|
Platform Feature |
Description |
| Multiple Applications/Portals
|
The Spark Platform
provides an access, security, database structure, and
rendering model to support multiple Applications/Portals.
|
| Multi-Company
Support |
The Spark Platform
provides a database structure that supports the definition
of multiple client companies. Access to specific Application/Portal
functionality as well as data can be granted or denied
at a client company level. |
| Multi-Group
Support |
The Spark Platform
provides a database structure that supports the definition
of multiple Groups. Groups can be defined to either span
client companies or only be associated with a specific
company. Access to specific Application/Portal functionality
as well as data can be granted or denied at a Group level.
|
| Link Objects
|
The core of
the Spark Platform is a database structure and tools that
support the definition of many different types of link
objects. A link can be a portal application, menu item,
document, URL, text/html content, image, application script,
application sub-script, application script function, content
category, etc. This is not the entire list of current
link types and it is easily expandable. Links are joined
together to form hierarchical trees and establish their
relationships to one another. Access to all link objects
for the purposes of rendering as applies to a link of
type menu item or document or for the purposes of execution
as applies to a link of type application script function
can be controlled at the application/portal level, portal
group level, company level and company group level. |
| Security |
Security is
achieved through security includes in each application
script that validates link object permissions against
authentication information stored at the session level.
Roles and their privileges can be defined and are extensible
to groups of users that may include the host company,
clients, third parties and developers. These roles include
the ability to delegate privileges to subordinate roles.
|
| Menu System
|
Menu System
modules that render primary, secondary, tertiary, etc.
menu items based on an access filter that assures you
only see what you have access to see. |
| Authentication
|
Authentication
information is submitted via an HTML form and validated
against authentication information in the database. The
administration tool to setup user authentication information
creates strong passwords. Support for passwords delivered
via voice or email that must be changed upon access to
the system. Group authentication based on security key
generated by administrator allows self-registration functionality.
Cookie support to minimize need for entering authentication
information every time. Challenge phrase logic in the
event you’ve forgotten your password. Account freezes
for invalid password attempts.
Company defined password change time frames and logic.
|
| Administrative
Tools |
User management
tools manage the user demographic, authentication information,
company and group membership functions. They also facilitate
the administrative access level and companies and groups
the user is allowed to administer.
Company management tools manage the company demographics,
group membership, user membership and permission functions.
Site setup management tools manage the initial Client
company setup, which would normally involve the manual
setup of all permissions within the system. The Spark
Platform provides the ability to create Template Companies
that can be used to facilitate quick setup for related
companies.
Permissions management tools manage access to link objects
at the Application/Portal, Portal Group, Company, and
Company Group levels.
Script maintenance tools manage scripts used within the
Platform application. Scripts are tied together in logical
groupings for security and organization. Function management
tools are available for functions within scripts. This
allows for tight security to specific functionality within
scripts.
Application/Portal setup and maintenance tools. Ability
to create more than one Portal and define all of the link
objects within the system that relate to a specific Portal.
Portal Group as well as Company Group management tools.
Because of the granular level of security, a subset of
administrative functionality can be extended to clients.
|
| Session Management
|
Session management
is based on the use of memory-based session variables.
Therefore, load-balancing solutions in a web-farm environment
will require session-based load balancing. Session variable
definition is consistent within all scripts, which would
allow an easy and straightforward way to replace memory-based
session variable functions with disk-based (RDBMS, LDAP,
file system) session variable functions. This would enable
the use of request-based load balancing if necessary.
|
| Usage Logging
|
Authentication
logging both successful and unsuccessful.
Individual object or link level logging for individual
access.
Ability to turn on or off at Platform level. |
| Error Logging
|
Error logging for application
errors. Errors are trapped and kept hidden from user.
Any transactional information rolled back to prevent data
errors. User is warned of error. |
| Personalization
|
User customization abilities
to control features of menus and views such as on or off
and ordering. Platform administrators have the ability
to designate objects as non-administrable. |
| Infrastructure
Support |
Code base has been developed
to take advantage of an infrastructure that includes multiple
web/app servers as well as clustered database servers.
Code-base is written to run on Microsoft NT4.0/WIN2K,
IIS 5.0, SQL Server7.0/2000 platform. |
| Aliasing |
The ability for the help desk
to be able to view the system as the user views it via
an aliasing function in order to help solve problems and
bugs. |
| Content Management
|
Category maintenance functionality
that provides the ability to grow and prune a hierarchical
content category tree.
Content maintenance functionality that provides the ability
to assign content to one or more categories on the content
category tree as well as update content title, abstract,
keywords, content type, review/expiration dates, etc.
Add/Create Content functionality that provides the ability
to add content of type URL, text/html or document. When
adding content of type document, it is also virus scanned
as part of the upload process to prevent the spreading
of a virus.
Permissions maintenance to allow the granting/revoking
of view and/or administrative access to content categories
as well as individual pieces of content. Since categories
as well as content items are simply just another type
of link object within the Spark Platform, security is
handled the same way it is for any other type of link
object and therefore is tightly integrated.
Because of the granular level of security, a subset of
content administrative functionality can be extended to
clients. Client content is stored within a separate client
content tree and is segregated from other client content.
Search tools provide mechanism to search for content within
the content tree based on an access filter to assure you
can only search for what you have access to. |
| Language
Support
|
Ability to have menus display
in multiple languages. |
| Deletion/Archival
Management |
Archival and deletion of data
that is variable based on client requirements. |
| Email |
Modules to provide server-side
email functionality as needed within an Application/Portal.
|
