessions and log off the shared workstation or desktop. This quick sign-off safeguards patient data, greatly reduces the risk of clinicians charting under the wrong ID, and leaves the workstation or desktop in the proper state for the next clinician.

Imprivata also offers Fast User Switching at the application level.  For example, with certain EMR systems, it enables user switching within the application itself without requiring a shutdown.  It also supports the shared workstation model that uses multiple Windows desktops simultaneously, as opposed to a single, generic Windows desktop.