Rippling

Overview

Rippling's dashboard provides visibility into which employees have access to sensitive finance data through its integrated Identity and Access Management (IAM) system, which serves as a single source of truth for user identity and permissions across the organization. This visibility is primarily delivered through the 'Analytics' module, which contains a 'Report Builder' tool. Administrators can use this tool to create custom, real-time reports on access control, authentication settings, and application usage. The Report Builder features a 'Live Preview' function, allowing an admin to see exactly who has access to specific systems or data as they construct the report, before it is finalized. This centralized reporting consolidates access information from over 650 integrated applications, including finance tools like NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and Xero, into a single, auditable view.

Key Features

The platform employs several interconnected mechanisms to control and report on access. The core of its IAM system is a feature called 'Supergroups,' which uses dynamic, attribute-based rules to govern permissions automatically. For example, an administrator can create a rule that grants access to a specific financial report only to employees whose department is 'Finance' and whose level is 'Director' or higher. When an employee's attributes change in the HRIS (e.g., a promotion), their permissions are updated automatically in real-time. This is complemented by automated provisioning and deprovisioning; when an employee is terminated in Rippling, their access to all integrated apps is revoked instantly, their devices are locked, and their Single Sign-On (SSO) is disabled.

Technical Specifications

For applications that do not support modern protocols like SSO, Rippling provides 'RPass,' a built-in password manager that securely stores and shares credentials while maintaining an audit trail. All access events and administrative actions are captured in comprehensive audit logs, which are encrypted and available for review, providing a clear record of who accessed what, when, and from where.

How It Works

Administrators can also implement contextual access policies, such as requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for logins from outside the office network or completely blocking access to financial systems from personal, unmanaged devices. The system can even flag anomalous behavior like 'impossible travel' scenarios, where a user logs in from two geographically distant locations in a short period. These features provide layers of security and visibility that help protect sensitive financial information.

Use Cases

These capabilities are critical for meeting compliance standards such as SOC 2, which requires organizations to demonstrate strong controls over access to sensitive data. Rippling itself maintains SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and other certifications, and its platform is designed to help its customers achieve the same. The automated access reviews, audit logs, and centralized reporting provide the necessary evidence for auditors without requiring manual data compilation from disparate systems.

Limitations and Requirements

A key limitation of this system is that its deep, native visibility and control are primarily confined to the applications that are formally integrated with the Rippling platform. While the ecosystem is extensive, with over 650 apps, any non-integrated or shadow IT applications will not appear in the centralized dashboard reports. For these systems, Rippling's control is indirect, relying on the RPass password manager or Virtual LDAP services to manage credentials and maintain some level of auditability. However, the native permissions within these non-integrated tools cannot be directly managed or viewed from the Rippling dashboard. Therefore, comprehensive visibility is contingent on an organization connecting all its critical financial applications to the Rippling identity management system.

Comparison to Alternatives

This differs from traditional approaches where access information is siloed within each individual application, requiring separate audits for each system.

Summary

In conclusion, Rippling's dashboard shows who has access to sensitive finance data via a centralized reporting and analytics engine powered by its native IAM platform. It uses mechanisms like attribute-based Supergroups, automated provisioning, and comprehensive audit logs to control and monitor access in real-time across hundreds of integrated applications. This functionality is crucial for security and for streamlining compliance audits like SOC 2. The primary limitation is that this direct visibility is restricted to integrated applications, requiring reliance on other platform features like RPass for managing access to non-integrated legacy tools.