Feature request poll: "impersonate user"

tford

Following is a description of a feature of our Kentico Content Management System that runs our website:

This feature is VERY handy in user testing since each user's settings are very intricate. This allows very thorough testing and problem solving to be done with the user's EXACT scenario from long distance without asking the user for their password.

So in AwareIM, when you register a new user using Register User function, AwareIM immediately logs you in as that user. At this very basic level, AwareIM has the "impersonate user" functionality. Most of my BSVs pretty complicated & also make extensive use of attributes on LoggedInSystemUser to further personalize the user's experience with the BSV. Trying to duplicate a user's exact scenario become quite a chore, if not impossible. The data a user sees and how it is displayed is often very unique to the individual.

I'm NOT looking for any $ pitch-in for anything like that, so please don't go that route.

Please just provide your feedback as to whether this functionality would be useful to you or not.

Thanks!

BenHayat

tford wrote
I'm NOT looking for any $ pitch-in for anything like that, so please don't go that route.

Thanks!

I agree 100% with above, since it's a VERY poor business tactic. 🙁

But regarding the FR, I wish for that feature every day, even though I'm on development machine and it's a pain switching, and what to speak of, when I go live.

I think it's a "Needed" feature more than just a request. Will it ever materialize? We'll see...

ACDC

Are you serious ? this would be a fatal security breach in my applications. Once a user has a password he needs to be guaranteed of exclusivity to his activity when logged in. That's why the password is encrypted in the database. If any developer on the back-end is able to impersonate a user that could lead to all sorts of security issues.

In my opinion when it comes to resolving a problem with a client login it should by solved by a remote client access with something like teamviewer or as a last resort get the password from the user. Once the user has exposed the password then at least there is a record of this event and the user must be forced to change password on the next login.

yuri.rj

tford wrote
Following is a description of a feature of our Kentico Content Management System that runs our website:
[attachment=0]impersonation feature.png[/attachment]

This feature is VERY handy in user testing since each user's settings are very intricate. This allows very thorough testing and problem solving to be done with the user's EXACT scenario from long distance without asking the user for their password.

So in AwareIM, when you register a new user using Register User function, AwareIM immediately logs you in as that user. At this very basic level, AwareIM has the "impersonate user" functionality. Most of my BSVs pretty complicated & also make extensive use of attributes on LoggedInSystemUser to further personalize the user's experience with the BSV. Trying to duplicate a user's exact scenario become quite a chore, if not impossible. The data a user sees and how it is displayed is often very unique to the individual.

I'm NOT looking for any $ pitch-in for anything like that, so please don't go that route.

Please just provide your feedback as to whether this functionality would be useful to you or not.

Thanks!

This would be amazing
I use this much in JASPERSERVER... They have this feature: LOG IN AS USER

But is not like ACDC is saying...
It keeps saying ADMIN LOGGED IN AS ANOTHERUSERNANE so it's not like you ARE that user... The application know what user are you...

It's difficult to explain this in my poor English...

RLJB

Yes +1 for me too.

We also use another system with this feature and it is a useful feature it cuts support time down. It's not going to use the password of the user, it just impersonates the user - I don't see this as a security risk.

(Having said that, I think getting V7 to work on a smart phone/tablet is more of a priority than impersonate user.)

pbrad

Hi Tom,
I hope that you are well. In one of my client saas apps, I have a scenario where I have Organizations and Companies within those Organizations. I have implemented a method where Organization Users can 'Hot Swap' into any of their companies and essentially become temporary 'Company Users' for their selected company and perform any function that a company user can perform. This is done by manipulating attributes within the user object including their access level and CompanyID and then switching to the appropriate visual perspective. They can then hot swap back into their original organization.

I don't see why this same approach couldn't be used for a user to 'hot swap' into another users profile. Essentially, you are just changing the various options and permissions etc... that you may have assigned for the user that you are emulating. In this case, you would likely want to set up a set of stored attribute values for the various attributes that define the original 'profile' so that you can revert to those settings when you hot swap back into the original user profile.

Cheers,
Pete

customaware

I do a similar thing in my Absence Management System
whereby some people on the system do not have access to a
computer or an email address.
So, particular users are assigned to a coordinator as "Proxies"
and then the Coord can enter Proxy mode for any of their assigned "Proxies"
and while in that mode, it appears as if they are logged in as that user.

Took a bit of gymnastics but works very well.