Veris Co-Founder Aastha Sharma unveils Future of Workplace Management

In a conversation, Aastha Sharma, Co-Founder & Chief Evangelist of Veris, shares the driving force behind the company's inception and its pioneering approach to revolutionize workplace management. From integrating cutting-edge technology to fostering adaptable solutions for global enterprises, Veris emerges as a frontrunner in transforming workspaces worldwide. She unveiled the inspiration behind founding Veris, emphasizing its goal to revolutionize workplace management by integrating technology, security, and user experience. Veris offers an array of products, including security suites and experience-centric solutions, tailored to modern organizational needs. Excerpts:

What was the inspiration behind founding Veris as a workplace management company?

Veris is an experience-driven platform that was formed to revolutionize workplace management. It gives a warm welcome to customers, creating a memorable first impression, while also giving employees real-time access to places and services based on their needs. Integrating workplace apps with heterogeneous management systems, supported by smart analytics, we create a personalized experience. Outperforming when it comes to safety and security, the platform also manages possible hazards and emergencies proactively, adhering to the highest levels of Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) compliance.

For an employee, Veris fosters a user-centric environment that allows for frictionless interactions with the workplace.Users may rent conference rooms based on their preferences, easily traverse among workplaces, and maximize their time, even during breaks. Focusing on privacy protection, it creates intrinsic user experiences. Veris is built on trust, adhering to SOC2 compliance and GDPR requirements, and winning the support of Fortune 500 IT teams.

Dive further into the Veris ecosystem, and you'll discover a plethora of specialized tools, each geared to meet unique workplace management needs, from assuring graceful entry with Veris Welcome to gaining actionable insights with Veris Control.Integration is a significant strength of the platform, allowing organizations to easily adopt Veris without requiring major changes to their existing systems.Furthermore, the platform is expandable to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, from small offices to worldwide conglomerates.

Having a strong experience in the corporate side in her earlier stints, all of us travelled extensively across 35 countries combined, and realized the redundancy of the workplaces. This spurred an interesting living-room conversation with long-time friends and now co-founders, Utkarsh, Anoop, Vaibhav and myself. And we set out to create Veris Workplace Management Cloud that provides a paradigm shift in how modern workplaces run, integrating technology, security, and user experience to create settings that are not only efficient, but also secure and compliant.

Can you elaborate on the range of products and services that Veris offers to businesses seeking workplace solutions?

The Veris Workplace Management Cloud is the answer to those looking for new age workspaces as it brings to the forefront a blend of robust security measures, immersive user experience, and frictionless people movement – all tailored to meet the dynamic needs of modern organizations. Our platform includes a full security suite, delivering an impenetrable layer of protection throughout the premises. This is accomplished using powerful facial recognition technology and a suite of advanced security mechanisms that seamlessly integrate visitor management, access control, and Video Analytics. The goal is clear: to provide a safe environment while maintaining the flexibility of the user experience.

At the same time, our Experience Suite demonstrates our commitment to create intuitive and engaging workplaces.From on-demand space bookings to personalised workspace recommendations, this suite guarantees that every workplace touchpoint is an opportunity to improve user experience, boost productivity, and generate moments of delight. The Veris People Flow Suite has been built to promote seamless and frictionless flow of individuals within workspaces and at events, thereby avoiding bottlenecks and hassles that are typically associated with crowded access points. This suite allows for seamless transitions via entry points, parking entrances, cafeterias, and event registration desks. The creative use of smart sensors and intuitive software significantly decreases wait times, improves user experience, and optimizes people flow, making every encounter with the space swift, efficient, and trouble-free.

What distinguishes Veris from other workplace management companies in the industry?

While we use technology to cater to any and every problem that potentially impacts the workplace, Veris distinguishes itself in the workplace management sector by combining deep domain experience with exceptional adaptability. Veris prioritizes precision and customization over competitors who may offer one-size-fits-all solutions, adapting its strategies to connect perfectly with the particular requirements and ethos of each organization it serves.

