Delinea Secret Server

Custom Branding
Training Guide

Learn how to fully customize the look and feel of Secret Server — from login pages and splash announcements to logos, color schemes, and more.

Secret Server v11+ Delinea Platform Admin Guide
🏠

Overview & Initial Setup

Understand what Secret Server branding covers and where to find the settings in your instance.

What You Can Brand

Login Page

Custom logo, background image, organization name, and announcement message on the sign-in screen.

What You Can Brand

Application Header

Replace the default Delinea logo in the top navigation bar with your company's logo and branding.

What You Can Brand

Color Themes

Customize primary, accent, and UI element colors to match your organization's brand guidelines.

What You Can Brand

Splash Announcements

Mandatory read banners or dismissible notices shown at login or on first access after updates.

What You Can Brand

Favicon & Tab Title

Upload a custom favicon (.ico) and set the browser tab title to reflect your organization.

What You Can Brand

Email Templates

Customize the logo, header colors, and footer text in automated notification emails.

🗺️ Where to Find Branding Settings

1

Log in as an Administrator

Branding changes require the Administer Configuration role permission. Log in with your admin account.

2

Navigate to Admin Panel

Click the Admin menu in the top navigation bar.

Admin → Configuration
3

Open the Login tab

Within Configuration, select the Login tab to access all login-page and branding settings.

Admin → Configuration → Login (tab)
4

Locate the Customization section

Scroll down within the Login tab to find the User Interface Customization section — this houses logo uploads, color pickers, and the announcement editor.

ℹ️ Changes to branding take effect immediately for all users upon saving. Ensure you preview changes in a test environment first, or communicate timing to your users.
🔐

Permissions Required

Understand which roles and permissions are needed to manage branding settings.

⚠️ Branding configuration is restricted to users with the Administer Configuration role permission. Standard administrators may not have this unless explicitly granted.

📋 Required Role Permissions

Permission What It Allows Default Role
Administer Configuration Access all branding settings including logos, colors, login page, and announcements System Administrator
View Configuration Read-only access to view branding settings without ability to save changes Administrator
Administer Users Required for managing announcement targets (specific groups or all users) System Administrator
Standard User Cannot access branding settings; only sees applied branding User

🔧 Granting Branding Permissions

1

Navigate to Role Management

Admin → Roles
2

Select or Create a Role

Either edit an existing role (e.g., "Branding Admin") or create a new one specifically for branding management.

3

Add the Required Permission

Check the Administer Configuration permission box and save the role.

4

Assign Role to User

Go to the target user's profile, click Roles, and assign the updated or new role.

Admin → Users → [User] → Roles tab
Best practice: Create a dedicated Brand Manager role with only Administer Configuration permission, to limit the blast radius of what this user can change.
🔑

Login Page Customization

Customize the first thing your users see — the sign-in screen — with your organization's branding.

🎨 Interactive Preview

Use the controls below to experiment with login page settings in real time.

⚙️ Live Customizer

📍 Navigation Path

Admin → Configuration → Login tab → User Interface Customization

📐 Customizable Login Elements

Setting Description Format / Constraints
Login Logo Logo displayed in the banner area at the top of the login form PNG / JPG · Max 200px height · Transparent PNG recommended
Login Background Image Full-bleed background image behind the login card JPG/PNG · Min 1920×1080 · Max 2MB · Landscape orientation
Organization Name Displayed below the logo in the banner header area Text · Max 64 characters
Banner Background Color Background color of the logo/org name banner strip Hex color value (e.g., #1a2540)
Login Button Color Background color of the primary Sign In button Hex color value
Login Announcement Text block shown below the login form (legal notices, warnings, etc.) Plain text or HTML · Max 1000 chars
Custom CSS (Advanced) Inject custom CSS directly into the login page for advanced styling Valid CSS · Requires code review before production use
Use a transparent-background PNG for your logo. White logos on dark banners look most professional. Avoid logos with built-in white backgrounds.
⚠️ Custom CSS on the login page is powerful but fragile — Delinea upgrades may change class names. Always test after each Secret Server upgrade.
🖼️

Logos & Icons

Upload and manage logos used across the application header, login page, and email notifications.

📍 Logo Placement Locations

Location 1

Application Header Logo

Displayed in the top-left of the main navigation bar. Replaces the Delinea logo throughout the app.

