Processes for Access to IT Systems and Person Finder -
Important Changes from 1 December 2011
Person Finder is used extensively in but also from outside the University as a way of identifying individuals and roles within the University.
What is less known is that the process for entry onto Person Finder contacts is also used as the system for giving a ‘third group’ of individuals who are neither staff nor students (including those on voluntary or visiting arrangements etc.) access to a range of University IT systems.
A number of concerns have been raised about the inconsistency and possible inaccuracy of information on Person Finder for this group and their access to different University IT systems and related software licencing issues.
Changes to the current process
The process for putting individuals onto Person Finder has therefore been reviewed and revised to make it more consistent and to provide greater control without making it significantly more onerous for departments and faculties.
The process for the access to IT systems for staff and students remains the same - managed through iTrent (the HR & Payroll System) and SAMIS respectively. One change that staff will see is that it will no longer be possible to over-write the job title field – this can only be changed by a change on iTrent. Instead there is an additional field called description which is directly underneath the job title field and will allow additional details (e.g. an awarded Chair or Head of Group role etc). to be added by the relevant Designated Maintainer (previously referred to as COW – Contacts on the Web - Maintainers).
Non-Staff & Students
For the third group of individuals who are neither staff nor students, a classification scheme of their different roles has been created which determines the period on Person Finder and level of IT access that they will be given. It is important that these individuals have access and the revised system will make this access much more consistent.
In the new system, Designated Maintainers will be required to check that for any individual who is neither staff nor student that the appointment has been approved by the relevant individual or committee (e.g. in line with the Honorary Academic Appointments Procedure) before they put them onto Person Finder. They will verify this by viewing and maintaining a document that confirms this. For volunteers and others who fall outside the classification scheme the Head of Department or Dean must sign this approval form.
Many of the Designated Maintainers have already attended training sessions on operating these new processes.
These changes to processes will come into effect for all new entrants to Person Finder from 1st December 2011.
Access Manager
BUCS are currently in the process of making a range of improvements to the electronic system that runs both Person Finder and IT system access. This new system will be called Access Manager and will automate processes when the access of individuals in the ‘third’ non-staff / non-student group is coming to an end, informing Designated Maintainers and then the individuals themselves in advance.
This new Access Manager system will come into effect from May 2012.