8 Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) examples in action

Almost every organization you can think of uses some form of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) these days. 

Why is that? Simply put, RBAC offers a simple way to manage who can view, create, modify, or delete information. By organizing permissions around roles rather than individuals, RBAC streamlines the entire process, drastically reducing the administrative workload involved in user management.

Curious how this plays out across different industries? 

In this article, we'll showcase various role-based access control examples. You'll see how RBAC is used in a variety of settings, including corporate IT systems, financial services, e-commerce apps, government agencies, manufacturing, and media and content management systems.

What is Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)?

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a security model that restricts system access to authorized users. Instead of assigning individual user permissions, RBAC groups permissions into roles based on job functions and assigns these to users.

In RBAC, roles represent different job functions within an organization. The permissions assigned to each role determine what each user can do. For example, an "admin" role might have full access, while an "employee" role might be limited to basic functions.

The main advantage of RBAC is flexibility. Because permissions are centralized, RBAC allows for dynamic adjustments in user roles and permissions as organizational roles change, without needing to individually reassign permissions. This simplifies onboarding, rolling updates, and offboarding.

RBAC also reduces the chances of error and the risk of unauthorized access, as changes to roles automatically propagate permissions changes to all users assigned to that role.

RBAC examples

Let's go through some examples of role-based access control from different industries.

Example 1: Corporate IT system

Through RBAC, the IT admins can assign specific roles to employees based on their job functions. Here are some roles that are common in corporate systems:

• Every employee in a company needs access to basic IT systems, such as email, company intranet, and shared drives. All employees are assigned the 'General Employee' role which grants access to these services.
• IT support roles include access to more technical resources, such as network settings and user account management tools, needed for troubleshooting and support tasks.
• IT Admins have the highest level of access, including permissions to change network configurations, manage security settings, and handle sensitive data.
• Financial analysts are granted roles that allow them to access and manipulate financial figures within software like SAP or Oracle Financials. They do not have access to alter employee salary details, which might be reserved for HR roles.
• HR managers have access to HR systems like Workday or PeopleSoft where they can manage employee profiles, process payroll, and handle benefits. 

Example 2: Healthcare management system

Think about all the different roles involved in the healthcare industry — doctors, nurses, receptionists, billing staff, and more. Each has specific access needs, and each is assigned a role that reflects their responsibilities. For example:

• Nurses can access and update patient records for those they are actively caring for.
• Doctors can access and modify patient records across the facility to provide comprehensive care. Emergency room doctors may have broader access than a general practitioner.
• Administrative staff can access patient records but only to view demographic and billing information. Receptionists are limited to scheduling appointments.
• Pharmacists have access to complete prescription details and can update information regarding medication dispensing.
• Billing staff may have access to basic patient information such as names, addresses, contact details, and insurance information to process claims and handle billing inquiries but do not have access to detailed clinical notes or comprehensive medical histories that are irrelevant to the billing process.

Example 3: Educational institution system

Below are examples of RBAC in use within education institution systems:

• Student role gives users access to resources like the library catalog, online course materials, and the grades portal. However, they are not allowed to access staff directories or administrative systems, which are restricted to faculty and staff roles.
• Professors can view and update materials for the courses they teach and access certain student information, such as attendance records. However, they do not have the authority to make changes to the core systems that store transcripts, financial data, and other sensitive information.
• Higher levels of system access are reserved for administrative staff, who can manage and oversee sensitive areas such as transcripts and financial systems. These roles ensure proper segregation of duties and least privilege access based on each employee's responsibilities.
• IT support staff often hold a "superuser" role, allowing them to configure security settings, manage user accounts, and access log data across all the institution's systems. But even this powerful role has a separation of duties from other critical functions like finance.

Example 4: Financial services application

Here’s how RBAC can be defined for various roles within a financial services application:

• Customer support agents can access user account information necessary to resolve customer issues and provide support. However, they are barred from initiating or reversing financial transactions.
• Compliance officers ensure that the startup adheres to financial laws and regulations. They can audit transactions, access compliance reports, and monitor regulatory submissions. However, they are not involved in the operational handling of financial transactions.
• Loan officers have the authority to access detailed financial profiles and credit reports necessary for processing loan applications. However, they cannot approve loans independently; this requires additional verification from a manager or a specialized underwriting team.
• Risk analysts have access to transactional data and risk modeling tools to identify potential fraud and assess credit risks. However, they cannot directly alter risk models or credit limits.

