BCC Affirmatic for Domino

The Challenge

Built-in tools in Notes/Domino administration generally provide insufficient support for the complex workflows of user, group, or database management. Employees with high qualifications and far-reaching access rights are forced to carry out numerous individual steps manually, document some of them by hand, and repeatedly consult with end users. Today's security and compliance requirements are also not adequately met by standard Domino administration procedures.

Affirmatic for Domino (formerly BCC AdminTool) automates user and group management for HCL Domino, provides audit-proof traceability, and reduces administration costs.

It makes your administration processes simpler, faster, and more secure. The broad functional scope, the architecture continuously developed over more than 10 years, and near-unlimited flexibility make Affirmatic for Domino the ideal complement for identity and access management in your HCL Domino environment.

Affirmatic for Domino streamlines Domino identity and directory management with a proven, server-based framework

Processes and Workflows

Affirmatic for Domino provides a process-oriented environment for managing Notes/Domino users, groups, and mail-in databases. It covers the entire process, from a new user request, through approval, group assignment, and granting of database access, all the way to configuring the Lotus Notes client. Affirmatic for Domino enables order-based automation of processes, order verification prior to execution, and seamless monitoring, logging, and error notification. It can be fully configured for individual requirements and processes, including multi-domain environments. 

Domino User Lifecycle 

Affirmatic for Domino enables automation and monitoring of all user management processes, e.g. import or creation of new users, name and certifier changes, ID renewal, home server relocation, suspension, deletion, archiving, restoration, and password recovery. 

Managing Groups and Mail-In Databases 

All tasks involved in managing these objects are supported and automated by AdminTool, including delegation functions, provisioning of request forms and approval workflows, e.g. creation, renaming, deletion, and attribute modification, whether permanent or temporary (i.e. for a defined period). 

Integration with External Systems 

The highest degree of automation for your Domino user management is achieved through integration with enterprise-wide identity management systems. AdminTool allows connection to numerous systems, e.g. personnel management (SAP R/3, SAP HR, RACF, etc.), LDAP (MS Active Directory, MetaDir), identity and access management/IAM (IBM Tivoli Identity Manager, Siemens Metadirectory, Novell e-directory, SUN Identity Management), as well as to existing Lotus Notes databases. 

Support for Infrastructure Projects 

Affirmatic for Domino reliably supports bulk changes as part of infrastructure projects such as server consolidations, but also as a result of organizational changes such as mergers or renaming, quickly, securely, and cost-effectively. 

Delegation and Distributed Responsibility 

Organizations can hand off individual user management tasks to a help desk or to end users themselves. No technical know-how or administrative rights in the Domino Directory are required, just a web browser. The complete separation of user management from Domino administration ensures compliance with security standards for processes and helps meet audit requirements. IDs and passwords are stored and distributed separately.

With Affirmatic for Domino administrative activities do not require access to certifier IDs. These are imported once and stored in encrypted form. The risk of unauthorized use or disclosure of these sensitive files is minimized, since every access is logged and is only possible through Affirmatic. All generated user IDs are likewise stored encrypted. Access to the automatically generated random passwords is handled separately and is available only to designated password administrators.

Detailed Documentation 

Affirmatic for Domino logs every security-relevant action in detail. All requests and configuration changes are recorded in a traceable manner, providing reliable documentation for audit and verification purposes. 

Monitoring and Extended Management 

Affirmatic also provides additional administration functions, e.g. event-based monitoring of the AdminP process, an EventEngine for user-defined actions during request execution, and functions for "cleaning up" the Domino Administration Database (admin4.nsf).

Secure Management of Domino Objects

With Affirmatic for Domino, administrative activities do not require access to certifier IDs. These are imported once initially and stored in encrypted form. The risk of unauthorized use or disclosure of these sensitive files is minimized, since every access is logged and only possible through Affirmatic. All generated user IDs are likewise stored encrypted. Access to the automatically generated random passwords is separate and available only to designated password administrators. 

Lower Total Cost of Ownership

Replaces manual, ad hoc Domino administration with standardised, automated workflows, cutting administration costs and reducing total cost of ownership across the environment.

Why BCC Affirmatic for Domino?

• Reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) through standardized processes (organizational and technical) and automated workflows
• Meet business requirements in day-to-day administration and infrastructure projects
• Establish process security through defined standards and audit-proof documentation
• Close security gaps by improving system and process security
• Delegate user management tasks to other departments through strict separation of responsibilities
• Simplify the system landscape through complete automation when connecting to external systems