📐 Recommended: 160×40px · PNG
Location 2

Login Page Logo

Shown in the banner of the login form. This is the first branded element users see.

📐 Recommended: Up to 200px wide · Transparent PNG
Location 3

Email Header Logo

Appears in automated email notifications (password expiry, approvals, etc.).

📐 Recommended: 200×60px · PNG or JPG
Location 4

Favicon

The tiny icon shown in the browser tab and bookmarks bar.

📐 Required: 32×32px or 64×64px · .ICO format

⬆️ Uploading a Logo — Step by Step

1

Prepare your logo file

Export a PNG with a transparent background. For the header, aim for 160×40px. Ensure the file is under 500KB.

2

Go to Configuration → Login

Admin → Configuration → Login (tab)
3

Locate User Interface Customization

Scroll to the User Interface Customization section. You will see fields for Login Logo and Application Logo.

4

Click Choose File and Upload

Select your prepared PNG. A preview will appear. Verify it looks correct before saving.

5

Save and verify

Click Save at the bottom of the page. Open a new browser tab (or incognito window) and confirm the logo appears correctly on both the login page and application header.

📋 Logo File Requirements

Logo TypeRecommended SizeFormatMax File SizeNotes
App Header160 × 40 pxPNG (transparent)500 KBUsed in top nav bar
Login BannerUp to 200px widePNG (transparent)500 KBDisplayed above sign-in form
Email Header200 × 60 pxPNG or JPG200 KBMust display on white background
Favicon32 × 32 or 64 × 64 pxICO or PNG50 KBBrowser tab icon
ℹ️ To revert to the default Delinea logo at any time, navigate to the same settings page and click Restore Default next to the logo field.
🎨

Colors & Themes

Set primary and accent colors, button styles, and link colors to match your organization's brand guidelines.

🎨 Default Delinea Color Palette

These are the out-of-the-box colors. You can override the primary and accent values.

#00A9B5
Primary
#007A84
Primary Dark
#1C2B3A
Nav BG
#F4F6F8
Page BG
#2C3E50
Text Dark
#E74C3C
Danger

⚙️ Customizable Color Settings

SettingDescriptionWhere It Appears
Primary ColorMain brand color — buttons, links, active statesNavigation, Buttons, Links throughout app
Navigation BackgroundBackground color of the top navigation barApp header strip
Login Banner BackgroundBackground behind your logo on the login pageLogin page header
Login Button ColorColor of the Sign In buttonLogin page only
Link ColorColor for inline hyperlinks across the interfaceAll pages throughout app
Custom CSSFull CSS overrides for advanced color themingAll UI elements

🏢 Corporate Branding Examples

Preview — Theme Applied
YourCompany
Dashboard Secrets Admin
⚠️ Ensure adequate contrast ratios (minimum 4.5:1 for text) when selecting custom colors. Very light or low-contrast colors can make the interface inaccessible and may violate ADA/WCAG requirements.

📝 Applying Colors via Custom CSS

For advanced theming, inject CSS variables that override Delinea's defaults:

/* Secret Server Custom CSS — Admin → Configuration → Login → Custom CSS */ :root { --ss-primary-color: #0057b8; /* Your brand primary */ --ss-primary-dark: #003d82; /* Hover/active state */ --ss-nav-background: #1a2540; /* Navigation bar */ --ss-link-color: #0057b8; /* All inline links */ } /* Override primary buttons */ .btn-primary { background-color: var(--ss-primary-color) !important; } /* Override nav bar */ .navbar-top { background: var(--ss-nav-background) !important; }
📢

Splash Announcements

Create mandatory-read or informational banners displayed to users at login or on their first session of the day.

📋 Announcement Types

Type A

Login Announcement

Static text block displayed on the login page below the sign-in form. No user acknowledgment required.

Type B

Splash Screen (Banner)

Modal popup shown after login — requires users to click "Acknowledge" before proceeding. Ideal for mandatory security policies.

Type C

Dismissible Notice

A non-blocking notice bar shown at the top of the interface that users can dismiss. Good for maintenance windows or updates.

🛠️ Building an Announcement — Interactive Builder

✏️ Announcement Builder

Live Preview
Important Security Notice
This system is for authorized personnel only. All activity is monitored and logged.