Example 5: E-commerce platform

On an e-commerce platform, RBAC ensures different user roles have the right level of access:

• As a customer, you can view products, add them to your cart, and complete purchases. But you can't access admin control for managing inventory or processing orders.
• Merchants who sell on the platform have additional permissions beyond regular customers. They can upload product listings, set prices, and view order details for their store. However, they can't access data for other sellers.
• E-commerce admins have the highest level of access to manage the entire platform. They can view all orders, update site policies, ban users violating terms of service, and access sensitive business data. However, their permissions are limited to operating the platform itself.
• Marketing managers have access to customer demographic data, purchasing trends, and campaign performance analytics to tailor marketing strategies and promotions. However, they are prohibited from accessing transaction details and personal customer communications.

Example 6: Government agency systems

Here are examples showing how RBAC is used in government agencies:

• Administrative assistants have access to general office documents, internal communication tools, and scheduling systems to support day-to-day operations. However, they are restricted from accessing classified information or sensitive databases.
• RBAC ensures that only authorized personnel can view or modify certain files. As an analyst, you may have read-only access to census records. But senior officials get full editing privileges for high-priority cases.
• RBAC allows agencies to compartmentalize information on a need-to-know basis. Field agents might see details about an ongoing operation they're involved in. But they're blocked from unrelated cases to prevent risk.
• Policy analysts can access demographic data, policy research databases, and historical legislative information to aid in drafting and revising government policies. However, they do not have permission to modify official records or access enforcement action details.

Example 7: Manufacturing control system

Different roles in manufacturing have vastly different responsibilities:

• Plant managers have comprehensive access to all manufacturing data, including production schedules, output statistics, and workforce performance metrics. They are restricted from directly altering safety protocol data.
• Line workers can access operational information relevant to their specific tasks on the production floor, such as work instructions, quality control guidelines, and machine status. They do not have access to modify production schedules.
• Quality control inspectors have access to detailed quality data and analysis tools to oversee product standards and compliance with regulatory requirements. While they can flag issues and suggest process adjustments, they cannot directly implement changes in production processes or access employees' financial compensation data.
• Maintenance technicians have access to machine maintenance logs, operational manuals, and system diagnostics to perform repairs and routine maintenance.

Example 8: Media and content management system

Those in the media industry all need different levels of access to create and publish content. With RBAC, you can easily define roles like:

• Contributor: Can upload drafts and works-in-progress.
• Editor: Can review, edit, and schedule content.
• Publisher: Has final approval and ability to publish.

Of course, security is paramount in this domain. RBAC ensures that only authorized users can access certain types of content or data. For example:

• Writers can't edit articles they didn't create.
• Unprivileged users can't view unaired videos or embargoed news.
• Administrators control who has access to what.

RBAC best practices

• Principle of least privilege: One of the core best practices is adhering to the principle of least privilege. Only grant users the minimum rights required for their job roles and responsibilities. This limits excessive permissions that could be misused or abused.
• Role granularity: Define roles at the right level of granularity. Overly broad roles risk bundling too many permissions, while overly narrow roles become difficult to manage. Strike a balance based on your organization's needs.
• Periodic reviews: User roles and access rights should be periodically reviewed and updated. Employees change roles, responsibilities shift, and security needs evolve over time. Regular audits ensure proper access hygiene.
• Role separation: Separate roles governing different duties and areas of the system. For example, keep roles for system administration separate from roles managing financial data. Separation of duties mitigates insider threats.
• Monitor activity: Implement robust logging and auditing of all user activities tied to roles. This allows the detection and investigation of any suspicious behavior or potential abuse of privileges.
• Automate provisioning: Wherever possible, automate the process of granting, modifying, and revoking access rights based on roles. This reduces manual errors and oversight in user provisioning.

RBAC with WorkOS

Ready to add RBAC to your app? AuthKit by WorkOS makes adding RBAC to your app easy, with roles and permissions managed directly in the WorkOS dashboard. With SDKs in every popular language, easy-to-follow documentation, and Slack-based support, you can add RBAC to your app in minutes rather than weeks. Best of all, it’s free for up to 1 million MAUs.

Sign up for WorkOS today, and start selling to enterprise customers tomorrow.