ID Series: Self-Service for Password Management

Empowering users to reset forgotten passwords, change existing or expiring passwords and update approved information across multiple data stores

One of the most popular ID Series features is the User Self-Service Web Portal. The reason for this is clearly driven by the burden of password resets and related activity on the IT staff. Although password resets are one of the most frequent issues for IT staff, additional drivers such as the need for non-repudiation of passwords (users should be the only ones who know their passwords), reducing complexity of password expiration across multiple systems and seamless 24x7 support are also critical.

Problems Solved

The User Self-Service portal is an agent-less and clientless solution ensuring rapid "drop-in" deployment, utilizing mechanisms native to the particular password system, be it Microsoft Active Directory, a UNIX variant or LDAP, as examples. The appliance-based, versus per user licensing ensures no additional licensing fees need to be contemplated now or in the future.

Typical deployments often link the User Self-Service Web Portal from a familiar organization site, such as a help desk, intranet or remote access Web page, to ensure users can easily utilize the portal. Once installed, the four main options are shown:

• Reset Forgotten Password
  • Users answer a series of questions relating to them, once complete the password can be reset
  • Resets the user account password on all systems tied to the ID Series appliance
  
  
• Change Existing Password
  • Resets the user account password on all systems tied to the ID Series appliance
  • Ensures Passwords are synchronized on multiple disparate systems
  • Centralized portal to reset passwords about to expire
  
  
• Update Personal Profile
  • Administrator-defined fields can be updated on back end systems by the user
  • This may include phone numbers, emergency contact information or any other directory or operating system field
  
  
• Setup Password Recovery Questions
  • Users can select the questions and update the answers as needed
  • Once done password reset is ready to use

Happy Users, Happy IT Staff

Users can instantly use the intuitive browser-based system, with no learning curve, just as they would typically do when resetting passwords on personal accounts outside the workplace. In most cases, users prefer accessing the Self-Service Web Portal to calling the IT staff.

While the default options are applicable to many, a strong feature set ensures the User Self-Service Web Portal options are customizable as desired by the IT organization. Everything from email messages, to logos, password strength, cascaded or "all at once" question presentation is available.

Key Benefits at a Glance

• No per-user fees
  
  
• 24x7 password reset, password change or directory personal information update
  
  
• Immediate ROI eliminating password change calls
  
  
• Increased user productivity
  
  
• Remote access solution, combining password reset and authentication, leveraging the ID Series RADIUS and authentication proxy technology
  
  
• Rapid same-day deployment with native integration with all leading data stores
  
  
• Increased compliance scores through password enforcement across platforms
  
  
• Improved security eliminates the need for users to remember multiple passwords and write them down due to no password synchronization
  
  
• Full activity reporting on user portal actions in on-demand HTML reports, success or failures
  
  
• Increased services, happy users, happy IT staff