NETconsent Policy Management Lifecylce

| Features & Benefits | Datasheet |

	Create Secure access to the Policy Manager portal is controlled through user roles. Navigation is made easy via the hierarchical tree structure. Policies are created by either using the integrated Policy Editor or by importing existing Microsoft Word documents. Once activated, a non-editable version of the policy is stored in the NETconsent database. This ensures, that however accessed, only one active version is ever in circulation, further eliminating the risk of user confusion. Policies can be written and presented in multiple languages. ----------------------------------------------------------
	Distribute Once a policy is made active it is automatically published to the relevant group(s) of employees. Integrating with LDAP directories, maintenance of separate system groups is not required, thereby reducing the administrative overhead. New users, leavers and role changes are automatically processed by the NETconsent Policy Server. When employees log on to the appropriate service, they are pro-actively presented with a list of new or revised policies which they have not accepted. Processing is guaranteed for enforced policies as it is impossible for users to bypass this stage. All other PC functionality is disabled whilst enforced policies are presented to the user. ----------------------------------------------------------
	Consent With its unique Policy Enforcement Points (PEPs) technology, organisations have the option to prevent employees from accessing IT services until they have accepted the latest mandatory policies with a digital signature. Non-mandatory policies can be left for a period of time or a number of skips before requiring user agreement. This flexibility allows organisations to prioritise key policies based on risk factors and employees to manage their time. ----------------------------------------------------------
	Test Given that one of the principal reasons for implementing policies is to improve compliance and reduce the risk of potentially harmful employee actions, some organisations also opt to test user understanding following the publication and acceptance of policies. Using NETconsent Examiner, questionnaires can quickly be constructed to test all or just a subset of employees’ comprehension of any policy. Questions can be presented either immediately or a specified period after a policy has been accepted. The results from these tests allow management to easily determine whether policies are well written and/or if further education is required to help ensure the key messages are clear and understood. ----------------------------------------------------------
	Report Comprehensive reporting delivers management, detailed and system status information, showing current status and historical data. Summary reports graphically illustrate an organisation’s compliance status against all policies and users. Reports can also be generated by business area; individual policy; a group of policies and/or selected users. To improve processing efficiency, detailed reports are provided to show historical activity as well as exception reporting. Historical reports are typically used for internal audit purposes or incidents related to disciplinary matters, whilst exception reports quickly pinpoint users that have declined or not yet accepted a policy. System reports provide system administrators with a series of top-level status reports for all modules in the NETconsent suite. ----------------------------------------------------------
	Audit The NETconsent suite is built around the NETconsent Policy Server, which is the central repository for all corporate policies, tests and assessments and the related user actions. A full audit trail of all policy, test and assessment versions is maintained as well as a record of which employees accepted or rejected which policy versions and when, which tests passed and assessments completed.

Licensing and Deployment Options

Technical Specification

NETconsent integrates with a wide range of LDAP-based Directory Services, including Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft NT Domains and Novell eDirectory networks.

Policy Server

• Microsoft Windows Server 2000/2003
• Microsoft MSDE or SQL Server 2000/2005
  

The NETconsent Policy Server can be installed on existing hardware (e.g. Intranet server).

Workstation

• No client software is required. NETconsent is a browser based application.

Supported Clients

• Windows 2000 (SP3 or above)
• Windows XP Professsional
• Windows Vista

Supported Browsers

• IE 5.5/6.0/7.0
• Mozilla Firefox

Policy Enforcement Points

Enforcement is controlled through NETconsent Policy Enforcement Points (PEPs), which work at the point of:

• Logon (LANconsent)
• Internet access (WEBconsent)
• Email use (MAILconsent)
• Other applications (Integration through the open API)