As a system administrator, managing a large number of distribution lists can be a tedious task. Parsing through email requests and support tickets for adding and/or removing distribution list members, with the occasional approval required from upper management, can easily result in a full day of work!
There is a simple solution to this issue though. Using an Workflow Management (WFM) solution, you can easily deploy a simple Distribution List Management web portal to be access by your end users. Users are automatically authenticated to the portal via windows authentication. Once authenticated, based on security set by the system administrator, a list of available forms will be displayed.
The following is a basic breakdown of how WFM works.
Upon selecting the “Distribution List Management” form, the user is provided with the ability to search and select a number of distribution lists. The search results is configurable and can to be limited based on a specific criteria (ex. Department). With the search results easily displayed in a table format, the user can request access to multiple distribution lists by simply selected from the table.
Once the request has been reviewed and submitted by the user, WFM will intelligently decide if the user can be immediately added to the distribution list or if approval is required. In the case approval is required, the request is automatically assigned to the owner of the distribution list or to a system administrator. This allows the approver to easily review the request and approve/deny.
Once processed, the user who initially submitted the request will receive a notification advising if access to the list has been approved or denied. In addition, the portal can also be configured for multilevel approval if required. Throughout the approval process, the status of any request can be retrieved by going to the “My Requests” section of the portal.
Providing this functionality to your end users will minimize service desk tickets and will also create an audit log within the WFM database, which can be used to generate reports.