The British Medical Association (BMA) is the trade union and professional body that represents doctors in the UK, advocating for their rights and well-being. It plays a key role in collective bargaining, negotiating pay, improving working conditions, and shaping healthcare policy. In addition to this, the BMA provides a wide range of services to support doctors, including career development, legal assistance, and resources for professional growth. It also works to promote doctors’ health and well-being, offering support for mental and physical health challenges. By publishing journals, conducting surveys, and gathering data, the BMA keeps doctors informed about the latest trends in the medical profession and healthcare. Through these efforts, the BMA is committed to advancing the interests of doctors while ensuring high standards in the healthcare system.
The British Medical Association (BMA) was grappling with a fragmented authentication process that created considerable hurdles for its members. The need to maintain multiple usernames and passwords for different services—such as Lotus Notes, Java applications, and Hire Wire—led to confusion and degraded the user experience. Members faced difficulties in accessing essential products, services, and content, which were vital to their professional and personal needs. This fragmented system not only made managing logins cumbersome and prone to error, but it also created an inconsistent user experience, causing frustration, particularly when accessing exclusive content, discounts, and services that required frequent logins. The reliance on multiple credentials further increased the risk of weak security practices, such as password reuse, threatening both member data and system security.
Additionally, BMA needed a solution that could integrate seamlessly with various third-party content providers and verification systems, each using different technologies and security protocols. The existing system was inefficient, requiring significant administrative effort to manage multiple authentication processes across vendors.
PearlArc successfully addressed the challenges faced by the British Medical Association (BMA) by designing and implementing an Identity Access Management (IAM) system as part of the Improved Customer Experience (ICE) project. The key features of the solution included:
- Single Sign-On (SSO): The system was built using OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect, allowing for seamless member authentication across various platforms, eliminating the need for multiple logins.
- Integration with Third-Party Services: Reverse proxy and IP-based authentication were utilized to securely integrate third-party services, ensuring smooth and secure access to external content.
- Membership Verification: The IAM system included a robust membership verification process, ensuring only authorized members could access exclusive discounts, services, and content.
- Activity Tracking and Insights: User activity was tracked and visualized using MS Power BI, providing BMA with actionable data metrics to enhance user engagement and improve services.
- Scalability and Future-Proofing: The solution was designed to be scalable, supporting future growth as BMA expands its services and platforms. It also allowed easy integration with new technologies, ensuring that BMA could continue to adapt to evolving requirements.
The solution was developed using advanced Microsoft technologies such as ASP.Net Core 2.0, C#, Identity Framework 4.0, and MS Azure SQL, ensuring scalability, security, and compatibility with BMA’s diverse applications. This comprehensive approach helped BMA overcome its authentication challenges while enhancing the user experience and providing a robust foundation for future growth.
PearlArc’s Identity Access Management system streamlined BMA’s authentication process, resulting in a 75% improvement in member access efficiency. This led to enhanced user satisfaction and a 60% growth in engagement across BMA’s products and services, making it easier for members to access exclusive content and services while improving overall operational efficiency.
- Enhanced member experience
- Secure and seamless integration
- Improved operational efficiency
- Actionable insights from user activity data
- Streamlined access for BMA members
- Scalability and Future-Proofing
