User Rights Management in NovaStor DataCenter v5.3

With the latest version of NovaStor DataCenter we have introduced an expanded User Management feature. This feature can do a number of things several of our customers have been asking for and some things that might not be quite so obvious. I am going to explain a couple scenarios and how you could setup NovaStor DataCenter’s User Management in order to achieve what is wanted.

First up, to explain “Organization”, “Role”, and “User” feel free to take a look into our description of the User Rights Management.

Remote sites with an IT user at each site

A typical scenario here is say a bank with branch offices that are large enough to have local IT administrator at each site. In this scenario I would suggest creating an “Organization” for each branch office in the User Management configuration within NovaStor DataCenter. Then within that branch organization you will want to add the nodes/servers that pertain to that branch office’s IT department, along with any local media pools that you want those machines to back up to. Once that is done you will want to create a “Role” within that “Organization” includig the permissions that you want users within that role to be able to have. For instance you might want to let the IT administrator at that branch look at reports, create/edit backup jobs, create/edit schedules, and do restores but not much else. After you have that “Role” created you will want to create a “User” and add him to that “Role”. An example of what this could look like within the NovaStor DataCenter UI is shown below.

Different roles in one IT department

Another common scenario where we see the User Management being useful is in deployments for Colleges and Universities where there is a centralized IT department with a larger IT team that is divided into several task groups. In this scenario I would suggest creating an “Organization” for each “task group” in the User Management configuration within NovaStor DataCenter. Then within that “Organization” you will want to add the servers that are part of the IT department, along with any media pools that you want those machines to back up to. Once that is done you will want to create a “Role” within that “Organization” with the permissions that you want users within that role to be able to have. For instance you might want to let the IT person that is responsible for the workstation setup look at reports and do restores but not much else. After you have that “Role” created you will want to create a “User” and put them in that “Role”. An example of what this could look like within the NovaStor DataCenter UI is shown below.

Co-located hosting service with backup and restore

One of the other scenarios that we see being implemented with the User Management within NovaStor DataCenter is in the Managed Service Provider (MSP) world, where part of the MSP’s offering is co-location. In this scenario the customer might want to have enough control to create backup jobs, run restores, and get reports, but is not allowed to choose the storage device. Here I would suggest creating an “Organization” for each customer in the User Management configuration within NovaStor DataCenter. Then within that customer’s organization you will want to add the customer’s co-located servers, along with any media pools that you want those machines to back up to. Once that is done you will want to create a “Role” within that “Organization” with the permissions that you want users within that role to be able to have. For instance you might want to let someone in that customer’s organization to be able to run predefined backups, look at reports, and do restores of. After you have that “Role” created you will want to create a “User” and add him to that “Role”. One of the things that can help enrollment of new servers to the correct organizations is that when the installation of the agent software is done, either by UI or command line, the organization can be defined during installation time. An example of what this could look like within the NovaStor DataCenter UI is shown below.

There are quite a few more scenarios in which the User Management feature within NovaStor DataCenter can help with access control for an IT environment. What was described above is just the tip of the iceberg in how you could configure user access rights. You can get much more granular in permissions and what roles and organizations have access to.

If you are interested, feel free to get in contact with me and I can explain further options based on your backup and restore scenario.