Overview
The Apps & Links area now supports audience-based access control (ABAC). This means administrators can control which users see which apps and links, based on attributes such as role, department, location, or other audience filters your organization uses.
Instead of everyone seeing the same grid of apps and links, you can now:
Show only relevant tools to each audience.
Reduce clutter and confusion.
Improve security and governance by limiting visibility to appropriate groups.
Who this is for:
End users: See a cleaner, more relevant Apps & Links experience.
App Managers / Admins: Configure audiences for apps and links.
Security / Governance stakeholders: Enforce “who sees what” consistently.
What’s changed
Previously:
The Apps & Links catalog was largely one-size-fits-all.
If an app or link was added, it was typically visible to everyone, unless restricted in a coarse way.
There was limited alignment between audience segmentation and what appeared in Apps & Links.
Now, with ABAC:
Each app or link can have a defined audience.
Visibility is controlled using the same audience/segment logic used elsewhere in your intranet (e.g., for content targeting or navigation).
Users only see apps and links that match their audience attributes.
Examples:
HR tools available only to HR users.
Engineering tools visible to Engineering and IT.
Regional systems shown only to users in a specific country or region.
How it works for end users
As an end user:
Open Apps & Links from your navigation (label may be “Apps & Links,” “Apps,” or configured name).
You see a personalized grid or list of:
Applications (SSO apps, key systems, third-party tools).
Useful links (internal pages, external URLs).
The items you see are filtered based on:
Your role or group membership (e.g., HR, Finance, Engineering).
Your location or region.
Other audience criteria your organization has configured.
You do not need to configure anything yourself; visibility is automatic based on your profile and the rules admins have set.
Configuring Apps & Links audiences (for App Managers/Admins)
Exact labels may differ slightly depending on your environment, but the overall flow is similar.
1. Open Apps & Links management
Go to Manage (or your admin menu).
Select Apps & Links (may be under Manage features, Application, or similar).
You’ll see a management view listing existing apps and links.
2. Create or edit an app/link
Click Add app/link (or similar) to create a new entry, or
select an existing app/link and click Edit.Configure the standard details:
Name
URL
Icon or logo (if applicable)
Category or grouping (if supported)
Any SSO / integration settings your org uses.
3. Set the audience (ABAC)
In the app/link settings, locate the Audience or Visibility section.
Choose how you want to target the app/link:
Everyone – visible to all users.
Specific audiences / segments – only visible to selected groups.
When selecting specific audiences, you can typically filter by:
Department / function (e.g., HR, Legal, Marketing).
Role / job level (e.g., Managers, Frontline staff).
Location / region (e.g., US, EMEA, APAC).
Other attributes configured by your organization.
Save your changes.
After saving:
Users whose profile matches the chosen audience criteria will see the app or link in Apps & Links.
Others will not see the item at all.
Examples
Example 1: HR-only benefits system
App: “Benefits Portal”
Audience rule: Department = HR
Result:
Only people in HR see “Benefits Portal” in Apps & Links.
All other users do not see it, reducing clutter and potential confusion.
Example 2: Region-specific payroll systems
App A: “Payroll – US”
Audience rule: Country = US
App B: “Payroll – UK”
Audience rule: Country = UK
Users see only the payroll app relevant to their country.
Example 3: Manager tools
Link: “Manager Resources Hub”
Audience rule: Role = Manager (or people managers group)
Only managers see it in Apps & Links; individual contributors do not.
Benefits
Personalized tools experience
Users get direct access to the apps and links they actually need.Reduced clutter
Fewer irrelevant tiles = simpler navigation and less cognitive load.Improved governance and security
Helps ensure specialized or sensitive tools are only visible to the right audiences.Consistency with content targeting
Reuses the same audience and ABAC foundations as the rest of your intranet, simplifying admin workflows.
Considerations and best practices
Start with broad groups, refine over time
Begin targeting by department or location; then refine for more specific groups if needed.Keep “Everyone” for widely useful tools
Core systems (e.g., email, intranet home, main HR self-service) should usually remain visible to all.Avoid overlapping/conflicting rules
If multiple audiences are defined, make sure they don’t create unintended gaps (e.g., a group of users who match none of the defined segments).Test with pilot groups
For critical apps, test audience rules with a small group before rolling out broadly.Document audience logic
Keep a short internal admin guide or Confluence page that explains how you’ve structured audiences for Apps & Links, so future admins can maintain it consistently.
Troubleshooting
A user can’t see an app/link they should see.
Check:
The app/link’s audience configuration.
The user’s profile attributes (department, role, location, etc.).
Ensure there is at least one audience definition the user matches.
Confirm there are no environment-specific feature flags restricting visibility beyond ABAC (refer to internal release notes for any flags controlling Apps & Links ABAC).
A user sees an app/link they should not see.
Review the app/link’s audience:
Is it set to “Everyone”?
Does the audience rule unintentionally include this user’s attributes?
Adjust the rule or create more precise audiences.
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