This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
User Access
References have been made to multiple levels of user access in such communication management systems. There are a couple of different business models used by suppliers of Internet-based communication tools. Many providers of Internet-based software price their service on a per-month, per-user basis. They sell what is sometimes referred to as seats. This limits the number of users who have access to the tools appropriate for routine day-to-day communication activities. A problem arises when a sizable incident happens because at that point a number of people from the CEO or chairman to outside contractors might be quickly pulled into the communication team. In that case, the model used by other providers is more suitable: A license fee is paid monthly or one time for the system and unlimited users are allowed access.
Because a large number of users can be provided access does not mean that you want all functions of the communication system to be accessible to all users. Certain functions, such as signing in new users, assigning passwords, creating secured documents, posting information to a public site, and launching whole new Web sites need to be accessible only to the highest level communication managers. These communication management systems accommodate this by providing multiple levels of access, in some cases providing grids of functions that can be assigned to specific users, in other cases assigning functions to multiple levels of access codes. A user assigned access Level 1, for example, might only be able to view and edit certain documents or view and respond to inquiries. A person with access Level 10 can launch new sites, assign system administrators, change basic site information, and manage other such high-level uses.