Guide to Using the Console

Using the Console

The following is a guide to using the Identity Finder Console as well as an example workflow for identifying potential sensitive information and working with users to remove it. If you are an Information Steward and your department would like to opt in to using the system, contact Information Security for more information and log-in credentials. To add end users to the console, they must have the latest edition of Identity Finder (configured for the console) on their computer. Information Stewards or their FSPs can install the software on end-user computers from this file, which can be entered into the Windows Explorer browser: \\titan.tufts.ad.tufts.edu\software$\FSP\IdentityFinder\IdentityFinder Endpoint Clients for FSPs. 

To begin, navigate to the Identity Finder Console page at https://identityfinder.uit.tufts.edu/Console/ and log in.

Once you have logged in select your division from the left hand column. Identity Finder refers to these group names as "Tags." Here you can view all the computers currently reporting Identity Finder results from your group to the console.

Click on the group name and a list of results for the individual computer will open. If there are results you recognize as false positives, you can remove them from the list. This will help you get a better sense of who has sensitive data and if you should be talking to that particular user. Right click to choose "Remove" and then "Exclude Rows".

 

You will then be prompted to choose the rows you wish to exclude.

Similarly, you can delete rows that were generated in older scans or false positives. To delete rows, highlight the section you would like to delete and select "Delete Rows." This will permanently remove those results from your console; if the same files are still on the end-users' computers, they will repopulate in the next scan. 

If you do not wish to delete old results but only want to view results from the most recent scan, select the "Filter by Date" option and then choose the time period which you wish to view.

Once you have filtered the results to include only those which you believe contain sensitive data, call the end-user or users to notify them. You can give them the file locations so that they can view the files and choose to keep or delete them. Users are not required to remove the information from their computers.

Exporting Results and Scheduling Routine Scans

Remembering to run scans every month or quarter might be difficult. There is an option in Identity Finder to export results to a CSV file on a regular schedule. Though this will not give you access to the full functionality of the console, it is a convenient option. Receiving the export could also serve as a reminder to log into the console to review the results. To export a scan, first go to the Results tab and click Export.

Then enter the output name, email address, and subject for the email. Choose CSV as the output format. This will allow you to open the files in MS Word, Excel, or other text editors. After the form is complete, click "Schedule"

This will allow you to set a particular day and time that you would like to run the scans. Be sure to pick a day of the month or Identity Finder will scan every day. If you do not want to scan monthly, click on the ellipsis and choose the months in which you would like to scan. Information Security recommends running monthly or quarterly scans, as shown here.