New Account Creation

By default, a New Account button appears on the log-in page that users can click to create or sign up for a new account.

Administrators can customize how new user accounts are created. 

If you are enabling FileCloud users to create new accounts when sharing with external individuals, and SMS 2FA is enabled, you must add a setting that allows the user to enter the individual's phone number with the share. To add the setting, see the section Enable Two Factor Authentication for User Portal (Global setting) in Two-Factor Authentication.

Who can create and approve accounts

New account settings

SettingLocationOptionsDescription
Show New Account ButtonCustomization > General > Login 

ENABLED = Displays New Account button on user log-in page. opens a window for the user to type in new account information

DISABLED = Hides New Account button on user log-in page.

This setting determines whether the New Account button appears on the user portal log-in page.

If enabled, this setting works with two other settings to determine authentication and approval permissions:

  • Allow Account Signups
  • Automatic Account Approval

Allow account signupsAdmin settings page

Specifies if a user can or cannot create a new FileCloud user account from the login page. by choosing:

  • Default
  • True
  • False

Can Create an Account

Prerequisite: Show New Account Button  = Enabled

Default = AD and LDAP users can create their own accounts by logging in to the user portal (they do not have to click the New Account button).

  • Active Directory authentication allowed
  • LDAP authentication allowed
  • Local users (who are not using AD or LDAP authentication) cannot create their own accounts.


True = Local users can create their own accounts

  • Local users (who are not using AD or LDAP authentication) can create their own accounts by clicking the New Account button when they initially log in.
  • Active Directory authentication not allowed
  • LDAP authentication not allowed

Cannot Create an Account

False = No users can create their own accounts

  • If the New Account button is enabled, and the user clicks it, an error message indicates that new account creation is not allowed.

This setting controls if the user can create a new account. By default, the account is disabled until an administrator approves it. If you want the account to be automatically approved, use the Automatic Account Approval setting.

Do I choose Default or True?

Default

  • If you are using AD or LDAP authentication.
  • You want to allow your AD users to create their own FileCloud user accounts. After you import AD or LDAP user accounts into FileCloud, instruct the users to log in using their AD or LDAP credentials and on first login FileCloud will automatically create their new FileCloud accounts.
    Note: If you are not using AD or LDAP authentication, users cannot create their own accounts.

True

  • If you are NOT using AD or LDAP authentication
  • You want to allow your users to create their own user accounts by clicking the New Account button. By default, the account is disabled until an Administrator approves it.
    Note: If you are using AD or LDAP authentication, AD or LDAP users can create accounts which do not use their AD credentials by clicking the New Account button.

Automatic Account Approval

Admin settings page

(Default) No automatic approval. Admin has to approve account.

Automatically approve new accounts to Full User

Automatically approve new accounts to Guest User

Automatically approve new accounts to External User

(lightbulb)  If the total number of licenses has been reached, share invitations to new users are blocked unless Automatic Account Approval is set to Automatically approve new accounts to External User.

Prerequisites:

  • New Account = ENABLED
  • Allow Account Signups = Default or True

This setting determines:

  • If the account created by the user is disabled until the Administrator approves it
  • If the account is approved with a specific level of access automatically without intervention from the Administrator.

(lightbulb)  For smaller organizations or high security sites, you can configure this option so that when a user creates a new account it is disabled until it is approved by the administrator.

(lightbulb)  For larger organizations, it might not be practical to have the administrator approve every account created and you can use the automatic account approval settings.

Scenarios

FileCloud supports the ability to customize the creation of user accounts in the following ways:

    • Only an Administrator can create new user accounts.
    • Users can create their own account but it is disabled. An administrator approves it or denies approval by deleting it.
    • Users can create and approve their own accounts. 
      • With a default level of access set by an administrator.
      • When Share invitations are sent to new users. 
    • AD or LDAP users can create a new FileCloud account different from their AD or LDAP credentials.

Only an Admin can create (or deny) User accounts

  1. The administrator enables the account in the Admin Portal on the Users page by changing the user's status from Disabled Access to one of the enabled access statuses.
  2. The user receives a Welcome email with the account credentials and user portal URL.

Note: An administrator denies approval by deleting a user account. In this case the user receives an email to inform them that the account has not been approved.


Customization settings, Login tab

(error) New Account button = DISABLED

Admin settings

(error) Allow Account Signups = False

(error) Automatic Account Approval = No automatic approval. Admin has to approve account.

The scenarios where a user can create a new FileCloud account are described in Table 3.

Users can create their own accounts

Users can create their own accounts

The Admin must approve the accounts

(lightbulb) This scenario can also be used to allow new users to create an account when a Share invitation is sent.


