We’re implementing a new work order management integration with external field service systems and need to ensure we follow security best practices. The integration will handle sensitive maintenance data and needs to comply with SOC 2 and ISO 27001 requirements.
I’m specifically interested in OAuth2 authentication patterns, RBAC configuration for API access, and audit logging strategies. What are the proven approaches for securing Workday API integrations in regulated environments? How do you balance security with operational efficiency?
Looking for experiences from teams who have gone through compliance audits with Workday integrations. What did auditors focus on? What security gaps are commonly overlooked?
OAuth2 implementation is straightforward but easy to get wrong. Use the authorization code flow with PKCE for maximum security, not the client credentials flow. Store tokens in secure vaults, never in config files or environment variables. Implement token rotation with short-lived access tokens (15-30 minutes) and refresh tokens. We’ve seen too many breaches from long-lived tokens that were compromised.
From a compliance perspective, the audit logging is often the weakest link. Make sure you’re capturing not just API calls but also the business context - who initiated the request, what data was accessed, and why. Auditors will want to see a complete audit trail that maps back to business processes. We had to retrofit our logging after our first SOC 2 audit because we weren’t capturing enough context.
Definitely use separate service accounts per functional area following principle of least privilege. For work order integrations, you might have separate accounts for read-only reporting, work order creation, and work order updates. This limits blast radius if credentials are compromised. Also implement IP allowlisting at the Workday tenant level - only allow API calls from known integration server IPs. This caught several unauthorized access attempts in our environment.
Don’t overlook the importance of regular access reviews. We schedule quarterly reviews of all integration service accounts to verify they still need their assigned permissions. About 30% of the time, we find accounts with excessive permissions that can be reduced. Also, implement automated alerting for unusual API activity patterns - high failure rates, off-hours access, or access from unexpected IPs.