Note: The Client Management feature is currently in its beta stage, with several additional components planned in the product roadmap. The client portal functionality aims to offer a high level of customization, enabling MSPs to deliver tailored services to their clients. 

The Client Management module in Zoho IoT enables Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to manage the IoT resources of multiple clients within a single application. Each client can securely access their assigned devices, assets, locations, and related data through the Client Portal without visibility into other clients or the MSP’s internal resources through its multi-tenancy capabilities.

Core Concepts / Terminologies 

1. Client

1. Each building owner, facility manager, or business occupying a building is considered a Client of Zylker Energy.
   
2. These clients rely on Zylker to monitor remotely, analyze, and manage their energy usage using the Zoho IoT platform.
   

  
2. Client Module

1. Create or Edit a Client
   
2. Enable/Disable the Client Portal for the Client
   
3. Mark any Client as Inactive
   
4. Manage Uses for the Client
   
5. Attach files to the Client
   

3. Client Portal 

Note: The MSP user can completely rebrand the portal and sell/provide it as their own application to their clients.

Refer to the Configuring Client Management section for more details.

The portal's user interface can be customized as required.  Refer to the Editing the Client Portal Settings section for more details.

4. Portal Users

Client portal users are linked to a specific portal-enabled client and can only access their data.

1. Client Portal users can be added using the "Manage Users" option, which will be displayed only when the Client Portal is enabled. (Refer to the Client Portal User section for more details)
   
2. A user with the same email ID cannot be duplicated across Clients.
   

 Note: A MSP can create a client without any portal users and manage their assets.    

5. Profiles and Rules

Profiles and rules are key access-control mechanisms that define what a client portal user can view and perform. It helps to control data visibility, ensuring secure, role-based, and context-specific access in the client portal. 

1. Client: Created specifically for individual clients, and can be applied only to users associated with that particular client.
   
2. Common: These are shared configurations that can be applied uniformly to all client portal users, regardless of their client association.
   

Note: The Portal Admin profile is the only system defined common profile available in the application that can be cloned for creating other client profiles. Clients cannot create common profiles and rules.

Ownership

1. Ownership Types 

1. Organization - Entities managed by MSP for internal usage and are not accessible to clients.
   
2. Client - Entities dedicated to a selected client.
   
3. Common - Shared entities managed by the MSP that are currently not accessible for clients.
   

Note: All the managed entities such as gateways, sensors, etc., that were created before client portal config will be associated to the organization. 

 2. Ownership Scenarios  

# Scenario 1– OEMS - MSP managing  multiple clients

1. Organization → covers MSP’s own tools.
   
2. Client → covers client-owned resources.
   
3. Common → covers shared, reference-only locations.
   

Note: All the managed entities such as gateways and sensors stated in the above scenario, that were created before client portal config will be associated to the organization. 

# Scenario 2 – Facility Management - MSP managing multiple tenant

MSP Name: GreenSense Automation

1. Organization → MSP’s own testing or shared operations area.
   
2. Client → Devices and systems fully owned and managed by one client.
   
3. Common → Shared spaces or facilities used by multiple clients but controlled by the MSP.
   

Note: All the managed entities such as HVAC controllers, lighting sensors, and access control devices stated in the above scenario, what were created before client portal configuration will be associated to the organization. 

3. Ownership Types Across Modules 

The following table lists the ownership types to which a module can be associated.

Module	Supported Ownership Type
Devices	Client, Organization
Asset	Client, Organization
Location	Client, Organization, Common
Certificate	Client, Organization
Policy	Client, Organization
Products	Client, Common
Manufacturer	Client, Common
Vendor	Client, Common
Custom Modules having client lookup fields.	Client, Organization

See Also

Working with Client Management