Windows Users and Groups§
SmartPTT introduces the ability to use Windows users accounts and user groups instead of SmartPTT's accounts. It supports both domain users and groups (Active Directory) as well as local users and groups.
Switch to Windows users and groups opens the following opportunities:
- Users apply the same login and password for all tools in the company, including SmartPTT.
- Representatives of IT/cybersecurity departments have full control over the user access to all tools in the company, including SmartPTT. Also, they change and apply password policies to them instantly.
- Business gets increased cybersecurity of the solutions. Also, they reduce maintenance expenses on interaction and mutual control between account department and SmartPTT Admins.
If you are not yet ready to switch to the new account type, you can keep using the existing approach. However, please consider other benefits of switching to Windows users and groups.
User Roles§
SmartPTT introduces four user roles in the SmartPTT product:
- System Admins. Group of users who can access the Configurator.
- Console Admins. Group of users who can access the Dispatcher App for audio configuration, server connection, and other administrative/supervisory purposes.
- Console Operators. Groups of primary Dispatcher application users who receive and transmit calls, tracks subscribers on maps, handle emergency cases, etc.
- Database Admins. Subset of Administrators who can create and upgrade databases via the Configurator and Dispatcher App.
Each of those roles is related to a user group in the Active Directory or Server computer.
Depending on your policies, you can do this:
- Associate the same user group with multiple roles to eliminate a role that you do not need in the product.
- Add users to multiple groups to assign them with unique roles.
Seamless Authentication§
With Windows users and groups, SmartPTT eliminates the need to associate Dispatcher App accounts with server accounts. Instead, both Dispatcher App and Server will validate the credentials independently.
- When you log in to the Dispatcher App, it validates your credentials by communicating with the local account storage or Active Directory.
- If valid, it forwards the same credentials to all connected SmartPTT servers.
- If valid, users get access to those servers immediately.
This approach eliminates a great amount of work to be performed in each Dispatcher App. Moreover, it is enhanced with the Automatic Profile Assignment functionality.
Configurator Access§
If Windows users and groups are used, SmartPTT enables password protection for the Configurator, an application with access to the critical parameters (IP addresses, API keys, Secure Keys, etc.).
To access it, users must have the role of System Admins and belong to the corresponding user group.