How a global insurance provider transformed Workday security with Smart Audit
$3.4m
25 staff
75%
10 mins
*Usage stats calculated by Kainos product owners
“Smart Audit has given us the confidence to handle internal and external audits by demonstrating we manage risk daily. It’s saved us considerable time, reducing our daily review process to just 10 minutes.”
A complex challenge: Security at scale
A global insurance provider operating in over a dozen countries was facing increasing challenges managing Workday security as its footprint expanded. Operating under stringent Infosec standards, the organisation found its initial out-of-the-box security setup became inadequate. With 247 active security groups, up to 500 domain permissions, and 135 business processes in some of the super user security groups, manually monitoring access across five Workday tenants was becoming overwhelming. With monthly reviews growing burdensome and insufficient to address evolving risks, the HR tech team sought a proactive, risk-based solution that would allow them to scale security oversight in line with their rapid growth and compliance needs.
From health check to implementation
The firm engaged Kainos to perform a Smart Audit health check, revealing hidden risks such as potential Segregation of Duties (SoD) conflicts and overly permissive access. Particularly appealing were the platform’s automated security membership reviews, its ability to flag exceptions across multiple tenants, and a powerful Peer Manager review feature. “Seeing Smart Audit in action was eye-opening. The health check exposed risks we didn’t even realise we had,” explains the HR Systems Lead.
Encouraged by the audit insights, the organisation fast-tracked approval and implemented Smart Audit within weeks, with full support and weekly check-ins from Kainos throughout the onboarding period.
Immediate efficiency gains and long-term confidence
Within months, the impact was clear. Manual, quarterly reviews were replaced by automated daily checks. Security group membership, key business processes, and sensitive access changes across five non-production tenants were now under continuous, transparent monitoring. “Smart Audit is easy to configure. We manage our own controls and schedules—no need for heavy IT lift.”
The platform’s simplicity enabled the HR systems team to shift from reactive governance to proactive risk management, with clear visibility into employee access, configuration changes, inactive accounts, and SoD violations. “Smart Audit has given us the confidence to handle both internal and external audits by demonstrating that we manage risk daily. It has also saved us considerable time, reducing our daily review process to just 10 minutes.”
Strengthening culture, governance, and adoption
Beyond operational benefits, Smart Audit helped drive wider policy change. The tool became instrumental in reinforcing secure, appropriate access usage and supported the firm’s broader push for increased manager self-service. “Smart Audit gave us a new benchmark for Workday security. It’s transformed how we think about governance, visibility, and control.”
With support from Kainos continuing post-launch, the organisation is now leveraging Smart Audit to help deliver its automation strategy and ongoing transformation goals—future-proofing compliance without adding resource strain.