E.DIS Netz GmbH - interactive employee terminals

Case Study - E.DIS Netz GmbH

Process optimisation in companies also involves improving internal communication. E.DIS Netz GmbH uses centrally located digital employee terminals for this purpose. Employees and visitors can currently use the terminals at eight different locations in Germany.

The terminal content consists of general information such as safety instructions, job vacancies and open Wi-Fi access. In addition, a password-protected area contains personal employee data, calendar information and access to the room booking and carpool portals.

Figure 1: Start screen of the employee terminal

The Objective

The aim of employee terminals is to create centralised information points that are accessible to everyone in order to improve internal communication within the company.

With SiteKiosk Online, secure and comprehensive employee terminals can be realised that have a positive influence on the internal communication process in companies.

Implementation and solution

Figure 2: Guest area with public information
Figure 2: Guest area with public information

The user interface of the E.DIS GmbH employee terminals can be divided into two areas:

The guest area (see Fig. 2) is freely accessible. Clicking on the green button labelled ‘Guest’ takes you to the guest area. General certificates and safety instructions are available here. Visitors can find out about correct behaviour in the company. Job advertisements and access to the guest WiFi are also provided.

Figure 3: Employee area with sensitive content
Figure 3: Employee area with sensitive content

The employee area (see blue box in Figure 1) contains data and information that is only accessible to employees. This part of the application is password protected. As soon as this button is clicked, the employee must enter their personal password, after which they can access the data contained there.

With SiteKiosk Online, sensitive areas in applications can be secured with a password prompt.

Figure 4: Insight into the location variations within SiteKiosk  Online
Figure 4: Insight into the location variations within SiteKiosk Online

Defined variations allow different content to be displayed depending on the location. Each terminal at the eight different locations displays different content. The terminal at the Falkensee location, for example, displays a text field with the content ‘Welcome to Falkensee’ and contains location-related data and information in the ‘Safety instructions’ (german: Sicherheitshinweise) and ‘Menu’ (german: Speiseplan) areas. The terminal in Potsdam displays the text ‘Welcome to Potsdam’ and the specific location information. Variations can be set and determined with little effort within SiteKiosk Online.

Integration of external software via web automation

The ‘Room booking’ (german: Raumbuchung) and ‘Vehicle booking’ (german: Fahrzeugbuchung) action buttons are available in the employee area (see Fig. 3). Both buttons direct the user to external applications that have been implemented in the terminal application by SiteKiosk Online.

The ‘Room booking’ button leads to software that provides an overview and shows which rooms are booked, occupied or still available at the current location. Meetings and events can be planned and managed directly at the terminal.

‘Vehicle booking’ refers to the car pools at the locations. It lists which vehicles are available, are currently on the road and are required for which period.

The ‘room booking’ and ‘vehicle booking’ tools are integrated via web automation and provide status reports in real time.

E.Dis Netz GmbH is currently using the terminals at eight different locations. Each location has a different room booking and vehicle plan. These differences can be customised to the login data within SiteKiosk Online using configurations. As a result, the websites of the room booking and vehicle booking tools are called up with the users defined for each location and only display the data for the corresponding location. SiteKiosk Online's website automation is used for this purpose.

Thanks to the integration of the room booking and vehicle booking tools, both general appointment and room booking as well as travel management are simplified.

Operational security and data protection

Figure 5: Terminals in the entrance area
Figure 5: Terminals in the entrance area

All E.DIS Netz GmbH HR-Terminals in use are displayed centrally in the SiteKiosk Online application. In the event of malfunctions or operating problems, a corresponding notification is triggered. It is displayed exactly which terminal at which location is affected. This ensures that faults and possible security risks are displayed directly and can be rectified as quickly as possible.

Two logout functions can be activated in SiteKiosk Online:

1. the arrow with a white background in the employee area (see Fig. 3) functions as a logout button. If this is clicked, the session is ended and you are returned to the start screen. When clicking on the employee area again, the user is asked for their password.

2. if the logout process is forgotten by the user at the end of the terminal use, the function of an automatic screensaver takes effect. Shortly after the last action on the terminal, a timed countdown starts, which ends the session and resets the project to its initial state. The user is automatically logged out.

In addition, various location managers can be created in the SiteKiosk online administration area. This enables the assignment of special user rights and determines that defined certificates, content and data are only available to selected users at the respective locations.

The Perspective

Centralised digital employee terminals have a positive impact on internal company communication. Thanks to the simple integration of external software into SiteKiosk Online, more complex management systems (room and vehicle bookings) can also be integrated.

SiteKiosk Online secures the entire application and all physical terminals against manipulative use and at the same time enables location-independent administration, updating and organisation of the individual terminals, content and user rights.

The introduction of the terminals has been very well received by the employees of E.DIS Netz GmbH. The company is already planning to increase the number of terminals in use.

The Advantages

  • Central point of contact for employees
  • Central point for room and vehicle bookings
  • Simplification of room and vehicle management
  • Access to personal documents
  • Saves effort, time and personnel
  • CData protection through password request and automatic logouts
  • Innovative communication channel

About E.DIS GmbH

E.DIS AG with its subsidiary E.DIS Netz GmbH is one of the largest regional energy grid operators in Germany. With around 2,500 employees at over 40 locations, E.DIS is also one of the largest employers in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Case Study

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