Can user groups be set up by cost center (or departments, levels etc) in an automated way? Or only manually?

You can always set up user groups manually. However, there is also a way to automate how users get assigned to certain user groups automatically and that is done via the custom UMP. It would require an identifier on your side, and we can set up rules that will look for that flag to assign a user to a specific user group(s).

For example:

• if a user belongs in cost center 123, assign them to user group ABC
• If a user is a Manager level, give them access to the Manager user group (that perhaps have access to book offices)