Centralizing Enterprise Access: Transforming User Management in IBM Sterling Cloud Business Network

Enterprise platforms succeed when complexity is managed — not multiplied.

This is the story of how we redesigned user permission management inside IBM Sterling Cloud Business Network (SCBN) by centralizing access control within the SCBN Hub — reducing onboarding friction, eliminating errors, and strengthening governance at scale.

Understanding the Ecosystem

What is SCBN?

IBM Sterling Cloud Business Network (SCBN) is a cloud-based B2B integration solution that enables organizations to securely exchange business documents such as:

• Purchase Orders (POs)
• Invoices
• Shipping Instructions
• Other transactional data

These are transmitted using:

• XML / JSON
• APIs
• EDI standards

At the center of this ecosystem sits the SCBN Hub, which connects three critical operational components:

1. IBM Sterling InFlight – Real-time transaction monitoring
2. IBM Sterling Configuration Hub – Partner profile & trading agreement management
3. IBM Sterling Business Transaction Intelligence – Advanced B2B analytics

Each application plays a vital role in enterprise operations.

But together — they created friction.

The Core Problem: Fragmented Permission Management

Users were created in the B2Bi SaaS Hub (part of SCBN Hub).

However, permissions were not centralized.

To onboard a single user, admins had to:

• Create the user in SCBN Hub
• Open InFlight separately
• Assign module-level permissions
• Configure data filters
• Manually verify alignment

For enterprises managing hundreds of users, this became:

• Time-consuming
• Repetitive
• Error-prone
• Difficult to audit
• Lacking visibility

This was not just a usability problem. It was an operational risk.

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The Business Opportunity

The business saw a clear opportunity:

Move application-level permissions into SCBN Hub
Create a single place to manage user access

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Business Goals

• Complete onboarding 20% faster
• Achieve 100% error reduction
• Improve visibility & governance
• Strengthen compliance

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Defining the Persona

Our primary persona: Customer Admin‍

They are responsible for:

• Managing users across applications
• Assigning roles
• Ensuring correct access levels
• Supporting audits and compliance

Their need was clear:

“I want to manage users across all applications effortlessly and confidently — from one place.”

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The Problem Statement

How might we enable Customer Admins to manage user permissions across multiple SCBN applications in a centralized, intuitive, and error-proof way?

To answer this, I led a structured three-phase journey:

1. Discovery
2. Ideation
3. Design

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Discovery: Validating the Right Problem

The biggest risk? Solving the wrong problem.

Before designing anything, I facilitated five structured workshops:

1. Reviewing existing user flows
2. Conducting heuristic evaluations
3. Surfacing assumptions
4. Mapping as-is scenarios
5. Conducting user interviews

My goal: align product, design, and engineering around evidence.

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What We Discovered

Fragmented User Flows

Admins had to switch between:

• SCBN Hub (user creation)
• InFlight (permission configuration)

User management was distributed — not centralized.

Heuristic Breakdowns

We identified:

• Permissions split across applications
• Constant context switching
• Case-sensitive search
• Poor filter visibility

These tactical issues pointed to a deeper systemic problem:

Admins were adapting to the platform.
The platform wasn’t supporting their workflow.

Emotional Friction

Through as-is scenario mapping, we uncovered:

• Admins waited for user registration before assigning permissions
• They repeated identical tasks across multiple users
• No bulk application of settings
• No cumulative visibility

Admins weren’t just slowed down.
They were frustrated. In enterprise tools, frustration leads to spreadsheets and shadow processes.

User Interview Insights

We conducted sponsor interviews and validation sessions.

Admins told us:

• They couldn’t see cumulative permissions in one place
• Data filters were rarely used
• They wanted more control over roles
• They needed flexibility without losing governance

We synthesized findings into four themes:

1. Custom roles
2. User access & permissions
3. Adding users
4. Data filters

Why “Custom Roles” Emerged as the Key Insight

Custom roles ranked #1 because:

• Admins repeatedly assigned identical permission sets
• It wasted time
• It increased error probability

This insight became our strategic anchor.

Ideation: Exploring the Right Architecture

We explored three solution directions.

Option 1: Separate Role Management Tab

• Dedicated role governance
• Clear structure

Why we rejected it:

• High cross-application dependency
• Maintenance complexity
• Scalability concerns

Flexible — but fragile.

Option 2: Group-Based Model (Chosen)

We explored a user group model where:

• Users inherit permissions from structured groups
• Groups define application + module-level access
• Permissions cascade cleanly

Why we chose it:

• Easier integration across applications
• Clear inheritance model
• Scalable across departments
• Lower admin overhead

Group-based design allowed governance at scale.

Option 3: Dropdown Role Selection During User Creation

• Lightweight
• Fast

But too limited for complex enterprise structures.

The Final Solution: Centralized Group-Based Governance

We introduced User Groups within SCBN Hub.

Core Capabilities

• Create permission-based groups
• Assign users to groups
• Manage multiple application permissions centrally
• Bulk onboarding
• Conflict detection modals
• Toast notifications for confirmation
• Exportable audit reports

This was more than a UI update.

It was an architectural improvement.

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What Changed for Admins

Before

• Multiple applications
• Repetitive configuration
• Manual validation

After

• One unified interface
• Bulk configuration
• Clear inheritance
• Audit-ready visibility

Admins could now:

• Onboard users faster
• View & edit permissions in one place
• Manage similar users efficiently
• Detect conflicts instantly

Impact

We successfully launched the Group Users feature within a 3-month timeline.

Results

• Faster onboarding
• 100% onboarding accuracy
• Migrated permissions from InFlight into SCBN Hub
• Improved governance & compliance visibility

This directly aligned with business goals around efficiency and error reduction.

Leadership & Growth

This project required:

• Managing complex permission logic
• Navigating cross-application dependencies
• Aligning four designers
• Facilitating stakeholder buy-in

One belief strengthened through this work:

Alignment is a design responsibility.

Through both IBM Maximo and SCBN Hub initiatives, I’ve worked on transforming operational systems into integrated data ecosystems.

In both cases, the challenge wasn’t technology.
It was aligning architecture with real business outcomes.

Final Reflection

Enterprise UX isn’t about aesthetics.

It’s about:

• Governance at scale
• Reducing operational risk
• Enabling confidence
• Creating systems that support — not obstruct — administrators

By centralizing user permissions inside SCBN Hub, we didn’t just improve usability.

We improved control, compliance, and enterprise trust.

And in enterprise software — trust is growth.

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