Configuring the Adobe Acrobat Sign environment

Overview

When configuring your Acrobat Sign account, it’s important to remember that settings are inherited in a predictable way. All objects downstream from their parent object will inherit the parent object’s setting by default until explicitly changed.

The account is at the highest level in the customer-facing inheritance structure. All groups inherit their default setting values from the account level. When configuring the account settings, decide if you want to preference your account to either:

• Define the most common values that your groups will employ, reducing the time and complexity of your group configurations.
• Define the most secure settings your processes will demand, reducing the exposure of insecure values being applied if the group isn’t completely configured.

Groups inherit their default settings from the account values until they are edited and overridden at the group level. Users and agreements inherit their default values from the group they are related to, and for the most part, users and agreements don’t allow the granular configuration of these settings. For this reason, the group level is where the successful use of Acrobat Sign is defined. Groups define:

• The default signing parameters for users assigned to the group (as the primary group).
• The default values defined on the Send page when opened.
• The templates and workflows that are available to the user.

Users in Multiple Groups

Accounts that have Users in Multiple Groups enabled have the option to allow users to shift between groups, permitting group-level settings to strongly define the default values for specific document requirements. If you have compliance requirements, consider how discrete groups can be defined to best ensure your agreements meet the compliance requirements with a minimum of configuration by your user base.

Users inherit their default setting values from their primary group. These settings are primarily:

• Signing settings. For example:
  • The authority to sign documents.
  • Self-signing workflows.
  • Requirements to authenticate to Acrobat Sign before applying a signature
• Access controls. For example:
  • Password strength.
  • Login authentication restrictions via IP range.
  • The authority to send agreements.
  • Access to create templates, web forms, and Send in Bulk agreements.
  • Account sharing.

Agreements also inherit their values from the group they are created in. These settings include:

• Default agreement values. For example:
  • Reminders and Expiration dates.
  • Message templates.
  • Authentication methods
• Signature requirements. For example:
  • Electronic vs Digital signatures.
  • Collecting reasons to sign or decline the agreement.
  • Types of signatures allowed (typed, drawn, image)
• Email properties. For example:
  • Localization options.
  • Attaching the audit report.
  • Branding graphics.
• Transaction security. For example:
  • Authenticated access to the audit report.
  • Document password strength
    
  • Document link expiration.

Accessing the configurable settings

Gaining access to the configurable controls depends on the service package you have purchased:

Configuring the Account-level settings

As mentioned previously, the account level settings are inherited by default for all groups, so have a strategy for how you want subsequently created groups to inherit those values.

Configuring the account-level settings requires the user to be an account-level administrator. When logged in as an account admin, you’ll see:

• The Account tab is in the top navigation bar. Selecting the Account tab opens the administrator menu.
• When the admin menu is open, the Account Settings menu tab is available (and opened).
• Global Settings and Account Setup submenu items.

The configurable settings typically exist within the Account Settings menu. The other tabs available usually pertain to managing specific objects (Users, Groups, Workflows, etc.)

Configuring Group-level settings

Group-level configuration can be completed by account admins, or users privileged as group admins. Group-level admins only have the authority to configure their groups and have no access to the account-level settings, nor other groups they may be members of, but to which they are not explicitly granted admin authority.

Accessing the group-level settings requires the admin to navigate to the specific group, open the Group Settings (if more than one group is available), and then enable the override option for the submenu page that is being configured.

When logged in as a group admin, you’ll see:

• The Group tab is in the top navigation bar. Selecting the Group tab opens the administrator menu.
• When the admin menu is open, the Group menu tab is available.
• When the Group tab is open, the Group Settings and Group Setup submenu items.
  • Group Settings aligns with the Account Settings features at the account level.
  • Group Setup aligns with the Account Setup features at the account level.
    • The Account Setup submenu does not contain all of the same settings as the account level.
  • Users in Group aligns with the Users interface at the account level.

Group-level admins that only manage one group open the Group: <Group Name> menu tab automatically, exposing the submenus available for configuration.

