User administration FAQ

Connected supports the following types of users:

• Data Admin ( ). A data administrator who can access and migrate the data of any user in your company. This person can also manage groups and users, create policies, and run reports for any group in your company. Additionally, a Data Admin can perform typical User functions on their own files.
• Admin ( ). An administrator who can manage groups and lower-ranked users (except Group Data Admins), create policies, and run reports for any group in your company. An Admin can also perform typical User functions on their own files.

• Support ( ). An administrator who can view groups, users, and policies, and who can run reports for any group in your company. This view-only permission on Connected information helps the Support user investigate and resolve end-user issues. A Support user can also perform typical User functions on their own files.

• Support Restore ( ). A special type of role with permission to manage restores for lower-ranked users in your company and can also perform typical User functions on their own files. This person can run reports for any group in your company.

• Support Technician ( ). A special type of role with permission to manage groups, users and restores for users within their customer. This person can create new users with Role as User and can edit basic information, phone number, and email of the users except for the Group and Role. This person can also view and restore the data, and run reports. They cannot delete groups or users, preview or download data of users in the hierarchy.

• Bulk Exporter ( ). A special type of administrator with permission only to run the ExportData tool. Using this tool, a Bulk Exporter can export the Connected data of any user in your company.

• Bulk Importer ( ). A special type of administrator with permission only to run the ImportUsers tool. Using this tool, a Bulk Importer can create and delete Connected end users. They can also manage the group, status, or personal information of any user in your company regardless of role.

• Group Data Admin ( ). A data administrator who can access and migrate the data of lower-ranked users in their own group or any of its subgroups. Within this same scope, this person can also manage groups and lower-ranked users, create policies, and run reports. Additionally, a Group Data Admin can perform typical user functions on their own files.
• Group Admin ( ) . An administrator who can manage groups and lower-ranked users, create policies, and run reports for their own group or any of its subgroups. A Group Admin can also perform typical user functions on their own files.
• Group Support Restore ( ). A special type of role with permission to manage restores for lower-ranked users in a group or subgroup and can also perform typical User functions on their own files. This person can also run restore assets report for the lower-ranked users in his group and subgroup.
• Group Support Technician ( ). A special type of role with permission to manage groups or subgroups, users and restores for users within their group. This person can edit basic information of users and groups but cannot delete groups or users.
• User ( ). An end user who can sync, share, collaborate on, and back up and restore files.

Connected users can have one of the following status values:

• Active. A user with full access to Connected features and functions, as permitted by policy.
• On-hold. A user whose access to Connected features and functions is suspended. The Connected web application assigns users with this status the icon, regardless of their role.
• Pending delete. A deleted user within the grace period before Connected permanently deletes their profile and its copy of their data. While in this grace period, which lasts 35 days unless overridden by policy, the user cannot access Connected. The Connected web application assigns users with this status the icon, regardless of their role.

Placing a user on hold has the following impact:

• Connected access. The user loses access to all Connected applications. While on hold, the user's devices remain registered with Connected even though they cannot connect to it.

• Agent. When the Agent receives notification of the hold, it immediately stops processing files and closes. It will not automatically start the next time the user logs on to the computer. If the user manually starts the Agent and signs in, it displays a message stating that the user is on hold and then closes.

• Data access. The user cannot access any of their backed up or synced files stored in Connected. However, data administrators can continue to access the user's files during the hold period.
• Backup / restore. The Agent does not back up or restore the user's files.
• Sync. Connected applications do not sync the user's files.
• File sharing. Any files actively shared by the user remain accessible to others until the file share expires. The user, however, cannot access files previously shared with them. In addition, although others can share files with the user during the hold period, the user cannot access the files unless reactivated before the file share expires.
• Collaboration. Any active collaborations the user owns remain accessible to others. The user, however, cannot access collaborations in which they are members. In addition, although others can continue to include the user in collaborations during the hold period, the user cannot access the collaborations unless they are reactivated.
• Retention. Retention does not run on the user's data while the person is on hold. If you reactivate the user, retention resumes using the policy applied when the user was placed on hold. When retention runs on the user’s data, the amount it deletes depends on the specific retention policy and length of the hold period. If the user was on hold a significant amount of time, the retention process could delete a large amount of their older Connected data.
• Migration. Neither the user nor a data administrator can migrate the user's data from one computer to another.
• Administrative functions. Your administrative actions are limited to viewing the user's profile and to deleting or reactivating the user. Data administrators can continue to view and access the user's data.

• Reports. Reports continue to include information about the user.

