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Security Group Overview

This section provides an overview of access groups, security groups, and baseline access groups.

Access Groups Versus Security Groups

When new users are first added to the netFORUM Pro application by an Administrator, they are placed into an Access Group and provided a log-in name with a password. An Access Group specifies what modules the user may have access to while they use netFORUM Pro.

There are currently three Access Groups within netFORUM Pro:

  • Administrator
  • User
  • Express User

The difference between Access Groups and Security Groups is:

  • Access Group modules are set and cannot be changed.
  • Security Group modules security options enable changing the child forms within a module.

Security Groups are for organizations that need much more control over users and organizations. Security Groups provide a level of control by enabling the addition and deletion of any number of modules to a group which can then be accessed by all users who are part of that Security Group.

Example: An Accounting Security Group could be set-up to enable the Accounting staff with the only access to financial records.

Important: Security Groups implementation is for advanced netFORUM Pro users only. The level of user account detail that is offered with this feature means that it will be easy for the novice user to quickly lock-out staff to key features of the application by accident. This also means extra support time trying to troubleshoot the issues for the Support staff should this happen. As a result, training before implementation is mandatory.

Access Groups

Every licensed user within netFORUM Pro is placed into an Access Group. netFORUM Pro Access Groups grant the following access by group:

  • Administrator – The Administrator Access Group is the Administrator’s access and provides full rights to the entire system including all modules. Few users for an entity have this level of access.
  • User – The User Access Group is the next level down from Administrator access in that this Access Group has access to every module with two exceptions; no access to the Administrator module and no access to the Website module.
  • Express User – The Express User Access Group is the final group and has the most limited access. This Access Group only has access to three modules; CRM, Committee, and Reports. Executives that simply need to view data are normally granted this level of access.

Important: Granting access to a Security Group that provides rights to a module that is not provided in the user’s baseline Access Group overrides the Access Group and the module access will be enabled. In other words, Security Group rights will always override Access Group rights. Always take both groups into consideration when considering what rights to grant.

Baseline Security Groups

When Security Groups are implemented within a system the Administrator, User, and Express User Access Groups are retained and become Baseline Security Groups.

Note: The Express User Access Group is renamed to Executive Security Group.

The following four additional Baseline Security Groups are deployed:

  • Accounting – The Accounting Security Group is used to grant the Accounting staff access to financial information. This group has access to the CRM, Accounting, Exhibits, Reports, and Administration modules so that only the Accounting staff can add payments, process voids, cancellations, and create invoices, and so forth, if you desire (although they cannot add customer records).

  • Customer Service – A Customer Service Security Group has been created that can add and edit customer records within the CRM module, add and edit historical activity, find registrants and events with access to the Events module, as well as set-up CRM demographics. However, they are not able to process financial information (other than simply viewing an Order profile). This means that a Customer Service Security Group member can answer questions on the phone, can make address changes, process event registrations, etc., but financial information resides with the Accounting Group, for example. In addition to the CRM and Events module, this group has access to eMarketing, Awards, Certification, Exhibits, and Reports modules although some functionality may be limited as described.
  • Event Management – Finally, an Event Security Group is enabled to manage everything about Events including the ability to look-up individuals and registrations through the CRM and Event modules, as well as the ability to add and edit customer records if they need to manage speakers. Also open to this group are the eMarketing and Exhibits modules that support their Events.
  • Executive – The Executive Security Group can view Customer and Committee records, including Awards for Executives. For this reason, the CRM module is available with the ability to view individual and organization records but it cannot create them. The Committee module and all associated functionality is available, however, along with the Awards module and the ability to view award entries and judges. The Accounting module is not available for this Security Group nor is the ability to process financial information, although members of this group can view a Customer’s financial transactions.

To use the netFORUM Pro baseline Security Groups, click the Administration tab, expand the Overview group item, and then click the Set Group Security (Client) link.

Note: Remember that you need Administrator Access Group rights to access Security Group features and functionality as well as additional setup and training. Contact your Customer Support representative for more information.