How to manage multiple companies without multiplying your software

When a business grows into a group, with sister companies, new branches or a second brand, software tends to multiply too. Each company gets its own tools and its own admins, and the owner loses the single view they used to have.

The two needs that pull against each other

• Separation. Each company needs its own people, data and admins. Staff at one should not see another.
• Visibility. The group needs to see and steer everything from one place.

Most setups pick one and sacrifice the other.

Think in a tree

The cleanest model is a tree. The group sits at the top. Each company or branch sits under it. Every node has its own people, access groups and enabled apps.

Three simple rules make the tree safe:

1. Apps flow down. A company can only use apps the group has enabled for it.
2. People belong to one place. Each employee lives in one company or branch.
3. Access is enabled and permitted. A person sees an app only if it is on for their company and their role allows it.

What this gives you

• One sign in for everyone, no matter which company they work in.
• Local admins who manage their own company without touching others.
• Group admins who can drill into any company with the same screens.
• One place to switch anyone off, anywhere in the group.

Questions to ask any vendor

• Can I add a company without a new contract or a new system?
• Can a branch admin give access the group never approved?
• Can I see every company from one login?

Where efiqone fits

efiqone supports parent organizations with sub organizations out of the box. Each company gets its own team, apps and admins, while the group keeps one view of everything.