Configuring Bluetooth^® Beacons with MicroStrategy Identity

Bluetooth beacons can be used on Identity Networks to grant access to physical locations and log user information.

By adding beacons to the Identity network and connecting them with the physical access control system, you can enable users to unlock access points by tapping notifications displayed on their smartphones.

Additionally, you can use beacons with your timekeeping system to log clock-in and clock-out times by sending a notification to employees when they enter certain locations.

For steps to add and manage beacons, see the following:

• To Position and Calibrate Beacons
• Add Beacons to Your Identity Network by Importing a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) File
• Add Beacons to Your Identity Network Manually
• To Add Actions to Beacons
• To Edit a Beacon
• To Delete a Beacon

To Position and Calibrate Beacons

1. Determine the best location for the beacons by referring to your third-party instructions.
• To use beacons with a physical access control system, place beacons near the physical locations, such as doors, that you want to allow users to access with MicroStrategy Badge.
• To use beacons on your Identity Network with a time keeping system, refer to your third-party instructions for beacon integration.
2. Follow the third-party instructions to calibrate the beacons using the third-party beacon setup tool.
3. Assign each beacon a Major and Minor value. Follow the third-party instructions.
4. For each beacon, record the location and Major and Minor value. You need this information to map beacons to locations in Identity Manager.

Add Beacons to Your Identity Network by Importing a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) File

1. Log into MicroStrategy Identity Manager:
2. Click Physical Gateways.
3. Under Beacon Configuration, click the Import from CSV icon.
4. Click Choose File. Browse to the CSV file that you want to upload, as described in the Configuring Bluetooth® Beacons with MicroStrategy Identity, then click Open.
5. From the drop-down lists, select the column of data that applies to each beacon field:
• UUID: The UUID of the beacons.
• Major: The Major value for your Identity Network.
• Minor: The Minor value that you assigned to the beacons.
• Name: The user-friendly names for the beacons.
• Message: The notifications to display on users' smartphones when they are near the beacons.
6. Click Done.
7. Select the beacons that you want to import to the Identity Network, then click Import Beacon(s).
8. Assign an action for each beacon. For steps, see To Add Actions to Beacons.

Add Beacons to Your Identity Network Manually

1. Log into MicroStrategy Identity Manager:
2. Click Physical Gateways.
   
3. Under Beacon Configuration, click the Add Beacons Manually icon .
4. Provide the following information:
• Beacon Name: A user-friendly name for the beacon, such as Front door.
• Status: You can enable or disable the beacon.
• UUID Identifier: The UUID of the beacon, supplied to you by your third-party beacon provider.
• Major: The Major value for your Identity Network. If you have more than one building in your network, you can have multiple Major values. Refer to your third-party beacon instructions for information.
• Minor: The Minor value you assigned to this beacon using your third-party setup tool.
• Message: If you want users to receive notifications on their smartphones about the action of the beacon, enter a message to be displayed on their smartphones when they are near the beacon.
5. You can add actions to unlock physical locations. To add an action, hover your cursor over the beacon you want to assign an action to, then click Edit.
6. Click Add Action.
7. Select a physical access location from the Action drop-down list. If you are unsure about the location of a beacon, refer to your Major and Minor values.
8. From the Require user confirmation drop-down list, specify whether you want users to receive a notification on their smartphones when they bring their smartphones within range of a beacon:
• Notification — Users receive notifications on their smartphones that they must acknowledge for an action to occur.
• Extension — Users view actions in the Today view in the Notification Center on their iOS devices.
• Notification and Extension — Users to receive both a notification and view the action in the Today view on their iOS devices.
• N/A — The beacon completes action passively with no user interaction.
9. Click Save.

When adding new beacons there may be delay for beacons to come into effect. The MicroStrategy Badge cache may be out of date for up to 1 hour.

To Add Actions to Beacons

1. Log into MicroStrategy Identity Manager:
2. Click Physical Gateways.
3. Under Beacon Configuration, click Add Beacons Manually.
4. To add an action, hover your cursor over the beacon to which you want to assign an action, then click Edit.
5. Select an action from the Action drop-down list:

   To allow users to unlock physical locations when they locate their smartphones near a beacon, select the physical location that matches the location of the beacon. If you are unsure about the location, refer to your Major and Minor values.

   If you want the beacon to record the location of the user, select Log user location.

6. From the Require user confirmation drop-down list, specify the type of notification you want users to receive on their smartphone when they bring their smartphone within range of a beacon:
   • Notification — Users receive notifications on their smartphones that they must acknowledge for an action to occur.
   • Extension — Users view actions in the Today view in the Notification Center on their iOS devices.
   • Notification and Extension — Users to receive both a notification and view the action in the Today view on their iOS devices.
   • N/A — The beacon completes action passively with no user interaction.
7. Click Save.

To Edit a Beacon

1. Log into MicroStrategy Identity Manager:
2. Click Physical Gateways.
   
3. Under Beacon Configuration, click the Add Beacons Manually icon .
4. Hover your cursor over the beacon that you want to make changes to, then click Edit.
5. Make your changes to the beacon, then click Save.

To Delete a Beacon

1. Log into MicroStrategy Identity Manager:
2. Click Physical Gateways.
   
3. Under Beacon Configuration, click the Add Beacons Manually icon .
4. Hover your cursor over the beacon that you want to delete, then click the Delete this beacon icon .
5. Click Yes at the confirmation.

Related Topics

MicroStrategy Communicator