Setting up User Management

This article covers the two different ways of managing users in the AskCody Platform and when to invite which users in the implementation process.

In the previous step about Prepare User Management, we talked about user roles and access hierarchy in the AskCody Portal, which is important to have in mind when setting up user management with AskCody.

User management in AskCody can be handled either manually by adding users one-by-one in the AskCody Portal or automatic by integrating your users with Active Directory

Automated or Manual User Management?

As mentioned in the beginning AskCody offers two ways of handling users either manually in the AskCody Portal or automatically by integrating AskCody with Active Directory (AD). So what to choose? 

We will at any time recommend you to use automatic user management and setting up an integration between AskCody and Active Directory if you have more than 30 employees to manage. Having automatic user management means that users will be added, removed, change of email, roles assigned*, etc. in your Active Directory automatically and will be synced into the AskCody Portal. You don't have to maintain your users both in AD and in AskCody. Choosing to set up an integration will smooth deployment and the maintenance of the users and their roles, and create a better user experience for your users.

*Roles are added to AD user groups in the AskCody Azure AD Portal or in a Powershell script. This will be explained later.

If you have less than 30 employees going to use the AskCody Platform you can choose to manage users manually. When choosing this option you will use the AskCody Portal to manage users, their emails, names, roles, etc. Everything according to updating and adding new users and roles will be handled manually.

But before showing how to set up the two possibilities, let's talk a little bit about the implementation process of User Management. 

The Two Steps in the User Management Process

No matter which of the two options you choose (manually or integration) for managing your users, we recommend splitting your user management process up into two steps.

  1. Inviting the Project team

    As we explained in Step 2,  Organize your Team it is important to set the right project team with individual stakeholders when implementing a Platform like AskCody. We will start by inviting the project team to the Platform, before focussing on all users and user groups. 
    We will always recommend starting the user management process simple and only inviting a small group and then inviting the rest of the organization later on. But establishing a good foundation of user roles and groups, and creating the integration will make the implementation process faster and more efficient. Read more about the roles here.
  2. Inviting all Portal and Add-in users

    The next step in the user management process will take place right before the AskCody Platform "Go Live" in your organization. This step is also explained in Step 10, End-user Management. This is where we will invite all users that need access to the Web Portal (receptionists/front desk, service staff/hospitality team, facility managers, etc.) and the users that need access to Outlook Add-ins. Waiting until step 10 in the implementation process you will by then have set up the whole Platform, you then know in which AD groups you will place your users based on the setup of the Platform and you will have tested everything is working. 
    Do you already know the structure of your user groups and user management based on the role hierarchy and wish to add all users in your organization, feel free to do so. 

Now we have established knowledge about the user roles, reception assignments, and memberships in the AskCody Portal. We have talked about the two ways of user management, and when to set up what in the user management process.

Now it is time for you to decide in what way you want to manage your users?

Set up an integration between the AskCody Portal and Active Directory

Add users manually in the AskCody Portal

 

Next Step: Choose links above