How Cloud works#
Organisation#
A Pharos Cloud Portal is the top level of the organisational structure. A Portal contains one or more sites which contain one or more devices, which usually represent all of the hardware on a given project.
Portals also support a feature called multi-sites, which allows sites to be managed both individually and as a collective. A good example of this would be a retail store chain where each site can be managed and controlled individually, or using the multi-site, as part of the full collection of sites.
Pharos Cloud is split into sites. A site is a collection of devices, usually grouped by project.
We recommend each site be given a name that identifies it unambiguously: the project name, the company name, or both, plus the geographical location.
Site modes#
A site is always in one of three modes. The mode determines which features are available.
Construction Commission devices while you are on site, see basic connection status, invite users, set permissions and adjust site settings. Other features stay locked.
Active Standard operating mode, where all Cloud features are enabled for a site. The site owner starts this with Activate on the site's Settings tab, which begins a 7-day trial.
Standby Where a site moves after the trial or current site plan ends. It is free, indefinite, and limited in the same way as Construction. devices and configuration are not lost - the site can be reactivated once a site plan is in place.
Important
When a site is in Standby, it will not run tasks, including those linked to schedules or Control Panel.
| Site feature | Construction | Active | Standby |
|---|---|---|---|
| See online / offline status | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Add and replace devices | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Invite other users to the site | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| All other features | No | Yes | No |
| Cost | Free | site plan | Free |
How devices connect#
Each device makes an outgoing connection to the Cloud servers over its Ethernet port, using industry-standard encryption. No additional hardware is needed.
Users#
Users you invite see only the devices and features their permissions allow, as set by the site owner. See Permissions.
A site owner is the main contact person of a site. The site owner has administrative rights within a site to manage users and devices. Usually the first person to be added to the site will be the first owner. The owner will be able to transfer this permission to other users. There must be at least one owner in each site.
There is no cost associated with adding users to a site.