Users can create their own accounts

Users can approve their own accounts

(lightbulb) This scenario can also be used to allow new users to create an account when a Share invitation is sent.


Active Directory or LDAP Users create a new FileCloud account different from their AD or LDAP credentials

The Admin can configure the approval process

(warning) This scenario does not work for AD and LDAP users. Refer to the specific scenarios and settings for AD and LDAP users.

  1. The Administrator configures the User Search Mode.
  2. The Administrator configures New Account Creation settings.
  3. The Administrator provides the user with the URL for the User Portal OR an invitation to create a new account is sent when a user shares a folder or file.
  4. The User accesses the user portal from a Web browser, mobile device, or FileCloud client app.
  5. On the user portal login window, the user clicks the New Account button.
  6. The user enters details in the account creation fields.
  7. The account is created but is disabled by default.
  8. The Admin will be notified about the new account.
  9. The Admin will approve the account.
  10. The Admin will set the user account type to Full or Guest.
  11. The user will receive an account creation email using the email address provided during account creation.
  12. The user is required to verify the email account to complete the account creation process.

(warning) This scenario does not work for AD and LDAP users. Refer to the specific scenarios and settings for AD and LDAP users.

  1. The Administrator configures the User Search Mode.
  2. The Administrator configures New Account Creation settings.
  3. The Administrator provides the user with the URL for the User Portal OR an invitation to create a new account is sent when a user shares a folder or file.
  4. The User accesses the user portal from a Web browser, mobile device, or FileCloud client app.
  5. On the User Portal Login window, the user clicks the New Account button.
  6. The user enters details in the account creation fields.
  7. The account is created and is granted access of a Full, Guest, or External User as set by the Administrator in Settings > Admin.
  8. The Admin is notified about the new account.
  9. The user will receive an account creation email using the email address provided during account creation.
  10. The user is required to verify the email account to complete the account creation process.
  1. The Administrator configures the Authentication Type as Active Directory or LDAP.
  2. The Administrator imports AD or LDAP user accounts into FileCloud.
  3. The Administrator provides the user with the URL for the User Portal.
  4. The User accesses the user portal from a Web browser, mobile device, or FileCloud client app.
  5. On the User Portal Login window, the user clicks the New Account button.
  6. The user enters details in the account creation fields.
  7. The account is created and is either disabled OR granted access of a Full, Guest, or External User as set by the Administrator in Admin settings.
  8. The Admin is notified about the new account.
  9. The user will receive an account creation email using the email address provided during account creation.
  10. The user is required to verify the email account to complete the account creation process.

Settings, Users settings

(tick) User Account Search Mode = Exact Email with Implicit Account Invite OR Exact Email with Explicit Account Invite

Settings, Authentication settings

(tick) Authentication Type = DEFAULT

Customization settings, Login tab

(tick)  New Account button = ENABLED

Settings, Admin settings

(tick)  Allow Account Signups = True

(error) Automatic Account Approval = No automatic approval. Admin has to approve account.

Settings, Users settings

(tick) User Account Search Mode = Exact Email with Implicit Account Invite OR Exact Email with Explicit Account Invite

Settings, Authentication settings

(tick) Authentication Type = DEFAULT

Customization settings, Login tab

(tick)  New Account button = ENABLED

Settings, Admin settings

(tick)  Allow Account Signups = True

(tick) Automatic Account Approval = Automatically approve new accounts to Full, Guest, or External User

Set Create account on new user share to true in the policy.

Settings, Authentication settings

(tick) Authentication Type = ACTIVE DIRECTORY or LDAP

Customization settings, Login tab

(tick) New Account button = ENABLED

Settings, Admin settings

(tick) Allow Account Signups = Default

(info) Automatic Account Approval = any value  

The scenarios where FileCloud automatically creates a new user account are described in Table 4.

FileCloud automatically creates a new FileCloud account for Active Directory or LDAP Users on First Login

  1. The Administrator configures the Authentication Type as Active Directory or LDAP.
  2. (Optional) The Administrator imports AD or LDAP user accounts into FileCloud.
  3. The Administrator provides the user with the URL for the User Portal.
  4. The User accesses the user portal from a Web browser, mobile device, or FileCloud client app.
  5. On the User Portal Login window, the user enters their AD or LDAP username and password.
  6. FileCloud uses the AD or LDAP credentials to automatically create a FileCloud account for that user.

Settings, Authentication settings

(tick) Authentication Type = ACTIVE DIRECTORY or LDAP

Customization settings, Login tab

(tick) New Account button = ENABLED

Settings, Admin settings

(tick) Allow Account Signups = Default

(tick) Automatic Account Approval = Automatically approve new accounts to Full or Guest User.


Also in this section: