A key concept within Verne is that of relationship management. Relationship management controls a user’s access to entities within the system, the data they can view for those entities, and the functions they can perform against them. This access can cover the functions that are required to be performed by external parties such as agents, lawyers and accountants.
Relationship management is based around providing services to three distinct types of users
- Anonymous users. Users of the system who have not logged in to the system.
- Authorised External users. Logged in members of the public who already have entity relationship.
- Unauthorised External users. Logged in members of the public who do not have an entity relationship.
External users of the register often need access to data for entities with which their user account has no pre-existing direct relationship. Verne provides control over this through its relationship management functions, including delegated access. Verne allows an external user to request access to an entity. It also allows a user who already has relationship with an entity to grant access to a user who does not. The registrar (an internal user) may also grant and revoke relationship for external users based on requests from authorised and unauthorised users.
In some cases, Verne will automatically create relationship with an entity as part of a business function (for example when an entity is successfully registered, relationship will be granted to the user who registered it). In other circumstances, relationship with an entity can be granted explicitly to a user by an internal user, or by another external user with existing relationship with the entity (an “authorised user”). In the same manner, an authorised user or an internal user may revoke a user’s relationship with a business entity.
The registrar has the option to suspend external authority management in the event of disputes over an entity. Where an entity has been suspended from authority management, authorised external users will no longer be able to maintain entity details. Suspending authority management does not revoke existing authority, ensuring that once the suspension is lifted all authorised users will once again be able to maintain the entity.
In many cases a register generates an industry in the associated register community, allowing a range of different parties to offer services associated with the maintenance of the register. A typical example of such is the establishment of agencies that perform administrative duties, such as filing, on behalf of business entities.
Verne supports agencies through the establishment of organisations within the relationship model. Each organisation has one or more individuals associated with it, and through a business role, will be linked with one or more entities within the register. This model allows those individuals linked to an organisation (known as organisation users) to access and maintain the entities it has relationship with. As with individual entity relationship, the data and functions available to organisational users is determined by the business role granted to the organisation.
The following diagram illustrates the relationship between an individual and an entity, either directly or acting as an agent via an organisation. It also illustrates how internal users are granted access to system functionality which enables them to maintain the register. The external user’s relationship is defined via a designated business role, and that role determines their access to data and functions:
Relationship management defines the processes and activities that are required in order for an external user to obtain entity relationship to administer a legal entity.
Verne allows individuals with several different responsibilities to administer the legal entities within a register.
- An individual can completely administer the legal entity as per the appropriate legislation; an example of such a business role is a company director.
- An individual can administer the entity on behalf of the entity owners. An example of this is an agent who can perform most functions however they are not able to delegate or revoke the authority to another agent (authorised person). Note that the individual may hold this business role as an individual, or via membership to an organisation that has been granted this role (i.e. as an organisational user).
- Non-authoritative business role. Individual plays a business role against the entity but cannot administer or manage the entity. An example of such a role is a shareholder within a corporations register.
Relationship management business services
These allow registered users to establish, view and maintain entity relationships for individual and organisation accounts. These services are available as online forms within the online register, as well as web services. All changes to entity relationship are logged in the Verne audit log.
Requesting relationship
Current authorised users of the entity can grant entity relationship to another individual or organisation, and where there are no other users with relationships, a request can be sent to the registrar for them to grant access. Individuals or organisations can request relationship over an entity which they select via the public search facility.
Granting relationship
Entity relationship can be granted to an individual or organisation by a user with a director or agent relationship. The relationship can also be granted by the registrar (refer below).
The grant relationship screen presents basic information related to the entity, and captures the following information associated with the relationship being granted:
- Relationship type requested (director or agent);
- List of directors who don’t currently have user-entity relationship, allowing the user to select the director who is requesting entity relationship;
- Email address to which confirmation of relationship should be sent.
User granting relationship will need to enter the type of relationship being granted and the email address of the individual or organisation who the authority is being granted to. An activation code is sent to the entered email address and on receipt of the activation code the recipient of the code logs in and confirms receipt of the code.
Entity relationship can be granted to an individual or organisation by an internal user on behalf of the Registrar. An internal user will need to select the entity via the public search facility and then enter the type of relationship being granted. Once they upload proof of relationship document, it will be granted immediately to the selected individual or organisation.
View relationship
The Verne Relationship Management service provides a means for the Registrar or authorised external user to view entity relationships.
In order to access the functionality, the user would first be required to locate the entity, and from there select the option to view entity relationships.
Upon selection, a screen is presented, displaying the information around active entity relationships and revoked ones. Standard information comprises:
- The current entity relationship , including information on: –
- The relationship type granted;
- The user/organisation that has been granted the relationship;
- The user that approved the relationship, and the date and time that it was performed;
- The accompanying documentation to support the grant.
- Any relationship requests that are currently yet to be addressed including:
- The ability to grant the relationship;
- The relationship type that has been requested;
- The user/organisation that the relationship request is for.
- Any historical information on relationship that have been revoked or rejected or expired, including:
- The relationship type that has been revoked;
- The user/organisation that the relationship was revoked from.
Revoking relationship
The Verne Relationship Management service provides a means for the Registrar or authorised external user to revoke existing entity relationship. Where relationship management for external users has been disabled this service is available to internal users only.
Within the service, standard information presented and captured comprises:
- The user/organisation with entity relationship to be revoked;
- The relationship type currently granted, to be revoked;
- The reason(s) for revoking
On submission, Verne updates the record to reflect the fact that the relationship has been revoked and sends an email notification of the revocation of relationship to the following:
- The individual or organisation from which the relationship was revoked (individual or organisation);
- All remaining individuals or organisations with entity relationship;
- The official email address for the entity.
