Manage Roles and Permissions

The Roles and Permissions feature provides granular control over what administrative users can access and do within the system. Its primary purpose is to allow administrators to define specific responsibilities, enhance security, and streamline operations by ensuring users only have appropriate access levels. This article is intended for OPSCOM administrators responsible for managing backend system security and administrative access.

Setup and Configuration

This feature dictates backend access and requires a high-level administrator to set it up initially.

Admin Side: Administrators must have the pre-defined System Administrator (Primary) role, or equivalent high-level permissions, to create new roles and assign them to other staff members.

Using this Feature

Administrators can use the following instructions to create new role templates, edit existing ones, assign granular permissions, and apply these roles to administrative staff.

Creating a New Role

1. Click System Configuration, then Admin Management, and click Manage Roles.

2. Click the Add New Role button at the bottom of the page.

3. Enter a descriptive name in the Role Name field and provide a detailed summary in the Description field.

4. Click the Save Role button to save the new role template.

Editing an Existing Role

1. Click the Edit Role button next to the specific role you wish to update on the Manage Administrator Roles screen.

2. Make the desired changes to the Role Name and Description fields.

3. Click the Save Role button to save your edits.

Assigning Permissions to a Role

1. Click the Permissions button next to the role you want to configure to open the Editing Permissions screen.

2. Click a specific module icon (e.g., Permit, Violations) from the top bar to display the permissions available within that category.

3. Enable the checkbox next to a permission's name to grant that specific access level to the role.

4. Click the Save Permissions button once you have navigated through each icon and selected all necessary permissions.

Assigning Roles to Admin Users

1. Click System Configuration, then Admin Management, and click Edit Admin Users to open the Manage Active Administrators page.

2. Select an existing user you wish to modify, or choose to create a new user.

3. Add or confirm the details in the User Information section on the left side of the screen.

4. Select the specific role or roles you wish to apply to the user from the available options on the right side.

5. Enter any relevant notes about the user's role or status in the Comment field.

6. Click the Update User button to finalize the changes.

On the Editing Permissions screen, the top bar displays various icons mirroring the system menu structure. The number next to each icon indicates exactly how many permissions within that category have been selected for the current role. Additionally, the role description will appear as a helpful rollover tooltip when you mouse over the Edit Role button.

Available Actions and Buttons

• Add New Role: Click this button at the bottom of the management page to create a new, blank role template.

• Edit Role: Click this button next to an existing role to modify its name or description. Note that the primary System Administrator role cannot be edited.

• Permissions: Click this button next to a role to open the granular matrix where individual system actions are enabled or disabled.

• Save Permissions: Click this button to finalize the selected access levels for a given role.

• Update User: Click this button to save any changes made to a specific administrator's profile, including their newly assigned roles.

Best Practices and Considerations

• Adhere to the principle of least privilege: Always grant users only the permissions absolutely necessary for them to perform their job functions. This minimizes security risks and reduces the potential for accidental system errors.

• Utilize role-based access control: Instead of assigning individual permissions to each user manually, create template roles (e.g., "Enforcement Officer," "Finance Admin") and assign users to those templates. This significantly simplifies onboarding, offboarding, and security auditing.

• Maintain clear role descriptions: Use the role description field to clearly state the purpose of the role and the types of permissions it encompasses. This helps other administrators quickly understand what each role is intended for without having to open the complex permissions matrix.

• Conduct regular access reviews: Periodically review your defined roles and user assignments to ensure they remain appropriate. Adjust roles as job responsibilities change or as staff members join or leave your organization.

• Test new roles before deployment: Always test a new role with a dummy administrator account before deploying it to active users. This confirms that the assigned permissions function exactly as expected and do not inadvertently grant too much or too little backend access.