Veris' supremacy originates from its ability to seamlessly integrate inside existing technological ecosystems, improving operational coherence, streamlining procedures, and boosting efficiency across all levels of workplace management even as we strive to make the workplace future ready. Veris assures data integrity and privacy are never jeopardized by its constant dedication to GDPR requirements and the demanding criteria of SOC 2 accreditation.

Recognising the challenges and potential of linguistic variety in a globalized business world, Veris offers its platform in over 20 languages to promote successful collaboration across geographical boundaries. Veris' support mechanism is sturdy and constant, giving help 24 hours a day, seven days a week to guarantee that operations operate smoothly and disruptions are minimized.

This dedication to dependability is reinforced by a Net Retention Rate of 140%, suggesting a strong trend of businesses expanding their involvement with Veris year after year. Veris' influence is demonstrated by success stories and transformative experiences with over 300 organizations, indicating a constant trend of workplaces growing towards operational excellence.

Are there any plans for expansion or growth in the near future for Veris?

We are enthusiastic about the momentum we are gaining, particularly with our Workplace Management Cloud. We have secured our position as market leaders in India by consistently demonstrating the value and efficiency of our solutions. Furthermore, the Middle East seems to be an enticing market for us to expand to mainly due to the region's increasing affinity towards digital innovation.

We are also significantly investing in our Security Suite, with the goal of deepening and broadening our capabilities beyond workplaces. We are improving our capabilities for predictive threat mitigation, offering comprehensive Security Operations Centre (SOC) monitoring, and assuring intelligent and efficient dispatch of security resources by integrating AI-based models and complicated integrated workflows. Advances in AI-based video attribute detection and face detection technology will take this ambition even farther. We see a future in which security is more than just keeping "bad actors out," but also about offering a smooth experience to "right actors coming in."

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, have there been specific services or products implemented by Veris to ensure workplace safety and continuity?

Even as companies want the employees to return to office post the COVID 19 impact, employees aren’t as willing. Hybrid offices have become the norm, where employees need to come to the office on particular days. Veris provides solutions that will make this transition smooth for the employees. Our pioneering hot-desking system, Veris Desks, enables team members to seamlessly switch between remote and in-office work, providing a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere. The Veris Combat Kit is a comprehensive suite designed to ensure workplace safety by including touchless attendance, contactless visitor management, temperature screening, and mask compliance checks.These elements, taken together, reduce the danger of virus transmission and demonstrate our commitment to a safe workplace.Furthermore, the integration with the Aarogya Setu App strengthens our proactive strategy by providing immediate health alerts and insights to both staff and tourists. 

In addition to these solutions, the Veris Workplace App is critical in connecting new and existing employees to the workplace.It ensures that individuals are well-informed and can easily access services, removing any potential stumbling blocks and promoting a sense of belonging and ease. Veris is a loyal partner in reimagining workspaces, emphasizing business continuity while prioritizing employee health and safety. Whenever, the employees return to office full time, this transitory phase will become the stepping stone for it.

Could you highlight some notable success stories or partnerships that Veris has had with businesses or enterprises?

Throughout our journey, we have achieved some awesome success milestones and fruitful partnerships. I would like to talk about one such groundbreaking partnership with Corsight, a global leader in facial recognition technology. This collaboration was marked by several notable successes, including the development of an advanced facial recognition system that enables fast and non-intrusive identification of individuals. This technology seamlessly integrates with access control systems, enhancing security while streamlining entry management. Moreover, the real-time threat detection and alerts system, driven by AI-powered behavior analysis, enables proactive risk mitigation, providing instant alerts to security teams. The adaptability of their comprehensive solution to various industries solidified Veris and Corsight's success, making them key players in the rapidly growing AI-driven security market.

This strategic partnership catered to the unique needs of employees, visitors, and facility managers. Where employees benefit from a safer workplace with unobtrusive security measures. Visitors experience a welcoming and efficient environment, while facility managers and security professionals gain access to real-time insights, streamlined operations, and reduced costs. The collaboration set a new standard in workplace security, offering an AI-powered security monitoring solution that efficiently addressed the multifaceted demands of modern businesses, and ultimately enhanced workplace safety and overall satisfaction.