Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is the model and practice of restricting network access based on the roles of individual users across the enterprise. RBAC gives employees access rights only to the information they need to accomplish their assigned tasks based on their job role and prevents them from accessing information that is not relevant to them or necessary to complete their tasks.

The employee’s role determines the permissions they are granted and ensures that specific categories of employees cannot access sensitive information or perform tasks that provide a gateway to confidential data.

Roles are based on several elements in RBAC, including authorization, responsibility, and job specialization. Organizations typically designate roles for various users, such as an end user, an administrator, or a specialist user. The capability to view, create or modify files within a role may also be limited for specific tasks.

Whenever employees change jobs or positions within an organization, their access will need to be changed accordingly.  When adding a user to an existing role group, the individual user will gain access to all the permissions granted to that group. If they are removed from the group for any reason, their access will be restricted. RBAC allows users to be assigned temporary access to specific data or programs they might need to complete a specific task.

Larger organizations with hundreds or even thousands of workers, contractors, and third parties, including customers and vendors, must control access to their networks to safeguard critical information and systems. RBAC provides an important tool these organizations use to monitor and control access to their most confidential data and critical applications.