For customers that own a CMS based website such as WordPress, a wide range of content can be managed by logging into the website admin section.
Access Levels Explained
- Customer / Subscriber: Usually this is for your customers.
- Contributor / Author: A basic level of admin access to e.g. write blog posts.
- Editor: access to most basic functions (cannot install plugins)
- Shop Manager: access to Editor level, plus ecommerce data (cannot install plugins)
- Admin Team: Access to all functions, except Super Admin;
- Super Admin: Access to everything.
With the Editor role, you can easily manage most aspects of your site's content - for example page content, images, text, news posts or blogs and the like. If you need a bit more access e.g. to install plugins and manage other settings, we can offer the Admin Team level. With Admin Team level, you will be accepting responsibility for any errors or issues that you cause and we will charge to fix any such errors.
Is Access Restricted?
Where you have contracted Purple Dog to manage your website security and maintenance updates (e.g. if you are a Club Purple member - or if you have a similar ongoing maintenance contract with us), access is usually restricted to the "Editor" or Admin Team or similar role level, depending on the exact nature of the site setup.
Access to the core CMS functionality (Super Admin) is removed in order for us to be able to deliver our SLA and:
- Simplify the owner's overall experience of running the site;
- Prevent complications or issues occurring as a result of inadvertent changes;
- Enable us to provide a consistent level and quality of service;
- Provide an enhanced level of security.
Do I need Super Admin Level Access?
With WordPress for example, there are millions of "plugins" and "themes" that can be added to a site. Literally anybody can upload a plugin or theme to the WordPress directly for others to use - and in some ways this has contributed to the success of this prodigious Open Source platform. Whilst this sounds exciting, unfortunately the vast majority of these are unregulated (not tested by any centralised body to ensure quality). In our experience, we have discovered that a shockingly high number of these add-ons are poorly programmed which can cause interoperability issues, performance conflicts and potentially, can expose your site to security vulnerabilities (hacking, privacy breaches, spam).
Your site has been carefully set up and is regularly tested to work in a very specific manner, using carefully chosen settings and configurations. In the case of an eCommerce site (e.g. WooCommerce or other Booking Software), the settings are particularly sensitive. Making untested modifications to any settings can have unintended consequences and can result in your site being unstable or not functioning in the manner you expected. It is so very easy to make a change that can affect the overall operation of the site and sometimes, it is not at all easy to revert these changes. We say this from years of experience, not simply to fob you off.
What if I really want / need Super Admin Level Access
In 99% of cases, customers do not need full Super Admin level access to manage the content of their site. With the Editor or Admin Team role, you should be able to accomplish a wide range of content management tasks. Please take some time to consider why you really need Super Admin level access. If you need to have a specific job undertaken that requires Super Admin level access and we have a maintenance contract with you, it will be far simpler and easier for you to have us undertake that for you. If you have a management plan, often that's at no additional cost.
We have found that it is impossible for us to properly manage a website where a customer has full admin level access. We simply have no control over what changes / additions / modification etc are made and who has been given access to source codes etc - meaning we cannot warrant the site. Therefore, if you really must insist on having admin level access, we can provide this to you, on the following basis;
- Any maintenance, security or other ongoing support (management) obligations (SLAs) we have to you shall become void;
- We may choose to continue to deliver part or all of any existing management service to you, but without any guarantee that these will be effective or work correctly;
- Where licensed or "protected" source code, copyright software or other IP exists at the admin level that we are not obliged to provide access to, we reserve the right to either restrict access to it, remove / move ore relocate them and in doing so, this could cause some performance issues (although we will do our best to avoid any such issues);
- Any problems that develop on your site following your admin level access being provided will be entirely your responsibility;
- We reserve the right to decline to provide any further assistance following our provision of Admin Level access;
- Any further assistance that we choose to provide will be charged at our Standard Rates (please enquire for current rates);
- Emergency assistance may not be available, and if it is, it will be charged at the Non-maintained Emergency Rate (please enquire for current rates);
- Warranties, guarantees and SLA may no longer apply.
Admin level access requires very careful consideration and the utmost care should be taken when making any changes - especially for a complex site (e.g. where any eCommerce, API or associated / related software is installed). We strongly encourage you to reconsider why you need access. If you still really want or need access, please open a support ticket.