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Set Up Organization and User Security Matrix

Updated

The Organization and User Security Matrix controls which records each user role can access in SmartSimple and what actions they can perform on those records. The User Security Matrix governs access to user records, and the Organization Security Matrix governs access to organization records. Both matrices combine hierarchy permissions, which grant access based on organizational relationships, with role or category permissions, which set granular view, add, edit, delete, and lookup rights for each user role.

⚠ WARNING  It is very important to understand the implications of configuration changes to the matrices, as it is very easy to accidentally expose records to users with the View All checkbox in either matrix.

Who: Global administrators

When to Use the Organization and User Security Matrices

NOTE  The Organization and User Security Matrices should always be enabled. Some legacy systems may have them disabled, but they should be enabled in all new systems. They are configured during initial implementation based on the relationships defined by the client. The matrices can be modified over time as requirements evolve, but many clients do not need to modify them directly.

Use the Organization and User Security Matrices when:

  • A new SmartSimple system is being implemented and organization and user access needs to be defined from the start.
  • Specific user roles need controlled access to view, edit, add, delete, or search for user records across organizations.
  • Access to organization records must be restricted by category and by organizational hierarchy.
  • Different user roles require different levels of access to users and organizations in the system.
  • A user role should be limited to its own organization, its sub-organizations, or all organizations.

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Configure the User Security Matrix

To configure the User Security Matrix:

  1. Click the System Administration gear in the upper navigation bar, select Global Settings from the drop-down menu, and then click the Security tab.
  2. Click User Security Matrix.
  3. Locate the Login User Role section and select the user role to assign permissions to.
  4. Locate the Hierarchy Permissions section and check the checkboxes for the applicable permissions to determine the records a user role can view and modify based on organizational relationship:
    • Users Under All Organizations - Access to all users across all organizations.
    • Users Under Own Organization - Access to users within the current user's organization.
    • Users Under Sub Organizations - Access to users within the current user's organization or its sub-organizations.
    • Own Profile - Access to the user's own profile.
  5. Locate the Role Permission section and check the checkboxes for the applicable permissions to establish granular, role-by-role permissions for viewing, editing, deleting, and searching.
  6. Click Save.

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Configure the Organization Security Matrix

The Organization Security Matrix defines how users can interact with organization data. 

To configure the Organization Security Matrix:

  1. Click the System Administration gear in the upper navigation bar, select Global Settings from the drop-down menu, and then click the Security tab.
  2. Click Organization Security Matrix.
  3. Locate the Login User Role section and select the user role to assign permissions to.
  4. Locate the Hierarchy Permissions section and check the checkboxes for the applicable permissions to determine the general permissions a user role has to view and modify the organization data it belongs to. Set view, edit, add, delete, and search permissions for All Organizations, Own Organization, Sub Organizations, and Associated Organizations.
  5. Locate the Category Permissions section and check the checkboxes for the applicable permissions to establish granular, category-by-category permissions for viewing, editing, deleting, and searching.
  6. Click Save.

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Organization and User Security Matrix Examples

Review the Hierarchy Permissions in the Organization and User Security Matrices examples for organization contacts and system administrators.

Organization Security Matrix Examples

The following example shows the Hierarchy Permissions for an organization contact role who can view, edit, and lookup their own organization, and can also view sub-organizations.

 

The following example shows the Hierarchy Permissions for a system administrator who can view, edit, add, delete, and lookup all organizations.

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User Security Matrix Examples

The following examples show the Hierarchy Permissions for an organization contact that can view, add, and lookup colleagues in their own organization. They can also view, edit, add, and lookup their own profile.

NOTE  Add is needed to create the initial account.



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View Change History

For live systems, a note is required for any change to the security matrix for audit purposes due to the sensitive nature of the configuration options included here. Previous changes can also be reviewed using the history option.

To view Change History:

  1. Click the System Administration gear in the upper navigation bar, select Global Settings from the drop-down menu, and then click the Security tab.
  2. Click Organization Security Matrix or User Security Matrix.
  3. Click the Change History icon.

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