Giving Outsourced Staff access to accounts

[Mike Murphy]

How do you Warriors handle allowing access to your cpanel and ftp log in info for outsourced staff?

I have had a website designed for a client (my wife :-) and it will be hosted on my server.

The designer needs access to my ftp and cpanel in order to upload it and tweak it. Once we know each other better it won't be a big deal, I'm just leery to give up the info with all the other stuff in there.

Can I create a password just for the one site so they only have access to the site they're working on?

Someone else mentioned just giving them access and then changing the password after but that seem like allowing a bull into a china shop and then locking the door behind him when he leaves. :-)

Thanks
Mike

[Janet Sawyer]

Hi Mike,

You can just make a new ftp user and password and allow them access to the part of the site you set permissions to.

Once they have completed the works, just delete their ftp access.

If they need access to the root, say they have to create a database for example, then change the password that you use now to a temporary one and again once they have completed the works change it back to the one you used orginally.

Personally, I find most outsourcers are quite trustworthy.

[Mike Murphy]

Ok, I'm good with that. Now the area that I want to allow them access to is an add on domain.

How do I set that up? I can see the domain in question in the public_html folder of my main ftp account...

[Riz]

Hi Mike,

If you are with hostgator your best bet is to use their 'Live chat' function and they should be able to help you then and there.

If you are not with hostgator, or if your hosting provider does not have a 'live chat' function then you can always use their support function.

Sorry i cannot be of anymore help but all the technical side of my business is handled by someone else.

Riz

Originally Posted by Mike Murphy

Ok, I'm good with that. Now the area that I want to allow them access to is an add on domain.

How do I set that up? I can see the domain in question in the public_html folder of my main ftp account...

[Mike Murphy]

Yep...with Hostgator and going to the chat now.

I think I've got it but want to be sure.

Thanks all
Mike

Edit: Got it...just had to reset the password (slaps forehead)

[seasoned]

Frankly, most American consultants DON'T do such things, and are subject to US laws, ESPECIALLY if YOU are in the US, and Canada is probably the same. BUT, and I won't bother saying the country, I found at least one popular country where EVEN those coming to the US feel that it is OK to do things the US finds illegal, etc... If they find a job that they figure is better for them EVEN in the short term, they will often leave you HIGH AND DRY with NO transition. They see NO problem with copying copyrighted info, and passing it off as something you can resell. HECK, I got my aortic problem after having to WORK, instead of my vacation, because of one such person. That jerk may be the SOLE reason for my problems now. I wish he were properly reported. He should have been deported and BANNED from ever coming back, and possibly even fined, due to fraud and violations of his visa.

Although not the same, I would suggest setting up a special account that they could use as if they were running their OWN site.

Steve

[bazzais]

I would set up an separate ftp account pasword and login.

And also check all code once uploaded line by line.

ta

Baz

[Brad Spencer]

I have an assistant in the Phillipines who I trust wholeheartedly. Paypal and other financial stuff has built in IP and "country" (I don't know the tech) trackers so they froze my account for a few hours til I called them and told them my assistant was doing work for me and gave the PP guy the info on his location and IP.

As far as CPanel and all that, if you don't trust the person who is designing the site why did you pay them to do the work?

I mean personally, I work 100% on personal recommendation and trust of friends, family, and colleagues. I don't hire anyone without them first being vetted by someone else who I trust.

This is why I give my login info to my assistant b/c he passed all these tests. I understand your concern Mike but at the same time you'll never build a huge business if you don't trust a few people...good to be smart but if you don't trust someone who is building a site with your site login info you've got the wrong guy

If you want, send me a PM and I can put you in touch with a few good computer people and if you want a VA who is skilled and inexpensive then I can give you the contact info of my source for Filipino VAs (who come trained and ready to work).

Best wishes and enjoy Thanksgiving (I'm stuffed and sleepy).

Cheers,

Brad Spencer

[zapseo]

Okay -- first of all, people who tell you to just set up another ftp account didn't read what you asked carefully enough.

Because, guess what? If someone can log into your cpanel, it doesn't matter! They have access to the whole account.

What do you do to secure your site?

It depends upon what you want done.

It depends upon what you need to secure, as well.

TRUST is a huge piece of the puzzle.

That's why choosing people who have a track record, people who have something to lose in the way of reputation if they mess with you, is a good strategy.

As someone said, getting referrals is a good choice, as well.

On the whole, though, most people are fairly trustworthy. Unfortunately, it only takes an encounter with 1 who isn't to truly mess up your world.

And even recommendations from friends can be faulty -- look at all the victims of Bernie Madoff.

Some other alternatives:
1. find out what they need done in cpanel, and do it yourself.
(If this is a script install, people will usually need cpanel access in order to create
a database for the script to use...creating a database isn't hard in cpanel (the "x3" version, hich is what HG uses, in all the HG accounts I've encountered.) Then, using a limited scope ftp login will work.
2. change the password to cpanel while they are working, and change it after you are done. However, that wouldn't prevent them from installing other means of accessing your account (like new ftp accounts.) And it would provide them access to your complete site as well.

Actually, with many clients, I ask for a shell account, because I'm very skilled at the command line and can get many things done much more quickly at the shell level than I could thru ftp.

Incidentally, I have accessed paypal accounts of clients in other countries, and I had no difficulty accessing them. So those trackers may depend upon what country is being used. (And the "country" can be faked easily enough -- through proxies and the like -- just like China & Iran have attempted to block internet "leaks" from their country, but have failed to do so.)

Live JoyFully!

Judy

[arttse]

I would only trust an outsourcer once Ive worked with them for several months.