Securing the solution

Security is important within the IBM® Intelligent Operations Center because the solution is central to essential operations. To ensure security, it is important that you are aware of the default settings and that you manage users of the solution to give all users the correct level of access.

Default passwords

Your first task in securing the solution is to ensure that all default passwords are changed. For more information about the default passwords, see the link at the end of the topic.

Secure connection

The IBM Intelligent Operations Center is HTTPS enabled by default. You can change HTTPS settings for the business monitoring service that processes key performance indicators (KPIs).

Any change to the HTTPS setting for an individual service must be accompanied by an update to the corresponding port setting. For more details on changing the settings in the system properties, see the link at the end of the topic.

User authentication

User authentication is associated with authorization rights that give the user access to the appropriate features. IBM Intelligent Operations Center supports integration to the existing security infrastructure for single sign-on.

IBM Intelligent Operations Center user permissions are managed through WebSphere® Portal users and groups. WebSphere Portal uses the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) database that is provided by the Tivoli® Directory Server, which runs on the data server.

The security system that is provided with the IBM Intelligent Operations Center can accommodate many user groups, roles, and permissions. Accommodating many user groups, roles, and permissions can lead to a security regime that is difficult to manage. It is recommended that administrators restrict the number of groups and permissions.

User roles and permissions

Membership of a role-based user group provides a way of controlling access to the IBM Intelligent Operations Center. The users in a group have access only to the features of the solution that correspond to their role. Being a member of a role-based user group also helps users to focus on the appropriate tasks. The standard roles are CityWideSupervisor, CityWideOperator, CityWideExecutive, and CityWideAdmin.

To add a user to IBM Intelligent Operations Center:

  1. Choose a group that is appropriate to the role of the user in the organization, and make the user a member of that group.
  2. Complete a profile for the user and include at least the user ID, name, and password.

Data sources and permissions

Access to a feature in IBM Intelligent Operations Center does not mean that a user can view all the data sources that it contains. To ensure that users see only the appropriate data, access is determined during the configuration of individual data sources. An administrator can assign access to a data source to both user groups, and to individual users.

WebSphere Portal Enable

WebSphere Portal Enable provides a platform that can be scaled to accommodate the required set of users. It also provides role-based access that can be adjusted to reflect the required organization structure. You can view, create, and delete users or user groups with the Manage Users and Groups portlet. You can also change group memberships. For more information about this portlet, see the link at the end of the topic to the WebSphere Portal product documentation.