To access the group-level settings:

1. Select the Group tab in the top navigation bar.
2. Select any submenu tab to display the secured page of settings.
3. Enable the override to allow access to edit individual settings.
   • If there is no override to enable editing the settings, it's likely that the group admin permissions are locked at the account level.

Administrators that admin more than one group

Administrators that have more than one group under their authority have the additional step of selecting the group before exposing the group-level settings.

To configure the settings for a group when there are multiple groups allowed:

1. Select the Account/Group tab in the top navigation bar. This opens the admin menu.
2. Select the Groups menu from the left rail of options. This displays all groups available to the admin.
3. Select the group to be edited. This exposes the available actions.
4. Select the Group Settings option. This opens the submenu list of group settings.
5. Select the submenu page to edit.
6. Enable the override to allow access to edit individual settings.

Settings that are available at the account level but not at the group level

Most settings are available for configuration at the group level. Below is the list of exceptions sorted by the order they appear in the UI following this format:

Submenu tab

• Settings family
  • Individual setting

In the case that a submenu tab or setting family is listed without individual settings, the entire submenu tab or family is unavailable.

Global Settings

• Library Documents
  • Allow Users to share library documents to account
• Users in Multiple Groups
• Group Administrator Permissions

Account Setup

• Customize company URL
• Add company name
• Set company name for users in account

Electronic Seals

Report Settings

Security Settings

• Single Sign-on Settings
• Remember-me Settings
• Login Password Policy
• Web Session Duration
• Allowed IP Addresses
• PDF Encryption Type
• API
• User and group info access level
• Account Sharing
• Advanced Account Sharing permissions
• Document Link Expiration

Send Settings

• Post Sign confirmation URL redirect
  • Take recipients to Acrobat Sign default confirmation page after they have signed.

Notarization Settings

SAML Settings

SAML Errors

Overview

When configuring your Acrobat Sign account, it’s important to remember that settings are inherited in a predictable way. All objects downstream from their parent object will inherit the parent object’s setting by default until explicitly changed.

The Account is at the highest level in the customer-facing inheritance structure. All Groups inherit their default setting values from the account level. When configuring the account settings, decide if you want to preference your account to either:

• Define the most common values that your Groups will employ, reducing the time and complexity of your Group configurations.
• Define the most secure settings your processes will demand, reducing the exposure of insecure values being applied if the Group isn’t completely configured.

Groups inherit their default settings from the Account values until they are edited and overridden at the Group level. Users and Agreements inherit their default values from the Group they are related to, and for the most part, Users and Agreements don’t allow the granular configuration of these settings. For this reason, the Group level is where the successful use of Acrobat Sign is defined. Groups define:

• The default signing parameters for users assigned to the group (as the primary group).
• The default values that are defined on the Send page when opened.
• The templates and workflows that are available to the User when creating new Agreements.

Users in Multiple Groups

Accounts that have Users in Multiple Groups enabled have the option to allow users to shift between groups, permitting group-level settings to strongly define the default values for specific document requirements. If you have compliance requirements, consider how discrete groups can be defined to best ensure your agreements meet the compliance requirements with a minimum of configuration by your user base.

Users inherit their default setting values from their primary group. These settings are primarily:

• Signing settings. For example:
  • The authority to sign documents.
  • Self-signing workflows.
  • Requirements to authenticate to Acrobat Sign before applying a signature
• Access controls. For example:
  • Password strength.
  • Login authentication restrictions via IP range.
  • The authority to send agreements.
  • Access to create templates, web forms, and Send in Bulk agreements.
  • Account sharing.

Agreements also inherit their values from the group they are created in. These settings include:

• Default agreement values. For example:
  • Reminders and Expiration dates.
  • Message templates.
  • Authentication methods
• Signature requirements. For example:
  • Electronic vs Digital signatures.
  • Collecting reasons to sign or decline the agreement.
  • Types of signatures allowed (typed, drawn, image)
• Email properties. For example:
  • Localization options.
  • Attaching the audit report.
  • Branding graphics.
• Transaction security. For example:
  • Authenticated access to the audit report.
  • Document password strength
    
  • Document link expiration.