No. When you delete a user, Connected retains its copy of the user's protected data for a grace period of 35 days, unless overridden by policy, before permanently deleting it. During the grace period, the user's status is "pending delete", and the retention process continues to run on their data as usual. If you reactivate the user before the grace period expires, the user regains access to their Connected data.

When you delete a user, Connected retains the user in a "pending delete" state for a default grace period of 35 days unless overridden by a custom retention policy. Deleting a user impacts their data and access to Connected features and functions as follows:

• Connected access. The user loses access to all Connected applications.

  • User's devices. During the grace period, the user's devices remain registered with Connected even though they cannot connect to it. When the grace period expires, the system deactivates the devices.

    When the Agent receives notification of the deletion, it stops processing files immediately and closes. It no longer starts automatically when the user logs on to the computer. If the user starts the Agent manually and signs in, the Agent displays a message stating the user has been deleted and then closes.

  • User's identity provider (IdP) entry. The system retains the user's IdP entry during the grace period. When the grace period expires, if Connected uses its own IdP to authenticate users, it deletes the user's entry. Otherwise, if it uses your corporate IdP, it retains the entry. You cannot create a new user with the same email address until the grace period expires. Then, you can reuse the address regardless of whether the IdP already contains an entry with it.

• Backup / restore. The Agent does not back up or restore the user's files during the grace period. Data administrators can access files in the user's backup sets until the grace period expires, at which time Connected permanently deletes its copy of the backed-up files.
• Sync. Connected applications do not sync the user's files. However, data administrators can access the user's synced files until the grace period expires, at which time Connected permanently deletes its copy of the synced files.
• File sharing. Any files actively shared by the user remain accessible to others throughout the grace period unless the share happens to expire during it. When the file shares expire, Connected permanently deletes them. In addition, after the user enters the deletion grace period, they cannot access files that others have shared with them.
• Collaboration. Any collaborations the user owns remain accessible to others throughout the grace period. When the grace period expires, Connected permanently deletes the user and their collaborations are no longer accessible to others. In addition, when the user enters the grace period, they no longer have access to collaborations to which they are members and they cannot be added to new collaborations.
• Retention. Retention continues to run on the user's data during the grace period based on the policy that applied when the user was deleted. When the grace period expires, the system permanently deletes its copy of the user's data.
• Migration. Neither the user nor the data administrator can migrate the user's data from one computer to another during the grace period.
• Administrative functions. During the grace period, administrative actions are limited to viewing the user's profile and to reactivating the user or placing them on hold. Data administrators can continue to view and access the user's data until the grace period expires. When the grace period expires, the system permanently deletes the user and their data.
• Reports. Most reports include information about the user, regardless of whether the deletion grace period has expired. However, for complete details about the types of users a particular report includes, see the report's online help.

When you delete a user permanently (Permanently Delete state), Connected overrides the retention policy and deletes the user and their devices immediately.

When you delete a user's device, Connected retains it in a "pending delete" state for a default grace period of 35 days unless overridden by a retention policy. Connected does not notify the user of the deletion unless specified by policy.

Deleting a device impacts the user's access to the device and the Connected application installed on the device. The exact impact depends on the type of device you delete:

• Computer

  Here is what happens when you delete a computer:

  • At the time of deletion

    When you delete a computer, Connected notifies the Agent and, if specified by policy, also sends the user a predefined email. When the Agent receives notification, it stops processing files immediately and closes. It no longer starts automatically when the user logs on to the computer. If the user starts the Agent manually and signs in, the Agent displays a message stating the device has been deleted and then closes. The user's protected files and those in the Connected sync folder remain accessible on the computer.

  • During the grace period

    During the grace period, data administrators can continue to view the device on the user's profile page and access its files, except to create a restore request. However, users cannot see or access their deleted devices through any Connected application during this period. If the user attempts to reinstall and register the Agent, the registration process fails.

  • If you reactivate the device during the grace period

    Reactivating a computer within the grace period immediately restores the user's access to the device's backup set through the web application. Also, the user receives an email with instructions on how to reactivate the Agent so that it starts to back up and sync files again. If the user has not removed the Agent from the computer, reactivating it is straightforward. The user simply restarts the Agent and then signs in. Otherwise, the user must reinstall the Agent.

  • If the grace period expires

    If the grace period expires, Connected revokes data administrator access to the device and permanently deletes its copy of the device's data the next time that the retention process runs on the user's data. To re-register the device, the user must reinstall the Agent.

    If multiple users share the device, reinstalling the Agent affects all of them. The first time each user logs on to the computer, the Agent backs up and syncs the person's files again. For everyone except the user whose device was deleted, this is a relatively quick process because Connected already contains their files. For the user whose device was deleted, the amount of time this process takes depends on the number and size of files the Agent must process.