Administrator Expiration Time

Zyxel_Claudia

With Nebula’s latest update version 18.20, Zyxel has introduced a convenient and powerful feature for managing administrator access: Administrator Expiration Time. This new functionality enables Nebula organizations to set expiration dates for temporary administrator accounts, improving both access control and security for network environments. This article explains how this feature works, its configuration options, and the benefits it brings to network administration.

Overview of the Administrator Expiration Time Feature

The Administrator Expiration Time feature allows organizations to assign temporary access to administrators and set an expiration date for their accounts. This is particularly useful for short-term projects, such as temporary deployments or third-party support scenarios, where administrative access is required for a limited period. Once the expiration date is reached, the system can either deactivate or delete the account, depending on the settings configured.

Key Features and Benefits

1. Expiration Date for Temporary Administrators:
   • Administrators can set a fixed expiration date for a new or existing admin account. For example, an account can be set to expire automatically at the end of a one-month deployment period.
2. Automatic Deletion Options:
   • Upon reaching the expiration date, administrators can a option to delete the account: Automatically removes the account entirely from the organization, eliminating any lingering access credentials.
3. Timezone Consistency with UTC+0:
   • All expiration times are based on UTC+0 for consistent timing across global organizations. This ensures that expiration occurs precisely as scheduled, regardless of local time zones.
4. Status Indicators for Easy Monitoring:
   • A new "Expired" status appears in the administrator account list once an account reaches its expiration date. This provides visibility to admins managing multiple accounts, making it easy to identify accounts that no longer have access.

Statuses Explained: Active, Expired, and Deactivated

Nebula Control Center provides clear statuses to indicate the current state of administrator accounts:

• OK: Account is currently active with access to the organization.
• Expired: Account has reached its expiration date, and access is no longer available. If configured for deletion, the account will be removed from the system.
• Deactivated: Account is manually et to inactive but remains in the system for potential future activation.

Both "Expired" and "Deactivated" statuses mean that the account cannot access the organization, although an "Expired" account may still be listed in the account list if deletion was not selected.

Multi-Site and MSP (Managed Service Provider) Integration

The Administrator Expiration Time feature is also available in MSP and multi-site settings, making it easy for MSPs to manage temporary administrator access across multiple sites or client organizations. MSP administrators can find the expiration date and deactivation options within the same interface used for standard organization settings.

Conclusion

The Administrator Expiration Time feature in Nebula 18.20 offers a practical solution for organizations requiring temporary administrative access. By simplifying expiration management, Zyxel has provided a more secure, efficient method for managing administrator accounts across Nebula environments. This feature is valuable for any organization looking to maintain high security standards while accommodating temporary or project-based network access.