Creating a secure environment for Zendesk

Security is not only about passwords, encryption, and anti-virus, it is also a state of mind. When your Zendesk account is secure, you are more focused and you can get more work done. This article highlights a few Zendesk security features that will make your day-to-day job less stressful and keep you more focused on managing your core business.

Manage your agents' and end users' access

With Split Authentication agents and end users can have different ways to authenticate themselves as well as set different levels of password settings. You can secure Zendesk Support by creating a stricter authentication policy for agents while still providing easy access to your customers and end users.

Staff members (admins and agents)

End users

You can also set different authentication methods for agents and for end users. The different methods are Google auth, Zendesk username and password, Facebook login, Twitter login, and Single Sign On. Your agents will be forced to log in with only one authentication method that you choose - username and password, Google auth, or SSO (SAML or JWT).

Other than the authentication settings for Staff members and End users, there are Advanced settings for IP restrictions, SSL settings, and so on. 

Important: If you use a third-party SSO method to create and authenticate users in Zendesk, then switch to Zendesk authentication, these users will not have a password available for login. To gain access, ask these users to reset their passwords from the Zendesk sign in page.

Know who does what and control it

Note: Custom agent roles are available in Enterprise plans and above.

Too many cooks in the kitchen can make really good food but they can also make a big mess. Be sure to have the right number of Zendesk Support admins and not too many of them. You need a certain number of people who can manage your settings and the rest can work on tickets and keep your customers happy.

When creating new roles you have the ability to control the permissions in your account. For example, you can define an agent's access to tickets, the types of comments they can make, and their editing permissions. You can also control the Tools section which includes access and editing permissions for views, reports, and macros. One option can be selected for each. There are some accounts that are even set the level of freedom for their agents by setting permissions for viewing and editing end-user profiles.

Also, there are a few more permissions you can set - Forums, Channels, and System attributes are also available for a change. Read more about custom agent roles.

Summary

The Zendesk default security settings are very good, but if you feel the need to enforce more strict security and to be notified of a certain things that are happening in Zendesk Support, you can always enable these features.