What IT and HR platform leaders miss: The hidden compliance risks in lower environments
For organisations that rely on Workday to manage sensitive data, the compliance stakes have never been higher. Amid escalating regulatory scrutiny and increasing data complexity, hidden risks are multiplying — yet many leaders still underestimate the exposure. According to the 2024 Plusora State of Data Compliance and Security Report, 54% of data breaches now originate in non-production tenants — environments where teams often have unrestricted access to sensitive data, without appropriate controls or oversight.
If you're an IT, HRIS, or finance systems lead, the uncomfortable truth is this: your biggest compliance risks may be hiding in plain sight — in the very lower environments you rely on to innovate.
Why IT leaders must act now
Workday operational teams are being asked to do more with less — faster than ever before. The push to deliver rapid change, implement new features, and resolve critical issues often leads teams to make trade-offs between speed and security. These trade-offs are particularly dangerous in non-production environments, where sensitive data is routinely copied and manipulated without the same level of protection as production systems.
“We have data 4x the volume in non-production across different tenants, so much stronger controls are needed to restrict and protect that data.”
With the acceleration of AI and data-driven decision-making, the volume of sensitive data in these environments is exploding and so is the risk. Despite this, 86% of organisations admit to allowing compliance exceptions in non-production environments just to keep up with business demands.
The Compliance Iceberg: It’s what you can’t see that hurts you
Most leaders focus on the tip of the iceberg — production security. But beneath the surface lies a growing volume of risk:
These aren’t theoretical risks. More than half of organisations have already experienced data breaches in non-production environments, incidents that could have been prevented with stronger safeguards.
The pressure cooker: Compliance vs. Agility
Workday teams are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The need to act fast often comes at the cost of robust governance. Elevated access, production data copies, and security workarounds become “temporary” fixes but these shortcuts stack up, creating a prolonged exposure risk that goes unchecked. This is why platform and systems leaders must move from reactive to proactive. Balancing compliance and agility is no longer optional — it’s a strategic imperative.
“We understand the sensitivity of the data and don’t want people seeing things they shouldn’t.”
Join the June 10 webinar: What leaders miss in Workday compliance
Join us on June 10 for an exclusive webinar, “The Compliance Iceberg: What Leaders Miss Below the Surface,” where we’ll reveal the hidden risks that often go unnoticed in lower Workday tenants—and how to tackle them without compromising delivery speed. Whether you're responsible for Workday security, operational delivery, or compliance strategy, this session will help you:
- Understand why 86% of teams knowingly bypass policy in lower tenants
- Identify hidden risks that could put your organisation’s data at risk
- Learn how to stay compliant without slowing down your delivery speed or innovation
Don’t wait for a breach to expose your blind spots — register now and see what’s below the surface.