We’re ready to unveil the next major instalment of User Roles and Permissions in MAX RM. This latest release gives you the ability to set up customised Dashboard user accounts, so that you can choose exactly which features you want to switch on and off for your users.

This is a major enhancement to User Management, as you now have total control over which features your users can see and use when they log into the Dashboard. You can hide features that a user doesn’t need access to or has not yet been trained on, plus you can use the new User Roles option together with the Client Groups feature, which we released earlier in the year, to precisely tailor your users’ Dashboard access. You can also use the new Roles and Permissions feature to create customised client logins, for example if a client has on-premise IT support.

In addition, as part of this release we’re also introducing a brand new feature for discovering connected devices on client networks. Click here to find out more about Active Discovery.

This is one of the biggest MAX RM releases of the year so far, and we’re excited to share these details.

What does this really mean for you?
User Roles and Permissions Part 2 offers you a number of key benefits:

• Tailored Dashboard access for your users
  Choose from nearly 100 feature options, for example limit access for new hires, restrict billing and account admin settings, or create bespoke logins for feature specialists.

• Better operations management
  Better management controls mean better security and the ability to configure the Dashboard to reflect your organisation and help you scale up your operations.

• Raise productivity with a more streamlined UI
  Save time and effort by removing features that aren’t used, leaving a more focused and easier-to-use Dashboard.

• Offer clients their own custom logins
  Broaden your support offering with direct Dashboard access for clients so they can see exactly the features you want them to have.

This release is a major step forward for the business management capabilities of the MAX RM Dashboard. Now you can really configure it to match your support organisation, and help you scale your Dashboard operations in a more managed and secure way.

Please note: When we release this major update, all your existing user accounts will stay exactly as they are, with the same level of feature access. We wanted to ensure there were no sudden changes to your accounts. It’s then up to you to start using the new user roles when you’re ready.

All the details…
Here’s what you need to know about the new User Roles feature…

1. Click Settings then select Users. You can jump straight to Roles and Permissions, or click User Accounts first, like we’ve done here (1).

2. On the User Accounts dialog, click in the Role column for a user that you want to update. Select an existing role from the list or create a new one by clicking “Manage roles…” (2).

Please note: the original system roles are now called ‘Classic’. All existing user accounts will transfer to these ‘Classic’ roles, which have the same settings as before. You can continue to use them but you cannot customise them.

3. On the Roles and Permissions dialog, click “Add Role”, and select one of the system roles as the starting point (3). They have the same names as the previous roles (the so-called ‘Classic’ roles), but there are differences.

Here’s a quick summary of the new system roles:

Superuser: Access to everything.
Administrator: Access to all features except for user management and billing information. The new Administrator role offers more access than the ‘Classic’ Administrator role, for example it can roll out features.
Standard: General day-to-day feature user, without the ability to set feature policies or roll out feature settings. The new Standard role offers more access than the ‘Classic’ Standard role in terms of feature usage.
Client: A new system role designed for end-client custom access.

4. Turn any features on and off as you please (4). Use the tooltips to see additional detail for each setting. When you’re done configuring the new role, save the new custom role (5). Make the Roles and Permissions dialog go full-screen so it’s easier to use (6).

Some extra tips:

• Use the Clone button to copy an existing role and use that as your starting point.
• You’ll need to remove all users from a Role before you can delete it.

Special case: How to create Client Logins
You can use the new User Roles feature together with Client Groups to create a client login… here’s how:

5. Go to the Roles and Permissions dialog, and select the “Client” system role (6). Make any edits you wish for this new Client account. You’ll notice not all features are available for this role type: This is to ensure a client can never accidentally see or edit another client, or see inappropriate information such as billing details (7).

6. On the Client Groups dialog, create a new client group consisting of just one client, i.e. the client you want to give a Dashboard account to (8).

7. On the User Accounts dialog, apply the new Client-based User Role and the single client Client Group to the customer’s user account (9). From here, follow the standard process for giving a user a Dashboard login.

Some important additional notes…

• A user must log off and on again in order for a new User Role, or edits to an existing one, to take effect. A browser refresh is not enough.

• You can continue to use the original “Classic” system roles, but you cannot customise them or view their settings in the new Roles and Permissions dialog.

• Client logins (as opposed to staff logins) have to use the new Client System Role, to ensure no sensitive details, billing or marketing information will ever be shared. You must use this Client System Role in conjunction with Client Groups (normally a Client Group of just one client) in order to configure a Client Login.

• Some features are not currently available for Client Roles, such as Reporting, Asset Tracking, and the option to add and roll out feature policies. The intention is to add those features in the future so that they too are available for Client Logins.

Let us know what you think
This feature set has been a long time coming and we’re very happy about the power and potential this brings to MAX RM. As always, we’d love to get your feedback on whether this gives you what you’re looking for with user roles and permissions. Is this the right level of granularity? Are there feature permissions you’d like to see us add, or areas where we should go a bit deeper on.

Please let us know and together we can make the Dashboard even better.

And finally…
The staging release notes are listed below.

Staging Release Notes
Please note that staging release notes are subject to change. Final release notes will go out with the release.

Summary for Service Release
– Service release focused on new features, bug fixes and performance
– Dashboard v6.0
– Agent v9.8.13 GA, Agent v9.9.0 RC

Dashboard v6.0
FEATURE: New User Roles and Permissions for customised Dashboard user accounts
FEATURE: New client login option with ability to customise the client’s Dashboard access
FEATURE: Introducing Networks tab for discovering connected devices on client networks

Agent v9.9.0 RC
FEATURE: Introducing Networks tab for discovering connected devices on client networks

Agent v9.8.13 GA
Includes all the updates since the current production Agent v9.8.9

Agent v9.8.10 RC
UPDATE: GFI MAX Backup check renamed to MAX Backup check
BUGFIX: Ensure deselected Plugins for Managed Online Backup are correctly removed from the list of billable MOB files
BUGFIX: Ensure script checks can be tested during agent installation using the Test Check function

Agent v9.8.11 RC
UPDATE: Apply Monitoring Templates at client and site level
UPDATE: Apply multiple Monitoring Templates simultaneously to the selected devices
BUGFIX: Ensure Kaspersky Endpoint Security 10 is detected correctly
BUGFIX: Ensure Take Control sessions consistently display the computer name that’s been connected to

Agent 9.8.12 RC
UPDATE: Performance improvement to the Site Concentrator feature  NB: This update was withdrawn and is not included in v9.8.13 GA