Set Up Password Policies

Use the Password Policy editor to establish your protocols for creating and updating Edge Cloud operator passwords and auto-logout timeouts. The policy settings include the length and type of password that is acceptable, how often to force password changes, and whether to automatically log the user out of Edge Cloud after a certain amount of inactivity.

Choose Your Settings

1. Open Password Policy Editor - Home ribbon bar > Tools section > Editors > Practice > Password Policy. (You can also use the Search field to look for the editor you want to work with.)

   

2. Provide Credentials - Enter your Edge Cloud user name and password. Only operators assigned to a security model that allows full access to the Operator Editor setting of the Practice Administration group can make changes in this editor. See "Set Up Security Access" for details. 

3. Create or Edit a Policy - Create a new policy, or choose to work with an existing policy.

   Create a New Record - Click Add, then enter the details for your new record.

   

   Select Existing Record - Your list of existing records appears at the left. Click the record to work with, then review and edit the details at the right.

4. Policy Details - All of the settings in this editor are system-wide: When you change a setting, you change the setting for all Edge Cloud users and workstations in your system.

   

   Name and Description - Type a name for the password policy, and enter a description that will help you select the appropriate policy for your Edge Cloud operators.

   Enable Auto-Logout - Enable this option, then enter the number of minutes of machine inactivity to wait until the operator is logged out of Edge Cloud automatically. (Continuing to use the computer for other applications outside of Edge Cloud, such as word processing, does not count as inactivity.)

   If an operator is assigned to a global password policy that includes an Auto-Logout timeout, and that operator has enabled the Auto-Logout user option, Edge Cloud will use the lower of the two timeouts.

   Enforce Complex Passwords - Enable this option to require operator passwords to contain at least 8 characters, consisting of at least three of the following: 1 numeric character, 1 uppercase character, 1 lowercase character, 1 special character (i.e. @, #, $, %).

   Number of Distinct Passwords - Enter the number of different passwords an operator must use before they can re-use a password. To ignore this rule, set the number to 0 (zero).

   Minimum Password Length - Enter the number of characters required for operator passwords. If you do not require passwords (not recommended), set this field to 0 (zero). If you have enabled the Enforce Complex Passwords option, described above, your minimum password length must be at least 8.

   Expire Passwords - Enable the Expire Passwords option, then enter the details for forcing password changes for all operators assigned to this policy. When the required time period is up, operators will see a Change Password prompt when they attempt to log into Edge Cloud. If this option is disabled, operators will not automatically be prompted to change their passwords.

   Force Individual Password Change - Whether or not you enable the Expire Passwords option, you can use the Force Password Change option at any time to immediately require an individual operator to change their password before logging into Edge Cloud. See "Set Up Operator Accounts" for details.

   Expire Passwords Option - Enable this option, then enter how often (days, weeks, and months) you want to require operators assigned to this policy to change their password. After the specified interval, operators will see a change password dialog when they try to log into Edge Cloud.

   Expire Accounts After Grace Period - (Optional. Available only when Expire Passwords is enabled.) If you have enabled the Expire Passwords option, above, you can also choose to enable this option, which will lock an operator's account if the password is not changed within a certain period of time after a required change is due. After your specified amount of time is up, an administrator must use the Operator editor to access the operator's account, and use the Change Password button to enter a new password and reactivate the operator.

   Expire Inactive Accounts - Enable this option, then enter the amount of time (weeks, months, and / or years) before an operator account is automatically "locked" due to inactivity (not logging into Edge Cloud). After your specified amount of time is up, an administrator must use the Operator editor to access the operator's account, and use the Change Password button to enter a new password and reactivate the operator.

5. Save Changes - Click Save in your Quick Access toolbar or File ribbon bar (or press Ctrl+S on your keyboard) to save any changes you have made.

   

More Information

Assign Policy to Operators - After creating password policies, be sure to assign them to your operator accounts. See "Set Up Operator Accounts" for details. The list of operators assigned to a policy appears at the bottom of the Password Policies editor window.

Delete a Password Policy - Select a password policy in your list, and click Delete to remove it from your system. Any operators that were assigned to the deleted policy will be reassigned as "Undefined".

Editor History - When you open more than one editor without leaving the Editors window, a history of those editors appears at the top of your screen. You can click a name in the history to return to any previously opened editor, easily going back and forth between editors. This is useful, for example, when you are working with editors that are related to one another, such as the Treatment Chart Style editor and the Treatment Chart List editor.