Self Service Portal Systems
You can create multiple Self Service Portal systems and then use ASM Designer to give them different skins (branding, fonts, and color schemes) and different menu panels (My Options).
Organizations might desire multiple self-service portals for several compelling reasons, which include:
Departmental Customization - Different departments (HR, Sales, IT, etc.) have unique needs and requirements. Separate portals allow for information and tools specific to each department to be made accessible uniquely, enhancing user experience and productivity.
Targeted User Experiences - Creating distinct portals enables the organization to tailor the user interface, features, and available content to specific groups of users, such as employees, customers, or partners, improving engagement and satisfaction.
Branding and Marketing - Separate portals offer opportunities for customized branding aligned with different services or departmental goals, reinforcing brand identity and values across various user interactions.
Flexibility and Scalability - As organizations grow and evolve, having multiple portals makes it easier to introduce new services, expand functionalities, and customize experiences without disruptive overhauls to a single, monolithic system.
By leveraging multiple self-service portals, organizations can achieve a higher degree of personalization, efficiency, and security, ultimately leading to improved user satisfaction and operational effectiveness.
Alemba Service Manager Self Service Portal Systems
Self Service Portal systems can be renamed, deleted, and restored. Each portal system is defined by its Portal Key. This means you can publish the link using the portal key and ensure the users are directed to the correct portal.
For example, to access the HR portal as seen in the image below, the URL would be
https://your system URL/Portal.aspx?&PORTAL=HR
You do not need to specify a Self Service Portal key or type the URL if you are logging in to the default Portal.
Creating a Self Service Portal system
Select ≡ > Admin > System Administration. The System Administration window appears.
In the Explorer pane, expand Self Service Portal.
Select Self Service Portal Systems to display a browse table of existing systems. You can adjust the column widths if required.
Select the New icon. A new row is added to the browse table.
Complete the details.
Self Service Portal System Name | Type the name of the new system |
Self Service Portal Key | Enter a unique identifier needed in the URL to access the new Self Service Portal. If you specify Self Service Portal Key as SALES, the URL to access this Portal would be: https://your system URL/Portal.aspx?&PORTAL=SALES |
Default | Select to use this as the default Self Service portal system Users will not need to specify Self Service Portal type the URL if they are logging in to the default Portal (https://your system URL/Portal.aspx). |
Display Name | Type the web page title to display in browser tabs and when added to Favorites. Leave blank to use the default web page title "Alemba® Self Service Portal". |
Skin | Select the Skin to use for this system. If you have permission to access to the ASM Designer through your security role, you can change the look and feel of each Self Service portal system by creating personalized Skins. |
Home Page | Select the style of home page, either ASM 10 Default, vFire 9 Default, or the Version 9 Classic Style. |
My Options | Select a menu pane configuration (My Options) for this system. Multiple menu panes can be created and configured in Self Service Portal My Options in System Admin. |
Portal Tables | Select the set of portal tables that you want to use to decide the columns that are displayed and the order in which they are shown. |
Select to save the changes. Provide the Change Reasons if prompted to do so. Once you select the Save icon, the browse table displays the entries in alphabetical order.
If you have permission to access to the Designer through your security role, you can change the look and feel of each Self Service portal system by creating personalized Skins.
Self Service Portal Home Page Styling
When configuring your Self Service Portal System, you have options for the Home page you can select.
Additional pages can be provided by Alemba Professional Services. Contact your Technical Account Manager for more information.
Customization vs. Configuration
While configuring and customizing a Self Service Portal System serve to modify the system's functionality and appearance, there are distinct differences between these two approaches:
Customization involves altering the system's software code to add new functionality or change its behavior. This can be more complex and may require programming skills. For example, creating a new home page and special CSS style sheets involves a customization. Customizations can potentially be more costly to maintain, as they might need to be reapplied or adjusted after system updates.
Configuration, on the other hand, refers to setting various options within the system's existing framework, without altering the code. This could include choosing the Home Page style (ASM 10 Default, vFire 9 Classic), selecting a Skin, configuring menu panes, and defining portal tables. You can also setup personalized Skins via the Designer in the Self Service Portal. Configuration allows users to tailor the system to their needs through a user-friendly interface, typically requiring no programming skills and is easier to maintain through updates.
Example Configurations Available:
Skins and Branding
Layout containers
Table Contents and labels
Menu Options
Widget properties/data
Custom Widgets
Deep Links
Example Customizations:
Custom CSS Style Sheets
Custom Java Scripting
Option 1: ASM 10 Default Home Page
Option 2: vFire 9 Classic
Option 3: vFire 9 Default
Deleting a Self Service Portal System
You cannot delete the system defined Self Service portal system. This is typically called Default, but may have been renamed by your system administrator.
The following error message will appear if you attempt to delete the Static, or System Default Portal:
Select ≡ > Admin > System Administration. The System Administration window appears.
In the Explorer pane, expand Self Service Portal.
Select Self Service Portal Systems to display a browse table of existing systems. You can adjust the column widths if required.
Select the system you wish to delete. Select the Delete icon. If you attempt to delete the system default, you will receive a warning message.
Select Yes to continue or No to cancel.
The deleted Portal System disappears from view, but it is not yet deleted from the system.
Select the Save icon to save the changes. Provide the Change Reasons if prompted to do so.
If necessary, you can reverse the delete using the undelete option.
Restoring a Self Service Portal system
Select ≡ > Admin > System Administration. The System Administration window appears.
In the Explorer pane, expand Self Service Portal.
Select Self Service Portal Systems to open the window.
Select the Deleted option to display deleted Self Service Portal systems.
Select the system from the list.
Select the Undelete Icon. The portal system disappears from view.
Select the Save icon to save the changes. Provide the Change Reasons if prompted to do so.
The Active option is automatically selected and you can see that the portal system has been recovered.
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