Helpdesk operations

Helpdesk Tool


The Helpdesk tool can be used to, verify the accounts of users who call the helpdesk with password related problems, set a new password for the user, and view user statistics. The Helpdesk tool is available to users who are members of the “Specops Password Helpdesk Admins” local security group or have been delegated specific permissions. For more information about delegation, see Delegated Helpdesk security configuration.

User Information

Selecting a user account from the Helpdesk tool will open the User Information tab. From the User Information tab, you can view general information about the user, view enrollment status, and force the user to reenroll.

Verify the user

  1. From the Specops Password Reset Helpdesk tool search for and select a user.
  2. If a mobile phone number is configured for your user, you will have the option to click Send code to send a one-time verification code to the mobile phone.
    • The user should repeat the code they received. The code should match the code that was sent.
    • A third party SMS provider is required to send SMS codes.
  3. If helpdesk challenge question is enabled, the last secret question the user enrolled with is presented to the helpdesk. Repeat the question to the user. Enter their answer and click Verify answer.
    • You can enable helpdesk challenge questions from HKLM\Software\Specopssoft\SpecopsPassword Reset\Server\Domains\preferred domain name\HelpdeskEnableChallengeQuestion. Default value is 0, set to 1 to enable.

Force reenrollment

The Force Reenrollment button can be used to invalidate an existing enrollment, and force the user to reenroll the user to reenroll with the system.

Password Reset

Once the helpdesk has verified the identity of the caller, a new password can be set for the user from the Password Reset tab.

Set a new password for the user

  1. From the Specops Password Reset Helpdesk tool search for and select a user.
  2. Select the Password Reset
  3. You will have the following options:
    • Click Generate Password to automatically create a complex password that matches the password policy of the user. This will put the new password in the New Password Text field.
    • OR

    • Create and enter a new password in the New Password text field.
  4. Click Reset Password to commit the change in Active Directory.
  5. Click Send Password to send the new password in an SMS text message to the user. The user must have a mobile device on file.
NOTE
It is best practice to enable the User much change password at next logon checkbox.

User Statistics

You can view individual statistics for each user from the User Statistics tab. The User Statistics tab displays the full history of system usage for each user, allowing you to identify if the user is using the system appropriately. If a user has performed an excessive amounts of reset, it may be worthwhile to further educate the user about password reset best practices.

Reporting Tool


The Specops Password Reset Reporting tool allows you to track your enrollment process and provides several reports. The reporting page is only accessible to members of the Specops Password Reporting Admin, and “Specops Password Reporting Readers” local security groups on the Specops Password Reset Server.

Enrollment Statistics

The Enrollment Statistics tab shows an overview of the enrollment status for the configured GPOs in your environment. This page can be used to determine if a specific policy is being adapted or whether it is triggering users getting locked out of the system.

Reset Statistics

The Reset Statistics tab shows an overview of the system usage. This can show you how well the system is working. The Reset Statistics tab also displays the number of text messages sent from the system. If your SMS service provider only allows a certain number of credits per month, this will help ensure that you do not run out of credits.

All Users

The All Users tab shows the enrollment information for each individual user. You can export the report data to a CSV format for further processing.

NOTE
The Export All button will export enrollment information for all users.

License Statistics

The license statistics tab shows an overview of your current license information. You can use this tab to ensure that you do not exceed the allowed license count. –

Refresh statistics

You can refresh the statistics by clicking the Initiate new user count button.

Database file

The reporting statistics gathered by Specops Password Reset are stored in an SQL Server Compact database. The database file can be found at the following location on the Specops Password Reset Server: %ProgramData%\Specopssoft\Specops Password Reset\SPRReporting.sdf