Guest User Accounts and the Self-Service Portal

Introduction

The FileHold Self-Service Portal is a web portal that functions as a point of access to the FileHold repository. The Self-Service Portal is used in conjunction with Guest User Accounts to provide secure, read-only access of documents to internal and external users. The benefit of using Guest User Accounts and the Self-Service Portal are:

• You do not need to have a registered user license in order to access the portal. All guest users share the same license and more than one guest user can access the portal at the same time (concurrent license). Guest user accounts are ideal for casual employees, external personnel, partners, or vendors who do not need to work with FileHold but that may require access to specific documents or areas in the library.

• When configured, a guest user does not need to login to the Self-Service Portal. When a link to the repository is provided, the user can click on the link and automatically log in without having the need for a username and password.

• The Self-Service Portal can be personalized to include a custom header panel. The custom header panel can be used to integrate seamlessly with an existing corporate intranet to provide a pathway to other content.

Guest User Accounts

Guest user accounts have read-only access to the documents in the repository; therefore, the functions they can perform are limited. Guest users can:

• View the metadata and file properties of a document in the cabinet / folder in which a user can access.

• View a document's history of changes (edits to metadata and usage of file).

• Perform searches.

• Download a copy of a document to the local hard drive.

• Email documents (if enabled).

• Use the viewer for read-only specific functions in the desktop client (if enabled).

• View the properties of the library in read-only mode.

• View reports (if enabled).

In order for Guest users to access the repository, you will need to create a “named alias” account. A “named alias” is a specific username and password that will be used for all guest users. The Guest user account licenses are “concurrent” licenses which mean that all guest users (up to the number of licenses purchased) can access the repository at the same time. For example, if you purchase 100 licenses (sold in packs of 50 licenses), then up to 100 guest users can be logged in at the same time. Guest user licenses are useful if you have users that require access to your repository such as casual employees, external personnel, partners, or vendors but do not require a full registered user license.

Once a “named alias” account has been created and given the Guest Users role, permissions can be set at the Cabinet, Folder, and Schema level in order for Guest users to view the documents in the repository.

Self-Service Portal

The Self-Service Portal allows external and internal users to easily access documents in your repository such as newsletters, forms, or corporate policies without having the need to log into FileHold. This method is extremely helpful when an organization wants to proactively have employees look at information.
Once the Self-Service Portal is configured, you can send links in an email or have them posted on a website, such as your intranet, to the users who need to view the documents. After a user clicks on the link, the Self-Service Portal opens and Guest users can view the document. Users will only be able to see those documents that they have permission to access in the Library.

Note that Guest user accounts can still log into the FileHold Web Client using the “named alias” username and password.

Custom Header Panel

The header panel in the Self-Service Portal can be customized to include a company name, special instructions, links, buttons, navigation bars, and corporate logos. To customize the panel, a header “control” can be created and inserted into the Self-Service Portal application. A control can be an html file, an ascx file, or a compiled dll.

For example, you can create a .dll control that resembles the look and feel of your intranet navigation toolbar. The customized header would contain the buttons or links on the existing intranet site plus an extra link for the FileHold repository such as “Documents”. When users are in the Self-Service Portal, they can click on a link in the header to take them to their intranet site. Conversely, you can modify your intranet site so that once users click on the “Documents” link from their intranet site, they would be automatically logged in to the portal using the guest user account. To users it would appear like there is a seamless integration between the FileHold repository and their intranet site.

 To purchase Guest user licenses or to find out more about the Self-Service Portal, contact sales@filehold.com.