HomeUnderstanding Workday Security: Meeting Compliance with Best Practices

Understanding Workday Security: Meeting Compliance with Best Practices

BEST IN OUR FIELD
Workday Studio Integration, Upper Hand Ops

Get the Best Features of Workday Security with UHO

Data is crucial in enabling organizations to obtain valuable insights, including analyzing consumer behavior patterns or employee relation policies. Companies worldwide have significantly increased their employee data repository, which has doubled in size. While a large amount of data can provide more useful insights, it can also pose security, governance, and compliance concerns.

Workday Shot Photographer, Upper Hand Ops

What is Workday Security?

Workday is a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that provides a comprehensive solution for managing various aspects of an organization, including financial management, payroll processing, enterprise planning, and human capital management (HCM).

In Workday, security involves determining which data can be accessed by different groups within the organization, the level of access they have, and the security measures in place to safeguard the data. To gain a deeper understanding of Workday security, it is important to explore the various security concepts used in the platform.

Workday Security Concepts

User-based Security

The user-based security group differs from role-based groups in that it is not restricted to a specific organization or location. Users in this group have access to multiple organizations, such as cost centers, locations, and companies. Instead of assigning access based on the user’s role, access is granted based on their job responsibilities. For example, a Security Administrator may be granted system-wide access.

Workday Studio Integration, Upper Hand Ops

Workday Security Configurations

Security configurations refer to a collection of security measures, such as access controls, multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and data masking; security specialists can implement that to mitigate security and privacy risks and minimize vulnerabilities that may result in cyber threats like corporate espionage or data theft.

Colleague Discuss Workday, Upper Hand Ops

Workday Security Groups

In Workday, the configuration of security groups determines which individuals or groups have access to specific business processes and objects. The different categories of groups typically include role-based, user-based, and standard worker or process-maintained groups. Additionally, administrators can create custom groups.

To add users to a group, administrators can create a role and restrict it to specific organizations such as Supervisory Organization, Cost Center, Company, and Location. Once the role is created, users can be added to the group

Workday Consulting Services, Upper Hand Ops

Role-based Security

Role-based security groups are the most common type of security groups created by organizations since they are generally linked to a specific organization element like a location or company. In a role-based group, access is granted to users based on their job role or responsibility within the organization, like HR Partner, Manager, or HR Contact.

If a user changes their job role in the organization, their access privileges will be adjusted to align with their new responsibilities and required access to specific business processes. Likewise, when a user leaves the organization, their access must be terminated.

Workday Human Capital Management System, Upper Hand Ops

Get Started with Workday Studio with UHO

The user-based security group differs from role-based groups in that it is not restricted to a specific organization or location. Users in this group have access to multiple organizations, such as cost centers, locations, and companies. Instead of assigning access based on the user’s role, access is granted based on their job responsibilities. For example, a Security Administrator may be granted system-wide access.

Standard Worker/ Process Maintained

The Process Maintained or Standard Worker group is automatically allocated to every worker or employee, and it is a restricted group that includes the “Employee as Self” feature.

Workday Human Capital Management System, Upper Hand Ops

Workday Security Roles

Security roles are associated with particular security groups and the organization. They identify a defined set of individuals with predetermined security permissions and duties. Security roles decide what data or tasks a user in a specific group can see or perform.

As diverse groups of people within an organization use Workday on a regular basis, handling vast amounts of data and having various responsibilities, it is essential for organizations to implement robust security measures and controls. This enables smooth business operations, enhances governance, mitigates risks, and ensures compliance.

Workday Security Best Practices

Workday Studio Integration, Upper Hand Ops

Effective Data Discovery and Mapping

To ensure security and compliance in the Workday ecosystem, it is crucial to identify the type of data that requires protection, its location, and who owns the sensitive and personal data.

Structured Data

To enhance the precision of detecting sensitive data across various data repositories, organizations can leverage the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. A context-based analysis mechanism can be employed to navigate through Workday structures, fields, and columns, identifying sensitive data elements by scanning for specific keywords while minimizing the occurrence of false positives.

Workday Studio Integration, Upper Hand Ops

Unstructured Data

Utilize AI/ML technology to scan unstructured data that may be present in spreadsheets, employee files, quarterly reports, and other data sources within Workday systems. Apply graph algorithm search to classify elements of sensitive and personal data and resolve any ambiguities in classification. Then, link this personal and sensitive data to specific individuals to ensure compliance with data subject requests.

Workday Studio Integration, Upper Hand Ops

Structured Data

To enhance the precision of detecting sensitive data across various data repositories, organizations can leverage the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. A context-based analysis mechanism can be employed to navigate through Workday structures, fields, and columns, identifying sensitive data elements by scanning for specific keywords while minimizing the occurrence of false positives.

Workday Studio Integration, Upper Hand Ops

Govern Access to Sensitive Data

Precise categorization of data into appropriate data types and data elements enables security teams to devise efficient security policies for personal and sensitive data. An example of such a policy is the creation of an automated data masking policy by the system administrator. This policy can mask all the sensitive data identified, restricting access to only authorized users.

Workday Studio Integration, Upper Hand Ops

How can we at UHO help?

Optimizing your Workday Security configuration is crucial to safeguarding your data against unauthorized access or misuse. To minimize risk and ensure robust protection through security groups, domain security, and best practices in business processes, our team of experienced Workday consultants can assist you.

Get In Touch To Start Your Workday Journey Today

Get Started Today

Incepted in October 2021, UpperHandOps Pvt. Ltd. boasts of combined experience of eleven years in providing digital solutions. 

Linkedin Instagram Facebook

Workday

Get Started

Contact

[email protected]

+91-9460526944

B-1205, Goldfinger Avenir, Shankar Kalate Nagar, Wakad, Pune - 411057

Get a Quote