For many companies, modeling and managing business roles for role-based access control (RBAC) presents a significant challenge. Our Managing Director Ingo Ruhloff has observed this firsthand from numerous customers:

When role modeling projects fail, it's often because business departments and IT can't agree, and they lack the proper tools and methodology. This leads to endless delays in analyzing permission structures and modeling roles, with results often being outdated by the time they're delivered.

This is where the R&D RoleManager comes in. It's a comprehensive software solution that helps both business units and IT master the challenge of role management, enabling fast and sustainable management of business roles and permissions while complying with all relevant compliance policies.

It's crucial to understand that establishing the foundation for role-based access control isn't a one-time effort. Role management is an ongoing cycle that requires continuous analysis of organizational structures, identities, accounts, permissions and permission structures, role modeling, and regular checks of existing roles for SoD conflicts. Most importantly, role models and roles need constant maintenance and adjustment to prevent them from becoming obsolete within weeks, rendering all efforts worthless.

When determining who would benefit most from implementing the R&D RoleManager, our role modeling expert Karl-Heinz Huber draws from his 10+ years of experience:

The R&D RoleManager perfectly complements companies already using Identity & Access Management systems. While leading IAM systems from Micro Focus, SailPoint or One Identity are fundamentally structured to enable role-based access control, they typically lack modules for quick and easy role modeling and sustainable maintenance. Moreover, the R&D RoleManager also benefits companies planning or implementing an IAM system, as it allows parallel or preliminary cleanup of permissions in target systems and early start of role modeling. Even without an IAM system, the R&D RoleManager offers diverse applications - companies can visualize, analyze, and clean up permission structures and distributions across systems like Active Directory, file systems, or SAP.

Karl-Heinz Huber, our role modeling expert, is also the creator of the R&D RoleManager. As previously reported (see article: "Renowned Role Modeling Expert Joins Ruhloff & Dauner IAM Team"), he began developing algorithms for fast and efficient analysis of permission data over 10 years ago. Over time, he evolved the software into a comprehensive solution for permission analysis, role mining, role modeling and maintenance, which was successfully used in numerous role modeling projects under the name go:Roles for several years. We've now acquired the software and will market it as R&D RoleManager going forward. Through our partner COGNITUM Software Team GmbH, the go:Roles Edition with integration to the go:Identity IAM system will remain available. Karl-Heinz Huber is excited about this development:

I'm thrilled that Ruhloff & Dauner is taking over professional marketing of the R&D RoleManager, allowing me as head of the development team to focus fully on software advancement and advising customers on role modeling.

A key focus in further developing the R&D RoleManager will be seamless integration with leading IAM systems from vendors like Micro Focus, SailPoint or One Identity, for which we already offer interfaces. Currently in development is the R&D RoleManager Edition for Micro Focus, which will enable sustainable role management for all Micro Focus NetIQ Identity Manager customers. This will allow Micro Focus customers to quickly model new roles for use in NetIQ Identity Manager, while also enabling the R&D RoleManager to import, edit and maintain existing role bases within the IDM.

Near completion is the R&D RoleManager Analyze Edition, designed for customers who only need the analysis functionality to visualize, analyze and clean up permission structures and distributions across systems like Active Directory, file systems or SAP. For these customers, the Analyze Edition offers a more affordable alternative to the full R&D RoleManager that can always be upgraded later.

For more information about the R&D RoleManager including use cases, applications, features and technical details, please visit our R&D RoleManager product page: