# eGuard: Groups
- Please make sure to read the [**eGuard Overview**](https://kb.egauge.net/books/eguard-porfolio-manager/page/eguard-overview) before continuing.
- See other related documents in the **[eGuard Fundamentals chapter](https://kb.egauge.net/books/eguard-porfolio-manager/chapter/eguard-fundamentals)**.
eGuard has a hierarchical group structure. Devices exist in a top-level group or sub-group of a top-level group. Sub-groups are separated by the parent group with a colon. There is no defined limit for the number of sub-groups that can exist.
An eGuard user may have access to multiple top-level groups and sub-groups, if for example they manage devices for multiple companies.
[![image-1593537573061.png](https://kb.egauge.net/uploads/images/gallery/2020-06/scaled-1680-/image-1593537573061.png)](https://kb.egauge.net/uploads/images/gallery/2020-06/image-1593537573061.png)
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*From main eGuard Portfolio view* |
The above image, taken from the main eGuard Portfolio view, shows 6 devices. They all exist under the Sunnyvale top-level group. There are 4 devices in two sub-groups: "Main Housing" and "Shared Space 1" are both sub-groups to Sunnyvale.
### Groups Management Page
The Groups Management Page can be found in eGuard at the top tab bar.
[![image-1593471317012.png](https://kb.egauge.net/uploads/images/gallery/2020-06/scaled-1680-/image-1593471317012.png)](https://kb.egauge.net/uploads/images/gallery/2020-06/image-1593471317012.png)
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*eGuard Groups Management Page* |
The top page allows you to set a default group to display in the Portfolio view if you have access to multiple groups, or you have multiple sub-groups of devices.
#### Create Group
Here you can create sub-groups in any of the groups you administrate. Sub-groups can be created under sub-groups.
For example, this would create a sub-group "East" under the "Main Housing" sub-group of Sunnyvale:
[![image-1593471525666.png](https://kb.egauge.net/uploads/images/gallery/2020-06/scaled-1680-/image-1593471525666.png)](https://kb.egauge.net/uploads/images/gallery/2020-06/image-1593471525666.png)
There would now be a group called **Sunnyvale: Main Housing: East**
### Descriptive Example of hierarchy
`Fruit: Pear`
`Fruit: Apple: Fiji`
`Vegetable`
`Vegetable: Garlic`
`Vegetable: Lettuce`
`Vegetable: Lettuce: Iceberg`
`Vegetable: Lettuce: Romaine`
Here, `Fruit` is the parent to `Pear`, and `Fruit` is also the parent to `Apple` (it is a top-level group). If a user has access rights to group `Fruit`, those access rights also apply to `Pear` and `Apple`, and any sub-groups of those such as `Fiji`. No access to `Vegetable` or the sub-groups of `Vegetable` are granted.
If a user has access rights to `Pear`, those rights would not apply to `Apple` Or `Fiji` or any devices directly under `Fruit`.
Similarly, a user with rights to `Fiji` would have no rights to devices under `Pear` or Apple or `Fruit`, only access to those devices under the `Fiji` sub-group.
`Fruit` contains no devices in the `Vegetable` group. `Vegetable: Garlic` is separate from `Vegetable: Lettuce` and all its sub-groups of `Iceberg` and `Romaine`.
A user can have access to any mixture of sub-groups with different permissions. For example, a user can have administrative access over devices in `Vegetable: Lettuce` and also have management access to `Fruit: Apple`. They would **not** have access to devices directly in `Fruit`, `Fruit: Pear`, `Vegetable`, and `Vegetable: Garlic`.