What Is Time-based Access Permissions? A Full Explanation Of The Definition Of Function And Applicability

Regarding Time-based, many people who use systems and software, including some small and medium-sized enterprises, will often hear about it, but many people, like me, are confused and may not be sure of what they are! Simply put, Time-based is the kind of permission management method that determines whether a user can access a certain system or file, or uses a specific function based on a pre-set specific time period, or according to a certain time rules! It is not like before, grant permissions have always been available. This is closely linked to time. When time passes, permissions may not be available, or they may automatically change.

1. Applicability definition : You have to first figure out what kind of scenarios it is meaningful to use this Time-based? For example, a part-time accountant in a company only needs to go to the financial system to process accounts for a few days a month. Why do you usually give him permission? White increases risks! There are also temporary project members who cooperate with external parties who can access project information during the project period, and the authority should be cut off after the project is over! It's very easy to use at this time!

2. What are the requirements for setting time periods : You can’t set it blindly when setting the time, you have to consider a lot. For example, year, month, day, hour, minute, and second, are they accurate to the hour? Or is it enough? Also, is it a one-time period, such as from 2:00 to 5:00 on a Friday, or is it periodic? Use it every Monday morning? All these need to be thought clearly, either if you set the wrong one, either it is unsafe to put too much, or if you put it less, it is impossible to do the work, which is very annoying!

PS: Don't set it to "permanently valid" and forget it! Then what's the difference between not setting up time-based!

3. The issue of permission level matching : Even if the time is set correctly, the permission size given must be matched. It cannot be said that because of the time limit, just give the admin administrator permissions to enjoy it. That won’t work! For example, just read a report temporarily and give him a read-only view permission is enough. Write permissions must not be given, so don’t even think about it!

4. Expiration reminder and automatic processing mechanism : Before this very important permission is about to expire, the system is best to automatically send a notification to the administrator and also to the user himself to remind him. Permission expired? Should it be recycled automatically, or should it become a state, or should the administrator manually re-examination and approval? This rule must be decided in advance, otherwise there will be a lot of messy things when it expires!

Q: Which time-based, compared to the Role-based (RBAC) we usually talk about, is better?

A: These two are not about which one is better. In fact, often is used in combination! RBAC mainly allocates permissions based on the user's role, such as whether you are a "salesperson" or a "engineer"; Time-based, superimposes a limit of time based on the role permissions! For example, the role of a "temporary salesperson" has certain permissions, but through Time-based setting, he can only use these permissions in the next 3 months, which is more flexible and safer! It doesn’t mean that anyone who uses it alone will definitely be better, it will be more powerful when combined!

Q: Will setting this thing be complicated? I'm not very educated, I'm afraid I can't handle it...

A: Nowadays, many good software systems and permission management tools have made this into ready-made functional modules. Pull a box and select the start time and end time, which is not that mysterious! As long as you recognize words and click the basic mouse to operate, you can usually do it. When you first use it, just treat it patiently, try it more, and then correct it if you write it wrong! Don't be afraid!

I personally think that, especially for teams and companies that have a little frequent personnel flow or often need to deal with external personnel, this Time-based really needs to be carefully studied and used! It can save a lot of management troubles and reduce many security loopholes caused by improper permission management. Take some time to think about it and it will definitely not be a loss!