Energy is essential to economic activity, and the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) plays a critical role in overseeing Alberta’s energy resources—from water allocation and land use to environmental protection. While 95% of AER’s staff were able to work remotely during the pandemic, the shift back to the office brought new challenges. As hybrid work became the norm, AER quickly realized they needed better tools to manage space, security, and the evolving needs of a flexible workforce.

Challenge: A workplace that no longer worked

AER is headquartered in Calgary, with nine additional offices located throughout Alberta, primarily in regions with oil, gas, and coal activity. As in-office attendance declined, AER was suddenly left with far more space than needed. Rob Furlong, a Specialist in Corporate Security, recalls walking into an office built for 220 people—only to find a fraction of that number onsite.

“It wasn’t warm, and it wasn’t comfortable. We needed a change,” he said.

In addition to the discomfort and poor optics of an empty workplace, there were financial costs to consider. Several leases were nearing renewal just as AER began considering downsizing its footprint by moving to a hot desk model. In that scenario, front-desk security felt unjustifiable. It cost $70,000 per year, and there wasn’t as much work for the front desk staff to manage.

“The amount of activity in our physical office space didn’t justify having a dedicated security agent at reception anymore,” Furlong explained. However, despite fewer people onsite, managing visitor access manually remained time-consuming and error-prone. Delays in deprovisioning during employee offboarding further increased security vulnerabilities.

Furlong began exploring how automation could streamline their workflows. While the team initially considered building a solution using AER’s existing tech stack, it quickly became clear that this approach would create a fragmented, burdensome experience for both employees and visitors.

As a Crown corporation, AER felt pressure to use public funds responsibly. That meant cutting unnecessary costs associated with a 100% in-person office, and AER needed a ready-made workplace management solution to ease this transition.

From visitor sign-in to desk booking: one platform to power AER’s hybrid office

Furlong began searching for options to address the challenges of their new hybrid office and encountered several similar solutions that promised to automate visitor management, reserve workspaces, and optimize space usage. He gathered quotes from various vendors, but a clear favorite emerged after speaking to AER’s integrator, Convergint. The choice was Envoy.

Bringing on a new vendor typically required a formal RFP process, but AER’s existing partnership with Convergint—an Envoy partner in North America—helped fast-track the decision. “Not only was our integrator an Envoy dealer, but I learned they also used Envoy at their own office. That meant more to me,” said Furlong. 

AER’s access control provider further validated the choice, connecting Furlong with other Envoy customers who had firsthand experience with the platform. “When we spoke to people I consider to be in the know, they had experience with Envoy,” Furlong said.

Though AER procured Envoy through Convergint, the Envoy team remained closely involved throughout implementation, advising Furlong and his colleagues on operational components and cybersecurity risks. “They were really helpful throughout,” said Furlong.

The implementation began with Envoy Visitors, which automated the sign-in process and reduced the manual work involved. When AER contractors arrive at the office or if AER employees forget their access cards, Envoy Visitors offers identity verification in AER’s secure reception area. The solution provides flexible access options to get people where they need to go and badge printing so guests remain easily identifiable throughout their visit. Automated host notifications alert AER employees of guest arrivals so they can head to reception to meet them.

After a successful initial rollout, AER expanded its use of Envoy to create a more flexible, dynamic workplace. By adopting the Envoy Workplace platform, AER empowered employees to easily reserve desks, book meeting rooms, and manage their onsite schedules. 

With Envoy’s Workplace platform and mobile app, employees can seamlessly book workspaces and host visitors—making it easy to stay productive while navigating a flexible, hybrid work environment and allowing AER to optimize space usage across multiple office locations..

To further enhance the experience, AER integrated Envoy with several key tools:

• Cisco Meraki securely shares unique Wi-Fi credentials with each visitor. These credentials automatically deactivate at the end of every business day.
• Microsoft Teams automatically updates and notifies employees of certain activities, such as when their visitor is waiting at reception.
• Embrava Desk Sign displays desk and room reservations on digital signage around the workspace.

Results: A cost-efficient, future-ready workplace

AER saw immediate, quantifiable results from adopting Envoy. Moving to hot desks allowed the organization to cut its physical footprint by around 75%. “We signed a new deal eliminating $15 million in lease payments over 10 years by offloading that extra unused office space,” Furlong explained.

These savings, substantial as they are, mean something more than an improved line item in AER’s budget. They represent fiscal responsibility to Albertans.

They’ve also gained efficiency and time savings by automating user identity and access management, as well as the user provisioning and deprovisioning process to align with HR and IT workflows.

Increased efficiency doesn’t come at the cost of employee experience, either. Envoy enables a hybrid workplace with happier, more productive employees—a notable improvement from their previous empty office environment.

“Envoy gives us an opportunity to find savings while providing a workplace that is more enjoyable for people and a better fit for our company. That’s been a huge advantage to us.”

Among his many dealings with vendors, Furlong also notes that Envoy is the only one who consistently and proactively contacts him about support. He shares that he’s looking forward to expanding what they’re able to accomplish with the platform: “Envoy has done everything we’ve asked it to, and that’s not everything it’s capable of,” he said. “There’s still room to grow.”