4.1 Creating Policies

A policy is a set of privileges that governs the availability and limitations of certain features for a given user. Each user has a policy. Typically, an Administrator creates a small number of policies (appropriate for different levels of users) and assigns a policy to each user.

To create a new policy:

  1. From the Conferencing client’s Manage Contacts window, select the Admin > Manage Policies menu item.

    Admin menu
  2. In the Policy Manager window, click the New Policy button.

    Policy Manager window
  3. In the Policy Manager dialog that appears, type a name for your new policy and click OK.

    Policy Manager dialog
  4. In the Policy Manager window, click on the right column of the policy setting you want to change.

    Policy Manager window
  5. After you adjust all of the policy settings, click OK.

If you are creating a policy that is very similar to an existing policy, select the existing policy, click Copy Policy, provide a name for the new policy, and edit the settings.

When creating a new policy, you have the ability to configure the following policy settings:

Table 4-1 Policy Manager Settings

This Setting...

Means...

Save Password

Allows the user to use the Save Password and Auto Sign On features (if enabled) or requires that the user log in for every use of the client (if disabled).

When this feature is enabled, the user is provided with a Save Password option in the Sign On window. If this option is selected, Conferencing then stores the user's password locally in encrypted form. The next time the user accesses the client, Conferencing uses the locally stored password to perform an automatic login.

Conferencing IM

Allows or disallows Conferencing instant messaging and chat. This setting does not affect chat within the context of a meeting.

Download Public Meetings

Allows or disallows the display of public meetings in the Meetings window.

This setting is useful for large organizations. For more information, read the section immediately after this table.

Download Community Address Book

Allows or disallow the download of the Community Address Book.

This setting is useful for large organizations. For more information, read the section immediately after this table.

Share Desktop

Allows or disallows the ability to share one's desktop during a meeting.

Share Application

Allows or disallows the ability to share an application during a meeting.

Share PowerPoint

Allows or disallows the ability to share a PowerPoint* presentation during a meeting.

Share Document

Allows or disallows the ability to share a document during a meeting.

Share Whiteboard

Allows or disallows the ability to share the whiteboard during a meeting.

Remote Control

Allows or disallows the ability for meeting attendees to be given control of the presenter's desktop or application.

Number of Presence Monitors

Indicates the total allowable number of personal buddies.

Invitee PIN Length

The number of digits in a meeting PIN.

User Meeting ID Length

The number of digits in a meeting ID.

Max Scheduled Meetings

Indicates the maximum number of meetings the user is allowed to schedule.

Lock Timeout (minutes)

The number of minutes of inactivity before the user is required to unlock the client by entering a password.

Session Timeout (minutes)

The number of minutes of inactivity before the client is required to sign on again.

The Download Public Meetings and Download Community Address Book policy settings are particularly useful for very large organizations. By disabling these settings, you enhance the performance of the client by not requiring it to download very large amounts of contact and public-meeting information that is most likely irrelevant for any one user.

Despite the utility of these settings, disabling them requires the user to search for contacts and public meetings that might be of interest to her or him. For example, if you disable the display of the Community Address Book for a user, the user has to use the Search feature to add a contact to the buddy list.

See the Conferencing online Help or Conferencing User Guide for detailed information on searching.

In summary, if you decide to disable the display of either the Community Address Book or public meetings, be sure that your users have the information or training they need to use search to locate contacts and public meetings of interest.