External Mobile User accounts for contractors

[MelanieWawryk]

We are increasingly being asked to create apps to track work being done by contractors doing work for the municipality. Currently, we need to create an account for them under our organization. We would prefer that they pay for a mobile user account and not be part of our organization. They don't need their own organization just an account for whoever is using the app. We don't want them to have access to our organization just the apps we give them access to and we don't want the accounts to come out of our ELA numbers, they can purchase them separately. I think if Esri created a public paid mobile account and then allowed organizations to add them to groups using the username that would solve our issue. They wouldn't be able to create anything in AGOL just access apps that have been made for them.

[MelanieWawryk]

Basically, the individual user account needs a paid mobile worker option that doesn't require an organization. This is for small company workers doing things like tree-stumping, lighting repairs or rink setups. They don't have a GIS department and aren't particularly computer savvy so maintaining and managing an organization is too much for them. We want them to update what they are doing through a field maps app that we provide to them. (*** This would have been better when tracking wasn't included in mobile worker, we don't need them to create tracks just update data. We want a way for them to easily pay for a user account so they can use an app that we create by inviting them to the group.

Even if we had to run the side organization with one creator and there was a way to allow them to individually purchase mobile workers, that would be fine too, we just don't want to have to collect the money for their licenses and don't want their numbers to come out of our license.

[LindsayRaabe_FPCWA]

Our organisation is just starting to look at something like this too. One option is to get Contractors to pay for the licenses they need, but as you state, they aren't all tech savvy enough to run their own AGOL organisation. So that then leaves us as the intermediaries. I know it's possible to setup a user type (or Role?) that doesn't have access to content shared to the Org and instead only content shared to a group/s they're a member of. We would then be responsible for managing license acquisition and forwarding on charges associated to them. 

A solution like what you've proposed (single user license without attached organisation) that can be added to an organisations group would be a simpler way of allowing us to invite external members and handling license payments, however I can see where the issues still arise around account security settings, preferences, role types and all the flexibility that comes with the organisation settings. 

[Kyndabyt]

You can explore creating partnered collaborations in ArcGIS Online to address these needs. Contractors will have access to only what is added to their organization .

https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/administer/create-partnered-collaboration.htm

[MelanieWawryk]

We thought about this and know it will work with larger engineering firms and developers but for smaller contractors that aren't super computer literate, it will be too much for them. They would be creating and running an organization for one person stumping trees or a similar non-techy job. We are thinking about running a separate organization for our contractors but managing the licensing seems overly complicated. Ideally, people could purchase a mobile user license independently much like the public license and then be invited to one or more organizations. The billing for the mobile license would go to them and the contractor could work for multiple cities with their mobile license without the overhead of an organization. The organization could either add them to their organization or run a side organization just for contractors. (or Esri could build in an optional side organization for people you want to do work but you want to make sure they don't have access to any other content)

[LindsayRaabe_FPCWA]

@MelanieWawryk You may also want to consider creating a custom role within your existing organisation which doesn't permit viewing of content shared to the organisation. This way you avoid needing a 2nd org but can restrict contractor users to only the groups they're a member of. 

[Kyndabyt]

I think that might still defeat the purpose since group members created with a custom role within your existing organization will count towards the Enterprise License Agreement numbers.

[LindsayRaabe_FPCWA]

@Kyndabyt Yes, fair enough. It would do that still. 

[ChelseaRozek]

Our workaround has been Hub Premium for creating users for partner organizations and volunteers who need access to non-public maps and apps. I realize the cost is prohibitive to many organizations, though.

[RTPL_AU]

@MelanieWawryk  an added expansion of the idea / comment / hurdle is the current 'feature' of ArcGIS Online that a single user organisation cannot enable multi-factor authentication.  You also cannot set up the first user with an external auth such as Google or Facebook. 

If Esri deems this idea useful (I hope as this scenario comes up regularly and small non-spatial businesses are not catered for)  then they will also improve the security for regular 1 user account organisations.

When bringing non-tech-savvy contractors in, knowing they have good security protocols in place when they access your valuable data is quite important these days 🙂