Version 1.20 Release Note

Transcription

1 Version 1.20 Release Note v1.20 Release Note

2 Welcome to v1.20 of RM Unify The next exciting release of RM Unify is here and with it some leaps forward in functionality, a number of bug squashes, and some other more subtle changes too. This document will make you aware of all changes that may impact you, linked to a complementary external blog available for viewing in the usual place: Release Headlines 1. Integrating existing Office 365 users Page 3 to 5 2. Google Apps for Education with RM Unify Page 6 to 7 3. Introducing User Details to the Management Console Page 8 to 9 RM Education Plc 2013 Page 2 of 9

3 1. Integrating existing Office 365 users The ability to integrate existing Office 365 users (or Brownfield as it is commonly known) is a major new piece of functionality that we ve added in response to popular demand from conversations and via our Trello board. It adds a couple of really strong strings to RM Unify s bow because it can be utilised by customers that: Have been using Office 365 separately to RM Unify, and have added users accounts that they would like to retain after configuring RM Unify. Have a specific preference over addresses for their Office 365 accounts. The functionality presents itself to RM Unify Administrators at the end of the Office 365 Installation Wizard that is accessed and used via the App Library when Office 365 is being installed as a tile for the first time. Figure 1.1: A reminder of the Office 365 Installation Wizard Once the existing wizard has been worked through and hence the Office 365 tenancy and domain have been configured to work with RM Unify: RM Unify will automatically detect if users exist within Office 365 and ask that they be reviewed. Note that if users do exist the step is mandatory (i.e. No cannot be clicked in the below). Alternatively if users do not exist, the option to review users is given should RM Unify Administrators want to specify different addresses to those applied by default. RM Education Plc 2013 Page 3 of 9

4 Figure 1.2: This step represents an addition to the Office 365 Installation Wizard If Yes is selected, the next screen presented will allow RM Unify Administrators to match Office 365 users to RM Unify users, and if desired manage their Office 365 addresses too. A detailed explanation of this screen and the information is provided, highlighting the significance of the activity and the importance of the RM Unify Administrator understanding the implications of this process before proceeding. Figure 1.3: The new Manage Office 365 Addresses and Matched Accounts screen RM Education Plc 2013 Page 4 of 9

5 As the detailed instructions indicate, as a starter RM Unify will do its best to match RM Unify usernames to Office 365 addresses and indicate this with a tick in the Existing column. If an account can t be found for matching, a default address based upon the username will be allocated and this will be indicated with a tick in the New column. RM Unify Administrators can influence RM Unify s work by typing in to the Office 365 address field. The system will then dynamically compare this to existing Office 365 accounts and display a relevant tick / tick. Finally and critically, any Office 365 users that have not been matched to an RM Unify user in the previous screen are presented. Figure 1.4: The critical final stage asks RM Unify Administrators to review unmatched Office 365 users This stage is particularly critical as following acceptance, users within this list will no longer be able to access Office 365. If this is to be avoided, the RM Unify Administrator must either: Go back to the previous screen and match them to an appropriate existing user; or Leave the wizard for now and add new users to RM Unify, before revisiting to complete. Taking the latter option, the RM Unify Administrator can easily return to the wizard at any time by going through the same process of clicking Office 365 within the App Library, where they will be presented with the option to resume progress through the wizard. Figure 1.5: The screen presented upon returning to the wizard if it has not been completed An important note: Watch this space as in future releases we ll be expanding this base functionality to allow for the integration of other RM and Third Party subscriptions such as RM Books and Google Apps for Education. RM Education Plc 2013 Page 5 of 9

6 2. Google Apps for Education with RM Unify Those who are registered and follow our Trello board will know that we re rapidly adding third party and RM apps to RM Unify. We thought it worthy however to announce the arrival of Google Apps for Education, both due its significance and the fact that all RM Unify Premium customers are entitled to choose between connecting Google Apps or Office 365 as part of their package. As with Office 365, this functionality allows users to connect their Google Apps subscription to RM Unify. In the first instance this means connecting a subscription and populating it with your RM Unify users as has been the case for Office 365 to date (or Greenfield as it is commonly known), but in future releases we ll be introducing the ability to integrate existing users (or Brownfield as it is commonly known) too. Our process for connecting Google Apps also takes heavy inspiration from our Office 365 process, as you might expect. A detailed technical article is available on the RM Unify Support Portal, but it s also summarised nicely in a Google Apps Installation Wizard, accessible when the RM Unify Administrator clicks install on any of the Google Apps modules for the first time: Figure 2.1: The Google Apps Installation Wizard A. Create a Google Apps account for the School by getting in touch with Google directly B. Verify the Google Apps domain by editing DNS records to prove who it is owned by. C. Create a special Super Admin user within Google Apps, and enable API access to the domain by allowing it do so within Google Apps. Following these steps you ll need to wait for Google to validate the customer as an educational establishment and allocate sufficient licences. It s following this that the RM Unify Administrator can work their way through the short wizard to complete the connection. RM Education Plc 2013 Page 6 of 9

7 A B C Figure 2.2: The Google Apps Installation Wizard A. Enter Google Apps Domain and Domain Administrator details. B. Let RM Unify validate ownership, available SSO federation and an appropriate number of licenses. If any of these checks fail, settings can be altered and the wizard revisited. C. Decide which roles should have that Google tile on their Launch Pad. Once this wizard is complete all other Google tiles will have this screen enabled when accessed via the App Library. Google Apps for Education itself offers a range of different tools that have led to the creation of a number of different tiles within RM Unify. 10+ GB of storage, less spam, and mobile access. Gmail is that's intuitive, efficient, and useful. With Google's online calendar, it's easy to keep track of life's important events all in one place. A way to store and organize contact information about the people you communicate with. Welcome to Google Drive, the new home for Google Docs. Access everywhere and store files safely. Thinking of creating a website? Google Sites is a free and easy way to create and share webpages. More information on Google Apps for Education can be found on the Google Apps website. RM Education Plc 2013 Page 7 of 9

8 3. Introducing User Details to the Management Console The Management Console is evolving to give RM Unify Administrators a greater insight in to the users they have within RM Unify. As it stands today, the User Dashboard provides an overview on the number of users of each role. Figure 3.1: The RM Unify User Dashboard As of v1.20, RM Unify Administrators will be able to view details of the following for each user within RM Unify: First Name Role Last Name Address Username This information can be accessed from the Management Console in two different ways: A. By clicking on a new User Details section in the left hand menu; or B. By clicking on any of the Roles within the User Summary. A B Figure 3.2: The areas highlighted show the two different ways RM Education Plc 2013 Page 8 of 9

9 If A is clicked a complete list of users and their details will be presented. From this view, users can also utilise the highlighted drop down box to filter user details on roles within RM Unify. Figure 3.3: The overall User Details view If any of the roles within B are clicked a filtered view of users within that role is automatically shown. Figure 3.4: An example filtered view of Teaching Staff users RM Education Plc 2013 Page 9 of 9