Today’s fast-paced business environment necessitates effective user access and security management from any organisation, and Workday provides an impressive set of tools and features to facilitate this task. In this blog we’ll cover aspects such as tenant-wide password rules, password reset configuration and using User Provisioning Workspaces (UPWs) for seamless user management.
Workday is an all-in-one platform that streamlines financial, HR and payroll functions into a unified system.
One of its major strengths lies in its user account management capabilities – this ensures only authorized individuals gain access to necessary data and applications – an especially vital feature in an age of data breaches and cyber threats.
As part of your Workday security plan, one of the first steps should be establishing tenant-wide password rules.
These ensure all users create strong, secure passwords that are hard for hackers or guessers to guess or crack. Workday administrators can customize these rules based on industry best practices such as:
Password Length and Length Policies:
Establish minimum and maximum length restrictions for passwords.
Complexity Requirements:
In force uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special characters into passwords.
Expiration Policy:
Set an expiration policy after which passwords must be changed.
Reuse Restrictions: Discourage users from reusing any number of passwords previously used by them.
Implementing these rules can significantly decrease the risk of unauthorised access, protecting sensitive information.
Workday provides flexible options for managing password resets and account-related tasks.
When working with accounts managed through delegated authentication or third-party identity providers, password changes and resets can be handled according to your preference; for instance:
Self-Service Password Reset:
Enabling users to reset their own passwords through a self-service portal can reduce IT support burden.
Delegated Authentication:
Integrating external identity providers such as Active Directory, Okta or Azure AD to manage authentication and password resets effectively is also key for user security.
Account Lockout Policies:
Set forth how many failed login attempts an account allows before it’s locked, and for how long.
Administrators can perform various account administration duties, such as:
Create Usernames and Reset Passwords:
Create unique usernames for new users. Reset Passwords for Users Who Forgot or Need Assistance
Lock and Unlock Accounts:
Temporarily lock accounts for security purposes before unlocking them when needed.
Establishing External Accounts:
Create accounts for users requiring access to external sites or applications.
Workday offers tools for managing external accounts, which are essential when accessing strategic sourcing and other applications. This feature enables you to:
Provision and Deprovision Users:
Automatically provision and delete users on external systems according to their roles and permissions within Workday.
Synchronize Data:
Keep user information consistent across Workday and external systems to ensure users have appropriate access levels.
Report Generation:
Generate reports detailing external site usage and user activity for compliance and auditing purposes. This provides invaluable insights that provide valuable insight.
User Provisioning Workspace (UPW) is an extremely useful feature of Workday that simplifies user access and permission management.
Key features of UPW include:
Preview Reporting for Returning Workers:
UPW provides preview reports upon return or rejoining to ensure employees return from leave or rejoin their organizations with appropriate access and permissions.
Automated Permissions and Security Group Creation:
UPW automates the creation of permissions and security groups across Workday and Adaptive Planning, eliminating manual effort and errors while increasing accuracy.
Integration with Adaptive Planning:
Integrate user provisioning seamlessly with Adaptive Planning’s financial planning and analysis solution to ensure users have access to financial data and planning tools.
To optimize Workday’s account management features, consider these best practices:
1.Regularly Review and Update Password Policies: Keep abreast of the latest security advice by regularly reassessing and revising password policies accordingly.
2. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Increase security by requiring users to submit additional verification methods such as providing one-time codes from their mobile phone as an extra layer of verification.
3. Conduct Regular Audits: Perform periodic audits on user accounts and permissions to ensure access is appropriate and current.
4. Teach Users About Best Security Practices: Educate your workforce about strong passwords, recognizing phishing attempts, and other measures needed for maximum protection.
5. Employ Automation: Make use of Workday’s automation features to automate user provisioning and deprovisioning, eliminating human error as much as possible.
Workday’s account management system offers organizations looking to streamline user management while still upholding robust security measures.
This platform’s ability to manage both internal and external accounts, coupled with advanced provisioning and reporting features, makes it a valuable asset for modern enterprises.
An efficient combination of flexible password management, integrated security features, and automated provisioning helps organizations maintain security while decreasing administrative overhead.
As businesses evolve and new security challenges emerge, Workday’s account management system offers businesses the perfect foundation for secure yet efficient user management.
Bear in mind that successful implementation of Workday account management requires careful planning, maintenance and optimization over time to meet your organization’s changing needs.
