Cisco Unity Fundamentals

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4

Unified Communications

Subscribers

Now that you have completed the general setup of the Cisco Unity system, it is time to

begin adding subscribers. A number of options are available not only to the administrator

but also to each subscriber who is added into the Cisco Unity system. This chapter discusses

the features and options that are available to both the administrator and the subscriber.

The subscriber experience with Cisco Unity will be based largely on the manner in which

the system is configured by the administrator at this point. Much of the work that has been

accomplished in getting to this phase of the installation lays the groundwork to support

subscribers. Software add-ons, call routing, system schedules, and all the other aspects of

the system come down to this. The system should be subscriber- and caller-friendly. These

two facets of the overall experience can have a profound effect on the usability of the

system and, of course, on those who must use the system.

Understanding Cisco Unity Global Subscriber

Accounts, Templates, and Settings

Global subscriber settings influence many aspects of Cisco Unity system behavior for

individual subscribers. Changes made in these areas affect many, if not all, subscribers.

There are a number of changes that can be made to an individual subscriber’s account;

however, these changes affect only that one account. There are areas of subscriber settings

that affect a subset of subscribers or that may have a global effect on all Cisco Unity

subscribers. These settings include:

• Account Policy

• Class of Service (COS)

• Public Distribution Lists

• Subscriber Templates

Good planning and preparation can make your administrative task of adding subscribers

much easier. This section focuses on considerations you must keep in mind when planning

and preparing to add subscribers.

98 Chapter 4: Unified Communications Subscribers

To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following prerequisite

skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review of either topic, see Chapter 3, “Setting Up

Cisco Unified Communications,” where you can find more information.)

• A working knowledge of the Cisco Unity System Administrator

• A basic understanding of Cisco Unity setup and configuration

Setting Account Policy

The settings made on the Account Policy page determine telephone password restrictions and

how and when accounts become locked out. By default, the Number setting is set to six invalid

attempts within 30 minutes. A locked-out account is reinstated after 60 minutes. There is also

a setting to allow for “no account lockout.” Each of these settings influences the security of the

system and affects only telephone access to the subscriber’s Cisco Unity account for the Cisco

Unity system over the telephone. The settings have no effect on account policy for other

Microsoft Windows or Exchange servers. When a setting is changed on the Account Policy

page, it takes effect immediately.

Additionally, you can alter the minimum required length of a password. This setting takes effect

for all accounts except those that are permitted a blank password. The last setting, which

governs telephone password history, determines whether subscribers must generate a unique

password each time they change it. You can also simply set the number of unique passwords

that the subscribers need to generate.

It is highly recommended, as a security measure, to require subscribers to set passwords. These

passwords should also expire on a regular basis, thereby forcing subscribers to change their

passwords occasionally. The first setting, Maximum Password Age, is a setting that may not act

in a global fashion. If a system administrator changes the number of days until the passwords

expire, this will change for everyone on the system except those subscribers whose accounts are

set with a password that never expires. The change takes effect immediately and all subscribers

whose accounts do not match the setting are required to make the change at the next login over

the telephone. Be aware that compulsory periodic password changes can cause some

consternation among the subscriber population. Thus, you may need to temper the need for tight

security in consideration of the subscribers’ patience (or lack thereof).

Describing COS

COS is a subgrouping of users who share a collection of common system features and

privileges. This concept of COS is familiar to most telephony installers. Figure 4-1 shows the

COS page.