SurePoint Pro - Security Groups and Permissions Training Video

In this video, we'll walk through how to configure security groups and permissions in the system. Security groups allow you to control what different users can view, create, edit, or manage throughout the platform. We'll review how to create and configure security groups, assign permissions, and add members, so you can ensure each user has the appropriate level of access. To access the security setup area, select your username in the top right corner, then select Firm Settings, and open the Security Groups tab. When you first arrive here, you'll see that the system includes two default security groups: Admin and User. The Admin group provides nearly full access to the system, while the User group offers very basic limited access. You can assign users directly to these groups, or they can serve as helpful starting points when creating your own custom security groups. For example, if you want to create a group with permissions similar to the Admin group, you can simply clone it. To do this, click the copy icon next to the Admin group. Give the new group a name and select Save.

Now we're inside the new Admin Two security group. Here, you can add a description to explain the purpose of the group. This helps other administrators understand how the group is intended to be used. Next, you can assign a dashboard using the Dashboard dropdown. Dashboards control what users see on their home screen when they first log in. The type of dashboard you assign will usually depend on the role of the users in that group. Once the dashboard is set, you can scroll down to review the security permissions for this group. You'll see a list of different items along the left with the available permissions across the top. The checkboxes determine what members of this security group are allowed to do for each item. Because we cloned the Admin security group, you'll notice that nearly every permission is already selected, which means this group currently has almost full access across the system. Cloning can save time when the new group needs most of the same permissions, because instead of selecting every permission manually, you can simply deselect the ones that don't apply.

Now let's take a look at creating a security group from scratch. Save. We'll go back to the Security Groups main tab. To start with a blank group, click Add Group. Enter a name, and select Save. This creates a new security group with no permissions selected, allowing you to define exactly what members of this group can and cannot do. The general security section defines what members of this security group are allowed to create, view, update, or delete throughout the system. Let's look at charges as an example. Selecting View Modify Own allows users to create, view, update, and delete only the time and expense entries they create themselves. Additional permissions expand that access. For example, selecting Create allows users to create entries on behalf of other users. View is then automatically selected and grayed out. This is intentional because anyone who can create an entry must also be able to view it. Permissions like Update or Delete allow users to edit or remove entries created by others. And you may notice that some sections do not include a View Modify Own option. In those cases, permissions are controlled simply by selecting whether users can create, view, update, or delete those items. Some sections also include import and export permissions. Import allows users to bring that data into the system, such as importing a list of delete those items. Some sections also include import and export permissions. Import allows users to bring that data into the system, such as importing a list of contacts. Export allows users to download that information, typically into a spreadsheet or similar file format. Next, scroll down to the Permission section. Here you'll find options that allow users to merge certain types of records, including GL accounts, contacts, members, and tags. These permissions are useful when duplicate records need to be combined into a single record. Just below this is the Matter Security section, where the Merge Matters permission applies the same functionality specifically to matter records. The Matter Security permission allows users to apply an ethical wall to a matter, making it private. The Matter Security Override permission allows users to modify or remove existing ethical walls, even if they were created by another user. Client Transfer allows users to move a matter from one client to another, transferring all related information, including billing and trust activity. The next section is Report Security. Here you'll see a list of available reports. Select the reports that members of this security group should be able to access. If a report is not selected, it will simply not be visible to those users.

Next is Summary Security. These options control whether users can see the summary tiles at the top of certain pages, such as invoices and payments, charges, and trust transactions. The Leads Billing Security option allows users in this group to create leads matters, and configure leads billing settings. Finally, the Trust Transactions section controls access to trust-related information, including trust client balances and trust reconciliation. If these permissions are not granted, those tabs will not appear for users in this security group. There are multiple ways to add users to a security group. The first option is from within the security group itself. At the top of the page, use the Add Member dropdown to select the user you want to add. When a member is added here, they are moved from their current security group into this one, and their name will appear in the member list on the side panel. Multiple users can also be added at once from the Members page. To do this, select the members you want to update. Open the Bulk Actions dropdown, and choose Edit Security Group. Then select the security group you want to assign them to. You can also view or change a user's security group directly from their member profile by selecting a new option from the Security Group dropdown. That concludes this video on configuring security groups and permissions in the system. Once your security groups and permissions are configured, users can be assigned to the appropriate group to ensure they have the correct level of access throughout the system.

Properly structured security groups help maintain secure, consistent access across your firm.