Generic users for training purpose

[_MMDL]

Hi,

We are a franchise organization with 20+ territories, each territory has its own HS portal and every Portal has its own users, between 10 and 100+.

We use a test portal to train the users, any strategy you recommend to have something close to 25 users in this portal and these users can be shared among the network prior to a training session, instead of having hundreds of users in the portal, which is impossible to maintain updated.

thanks in advance

[karstenkoehler]

Hi @_MMDL,

Shared users always come with disadvantages, especially when two-factor-authentication is required and when you want some ability to trace back changes to an individual. If logistically possible, I would always err on giving everyone their own access.

(I know that HubSpot just announced their new pricing model for users and that my above recommendation can get pricey quickly. But for now, I would still say it's the best option. Remove previous test users, add the new ones, repeat.)

If you do want to go with a small set of users, I would think about the following things:

• After each training session, it would make sense to change passwords. It's annoying to manage but that would be the only way that users from a previous round wouldn't potentially interfere.
• Create a mapping that documents which user got which test access.

If you want to hand out test access generally, after trainings sessions, I'd think about the following:

• Allocating test logins to teams who then have 2-3 accounts at their disposal for testing and only have to align within their team, as opposed to all teams having to check which test logins are currently "free".
• Remove anything "destructive" from permission sets, as you won't be able to trace back who dun it. That's where my previous point will also be helpful, since you'd know which team a potential wrongdoer would be in. It helps create accountability.
• Figure out a way to handle two-factor authentication. I haven't tried to bypass it yet but it might involve one person on each team being the person who has the authenticator app on their phone, for example.

Best regards!

[_MMDL]

Thanks for your response, I was thinking about controlling passwords and resetting them every time, it may be the same time-consuming as adding all new users and removing them for each session.

By any chance do you know if there is any idea about "students" or "test" seats for the upcoming pricing model again, this is only for a test portal, not a live one

[karstenkoehler · Accepted solution]

@_MMDL users can be imported and deleted in bulk, managing passwords would be more time consuming, I'd say. But eventually it comes down to personal preference.

Such a seat type would be useful but I'd be surprised to see it.

Let me know if you have any follow up questions! If you found my answer helpful, you can make my day by accepting it as a solution.