Resource filtering and sharing capability
'Resources' in Heropa are any objects that are used within a virtual lab. These include: templates, environments, VM Images, policies, courses, and content.
For some time now, customers have been asking for a way to limit resources to certain sets of users. We've been working on ways to solve this, and have made some changes to Companies. Resources will be able to be shared across companies, and it will also be possible to filter access of resources to certain companies, and certain users within companies. Over the coming months, we'll be rolling out several updates to make this possible.
If you actively use Companies to group users, then it's important that you are across these changes. Please subscribe to future updates. We'll also work directly with you to ensure you have enough information to benefit from this new capability.
What are the changes?
1. Introduction of a company level role type
Previously, only a 'Global' role type was available to administrators. Global roles have always had, and will continue to have visibility of all companies.
Now, a new role type called 'Company' will be available. This can be used to create roles that have visibility of a single Company, and provide users with access to perform functions for their own company.
For more information, including examples of how this can be used, see: Using roles and permissions.
2. Ability to segregate resources for users with a company role type
Previously, all resources were accessible to admin users from all companies. Last year we introduced course filtering for end users (see: Assigning a Company access to a Course), and have since been working to extend this to all resource types.
Each resource (eg. a template, environment, course, policy, etc) will have a primary company, and can then be shared with other companies. If a resource is not shared with a company, users from that company with a company role type will not be able to see it or use it. For more information, see: Sharing resources across Companies.
How does this affect me now?
Some UI changes have been released, however the full filtering implementation is still in progress. For now, there are two things to be aware of:
- When creating roles, you'll need to select either a 'Global' or 'Company' role type. Please continue to use the 'Global' role type, as Company level roles can still see resources across all Companies until the filtering implementation is complete.
- When creating a new resource, you'll need to select a primary company. Use your own company to do this. You will also be asked whether you want to 'Share with all companies'. Please tick this check box until we complete the filtering implementation. New template example below:
What's coming next?
In the next few weeks we will activate the filtering of resources to company level roles. We'll let you know when this is available. We'll also reach out to make sure you have the information you need to take advantage of this new capability.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please speak to your Heropa contact.