📍 Where to Configure

1

Navigate to Login Announcement settings

Admin → Configuration → Login (tab) → Login Announcement
2

Enable the announcement

Toggle Enable Login Announcement to ON. The text editor will appear.

3

Enter your message

Type or paste your announcement. HTML is supported (bold, links, line breaks). Keep messages concise — users will see this at every login unless configured otherwise.

4

Configure acknowledgment (Splash Screen)

To require users to click Acknowledge before proceeding, enable Require Users to Acknowledge. Users who haven't acknowledged will be blocked until they do.

5

Save and test

Save settings and log in as a test user to verify the announcement appears correctly and the acknowledgment workflow works as expected.

⚠️ If Require Acknowledgment is enabled, all existing logged-in users will be prompted on their next page load. Coordinate with users before enabling this during business hours.
HTML Tips for Announcements: You can use basic HTML in announcement messages. Use <b> for bold, <br> for line breaks, and <a href="..."> for links. Avoid complex formatting — keep it readable.
🚀

Apply & Publish Branding

How to save, apply, and verify your branding changes — and how to safely roll back if something goes wrong.

✅ Save & Apply Process

1

Make all branding changes in one session

Navigate to Admin → Configuration → Login and make all your changes (logos, colors, announcement) before saving. Each save triggers a UI refresh for all users.

2

Click Save at the bottom of the page

Scroll to the bottom of the Configuration → Login page and click the Save button. Changes take effect immediately.

3

Test in an incognito/private window

Open a fresh incognito browser session and navigate to your Secret Server URL. Verify the login page looks correct before notifying users.

4

Test with a non-admin user account

Log in as a regular user to confirm the branded experience is correct across the full interface, not just the login page.

5

Document your settings

Save a record of all hex color codes, logo file names, and announcement text in your internal knowledge base or IT documentation system for future reference.


↩️ Rolling Back Branding

ℹ️ Secret Server does not have a built-in "undo" for branding. Keep a backup of your settings before making major changes. To roll back, manually re-enter previous values or click Restore Default for logo fields.
Rollback Option 1

Restore Default Logos

On the Configuration → Login page, each logo field has a Restore Default link that removes your uploaded logo and restores the Delinea default instantly.

Rollback Option 2

Manual Color Reset

Clear any custom color hex values in the branding fields and leave them blank to revert to system defaults. Then save the form.

Rollback Option 3

Clear Custom CSS

Navigate to the Custom CSS field, delete all content, and save. The interface will revert to default Delinea styling.

Rollback Option 4

Disable Announcement

Toggle the Enable Login Announcement switch to OFF and save to immediately remove the announcement from the login page.


🔄 Change Management Best Practices

Recommended Process: Apply branding changes during a maintenance window or low-traffic period (e.g., Friday evening). Send an advance notification to users explaining the visual refresh so they're not alarmed by the change. Keep a document with all previous settings values for fast rollback if needed.

Pre-Launch Checklist

Click each item to mark it complete. Track your readiness before going live with custom branding.

💡 Click any checklist item to mark it complete. Your progress is tracked in the sidebar.

🖼️ Logos & Assets

  • Application header logo uploaded (PNG, transparent background, 160×40px)
  • Login page logo uploaded and verified in incognito browser
  • Favicon uploaded (.ico format, 32×32px or 64×64px)
  • Email header logo uploaded and tested by sending a test notification

🎨 Colors & Theme

  • Primary brand color configured and matches company branding guidelines
  • Navigation background color set and verified
  • Login banner background color set to match brand
  • Color contrast ratio verified (minimum 4.5:1 for WCAG AA compliance)
  • Custom CSS tested after latest Secret Server upgrade (if applicable)

📢 Announcements

  • Login announcement content reviewed and approved by security/legal team
  • Acknowledgment requirement decision made (required vs. optional)
  • Announcement tested as a non-admin user in a staging instance

🚀 Final Verification

  • All settings verified in incognito/private browser window
  • Verified in mobile browser (login page and main interface)
  • All hex color values, logo file names, and text documented in internal IT wiki
  • Rollback plan documented and team notified
  • User communication sent (if visible changes are going live)
0 / 18 items complete
Complete all items before going live with your branding changes.