Frequently Asked Questions

Here in the FAQ you can find some context to some of the terminology used. as well as questions we hear more then once.

General Questions, Terms & Concepts

Shadow IT and shadow databases

We often come across IT infrastructure that has not been explicitly vetted by management or the board, and often this sort of situation arises because someone knows a handy piece of software, or just needs to fix a particular need. If you need to connect everything a dashboard might be the solution.

But to explain further; They are not in the light of day, and called “shadow IT” or “shadow databases” While not necessarily bad, it’s better to have a closer look at these situations.

The problem is that these solutions are not on the radar of the people who are responsible for maintaining access, data, and these sorts of things, leading to potential vulnerabilities and leaks that no one at the top is even aware of. These blind spots can be points of ingress for hackers and or other unsanctioned users, or just not comply with local laws, or shift where data falls through.

The phenomenon can be either a spark of initiative that drives the company forward. It’s not always a bad thing to have the flexibility within the organization to adapt, rather than have a very strict and rigid hierarchy; or it can be a potential detriment somewhere down the line. So we leave it up to our customers to decide whether the glass is half full or empty, we just think it’s a phenomenon to be aware of.

How do I know if the software I use has a Database?

What is "bespoke software"

What is a Dashboard?

When is bespoke software a good solution?

Is it cheaper to make a dashboard, or should I buy new software?

What is a Data Silo?

What is 2FA authentication?

What is OpenID Connect?

OpenID Connect is a protocol which allows users to authenticate themselves against an centrally managed identity provider. This a great solution for enterprises with a plethora of applications that their employees use, as it allows identities and roles to be managed from a central location. You may have seen this solution in action via “Connect via Google” or “Log in via Facebook” buttons when logging in to your favorite websites.

Such an authentication setup has multiple benefits, both for users and system administrators. Users do not need to remember a large number of accounts, one for every application they use, with different user names, passwords and possible (hardware) 2FA solutions. Instead, the user only needs to remember a single user name, password and use a single 2FA mechanism. Depending on the implementation, if Single Sign-on (SSO) is supported, users only need to log in once per session to get access to all the applications they need to use. This allows for quick and efficient access, without interruptions.

For system administrators multiple benefits exist as well. By centralizing authentication and authorization, a fractured landscape of accounts and roles is aggregated into one secure environment. This allows for one environment to add and remove user accounts, give users access to applications and enforce 2FA policies. Additionally, using OpenID Connect as an authentication scheme in user applications is more secure as well: as users only enter their credentials in an environment provided by the identity provider, these credentials are not seen by user applications. Instead, they only have access to an authentication token provided by the identity provider, which as limited access. This is crucial in the case of compromised applications: only having access to a token limits access to the compromised system to the roles assigned to the user of that access token, and rejects all access to other applications. This is in contrast with having access to a username and password that can be used in multiple systems.

If your company has implemented a centralized identity provider with support for OpenID Connect, it is well worth the effort to connect applications to secure them and restrict user access

General Security Questions & Topics

Data silos and multiple sources of data cause duplications or inaccurate data representation

A common scenario is also when there are multiple sources of data, that are not necessarily wrong but just have a different point of measurement. Meaning, one might be a bit older. But or looking at the same thing but with a slightly different scope or vantage point. This can be incredibly confusing and or downright detrimental to decision-making.

So, it’s often advisable to sort out what is what, make a hierarchy for these points of data ingestion and put all of this data in a unified dashboard so there is a clear overview. This can be done with a unified dashboard by Dashcoon, we can tailor-make and pull information from various ways safely and securely.

So, it’s often advisable to sort out what is what, make a hierarchy for these points of data ingestion, and put all of this data in a unified dashboard so there is a clear overview. This can be done with a unified dashboard by Dashcoon, we can tailor-make and pull information from various ways safely and securely.

Integration difficulties between new systems and legacy systems

Department-specific software and databases

How can I combine data from two systems

Migrating to a new system, or unifying the data you need in a unified dashboard

Basic Security for a Dashboard

Good Security for a Dashboard

Advanced Security for a Dashboard

Questions about Dashboards

here are some common questions about Dashboards we hear quite often.

Scalability: Can a dashboard be changed or modified in the future?

Yes, new things can be added when you have a new system that is a potential source of information. Or you start to use new SaaS software that has an API that can send out data.

Besides the technical mumbo jumbo, there is an element of UX to the dashboard we like to make for you. Information should be displayed in a unambiguous and clear way, otherwise it can still cause confusion. So jacking in a new system might mean looking at the larger picture again to see how to best fit it in and make it add to the rest of the data instead of detracting from it, but yes technically it’s very much possible.