Overview
Cytracom products automatically log you out after periods of inactivity or when your session reaches its maximum length. This protects your accounts and your customers' data. This article explains what to expect in each product, why timeout behavior varies, and how to troubleshoot unexpected logouts.
Who this is for: MSP administrators, technicians, and end-users across all Cytracom products.
How Sessions Work
Three mechanisms work together to keep your session secure. You don't need to manage any of these — they happen automatically.
Inactivity timeout — If you stop using a product for a set period, you are logged out. The timer resets every time you click, navigate, or take an action. As long as you are actively using the product, you will never hit this timeout. This protects against the "walked away from the computer" scenario.
Maximum session length — Even if you use a product continuously, your session has a hard limit. After this period, you must sign in again regardless of activity. This ensures that long-lived sessions are periodically re-authenticated.
Automatic session refresh — While you are active, the product silently renews your credentials in the background. You will never see a login prompt mid-task due to a short-lived credential expiring — this is handled transparently.
What to Expect by Product
| Product | Inactivity Timeout | Max Session Length | When You'll Need to Sign In Again |
| ControlOne Portal | 15 minutes | 7 days | After 15 min idle, or every 7 days |
| ControlOne Agent | 7 days | 7 days | Every 7 days |
| Unity Partner Portal | 30 minutes | 7 days | After 30 min idle, or every 7 days |
| UCaaS Secure | 6 hours | 7 days | After 6 hrs idle, or every 7 days |
| Cytracom Desktop | None | None | Never (persistent session) |
| Telivy | 7 days | 7 days | Every 7 days |
| Tentacle | 7 days | 7 days | Every 7 days |
Reading this table:
- Inactivity timeout — How long you can be idle before being logged out. Resets with every action. "None" means the product does not log you out for being idle.
- Max session length — The absolute maximum time before you must sign in again, no matter how active you are.
- If a product has both, whichever limit is reached first triggers the logout.
Product Details
ControlOne Portal
Inactivity: 15 minutes | Max session: 7 days
What you'll experience: Continuous use without interruption while active. If you step away for more than 15 minutes, you may need to sign in again. After 7 days total, you will be redirected to the sign-in page.
Why this timeout: The ControlOne portal manages firewall rules, network policies, and security configurations. A short inactivity window ensures that an unattended browser session cannot be used to modify critical network security settings.
ControlOne Agent (Windows / macOS)
Inactivity: 7 days | Max session: 7 days
What you'll experience: The agent requires re-authentication every 7 days. After one week, the agent prompts you to sign in again using your email, password, and authenticator code.
Why this timeout: The agent runs on a managed endpoint that already has device-level security (OS login, disk encryption, posture policies). A week-long window avoids disruptive mid-day re-authentication on devices that are already protected.
Unity Partner Portal
Inactivity: 30 minutes | Max session: 7 days
What you'll experience: Continuous use without interruption while active. If you step away for more than 30 minutes, you will be redirected to the sign-in page. After 7 days total, you must sign in again regardless of activity.
Why this timeout: Unity is the administrative hub for all Cytracom products — customer management, user provisioning, RBAC, and marketplace ordering. A 30-minute inactivity window ensures that an unattended workstation cannot be used to access the entire Cytracom management plane.
UCaaS Secure
Inactivity: 6 hours | Max session: 7 days
What you'll experience: Continuous use without interruption while active. If you step away for more than 6 hours, you will need to sign in again. After 7 days total, you must sign in again regardless of activity.
Why this timeout: UCaaS Secure is an administrative portal used for communications configuration. A 6-hour inactivity window accommodates longer work sessions (configuring phone systems, managing users) while still expiring unattended sessions within the same business day.
Cytracom Desktop
Inactivity: None | Max session: None (persistent)
What you'll experience: No automatic logouts. Once signed in, the application stays connected indefinitely across reboots and updates.
Why no timeout: The Desktop app is a softphone — it must remain connected to receive and place calls. Forcing periodic logouts would cause missed calls and disrupt business communications. The app runs on your workstation, which has its own device-level authentication (OS login, screen lock).
Telivy
Inactivity: 7 days | Max session: 7 days
What you'll experience: Once signed in, your session stays active for up to 30 days regardless of whether you use it continuously or step away. After 30 days, you must sign in again.
Why this timeout: Telivy is used for security and risk assessments that may span multi-day or multi-week engagements. A 30-day session window allows technicians to work through an assessment cycle without repeated re-authentication. There is currently no inactivity timeout — your session remains valid even during extended idle periods within the 30-day window.
Tentacle
Inactivity: 7 days | Max session: 7 days
What you'll experience: Once signed in, your session stays active for up to 30 days regardless of whether you use it continuously or step away. After 30 days, you must sign in again.
Why this timeout: GRC workflows — policy management, compliance evidence collection, audit preparation — are ongoing processes that span weeks. The 30-day window supports continuous work on compliance programs without forced re-authentication. There is currently no inactivity timeout — your session remains valid even during extended idle periods within the 30-day window.
Why Different Products Have Different Timeouts
Each product's timeout settings are based on two factors: risk profile and usage pattern.
| Factor | Shorter Timeouts | Longer or No Timeouts |
| Data sensitivity | Admin portals controlling network security, user access, and billing | Endpoint agents, assessment tools, and softphones with narrower scope |
| Usage pattern | Bursty admin tasks (configure, save, leave) | Extended work sessions (assessments, compliance, phone calls) |
| Access context | Browser-based, potentially shared workstations | Installed applications on managed, authenticated devices |
| Blast radius | Changes affect entire customer environments | Changes scoped to individual assessments or endpoints |
Short inactivity timeouts on administrative portals (ControlOne Portal, Unity) mean an unattended browser session expires quickly. Longer or no inactivity timeouts on installed agents and assessment tools reflect that these run on authenticated devices or are used for multi-week workflows.
Troubleshooting
Unexpectedly logged out of ControlOne Portal, Unity, or UCaaS Secure
These portals have inactivity timeouts (15 min, 30 min, and 6 hours respectively). If you stepped away longer than the timeout, this is expected behavior — sign in again to continue.
If you are being logged out while actively using the product, check for network interruptions that may be preventing the automatic session refresh from completing. If the issue persists, contact your MSP administrator.
ControlOne Agent prompting for login mid-week
If the agent requests re-authentication before 7 days have passed, check the following:
- Verify your system clock is accurate — session validation depends on correct system time.
- Check if your administrator changed your account password or reset your credentials.
- Confirm the agent was not updated or reinstalled, which resets the authentication state.
- If the issue persists, contact your MSP administrator.
Telivy or Tentacle session expiring before 30 days
If you are prompted to sign in before 30 days have passed, verify your network connectivity. The product must be able to reach Cytracom's authentication servers to maintain your session. A network interruption, firewall block, or VPN disconnect may cause the session to fail.
If you have been signed out for more than 30 days without using the product, the session has expired and a full sign-in is expected.
Cytracom Desktop signed out unexpectedly
While the Desktop app does not enforce automatic logout, the following events will require re-authentication:
- Your account password was changed by you or an administrator.
- Your account was deactivated and reactivated.
- The application was reinstalled or its local data was cleared.
Additional Information
- Tip: If you are unexpectedly prompted to sign in, verify your network connectivity first — the automatic session refresh can only work if the product can reach Cytracom's authentication servers.
- Note: Session timeouts apply per product independently. Being signed into Unity does not extend your ControlOne Portal session, and vice versa.
- Note: Administrators cannot currently customize session timeout durations. Inactivity timeouts and maximum session lengths are set per product by Cytracom.