Understanding Workday HCM Security

• Configurable Security Model: Workday’s security isn’t “one-size-fits-all.” It’s designed to be adapted to your organization’s unique structure, policies, and compliance needs. This flexibility is vital for protecting sensitive HR data.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Workday uses RBAC extensively. Security roles determine what users can see and do within the system. This granular control is essential for data privacy.
• Security Groups: Collections of users who need similar access. There are three primary types:
  • Role-Based: Tied to job functions.
  • User-Based: For specific sets of people (e.g., an audit team).
  • Process-Maintained: Dynamically adjusted by Workday business processes.
• Security Domains: Areas of Workday functionality (e.g., Payroll, Benefits) protected by permissions.
• Auditing and Reporting: Workday tracks changes and access. Extensive reports help administrators monitor system activity.

Best Practices

• Least Privilege Principle: Give users only the access they absolutely need to do their jobs.
• Regular Reviews: Audit security roles, groups, and permissions frequently.
• “Need to Know” Basis: Enforce the idea that seeing sensitive data, like compensation, should be on an exception basis.
• Segregation of Duties (SoD): Avoid assigning conflicting roles (e.g., creating and approving a pay change) to the same person. Workday has tools to help identify potential SoD risks.
• Strong Authentication: Consider two-factor authentication and integration with your company’s single sign-on (SSO) system.
• Data Encryption: Workday encrypts data both in transit and at rest. Optionally, you can use “Bring Your Own Key” (BYOK) for even more control.