Test Permissions
⏱️ Estimated time: 5 minutes
One of the biggest concerns in enterprise AI is security: "Will Glean show people things they shouldn't see?" The answer is no — and you can prove it right now with your two personas.
Glean enforces the exact same permissions as the underlying source apps. If a document is restricted in SharePoint, it's restricted in Glean. If a Confluence space is private to Engineering, Sales can't see it.
Step 1 — Log In as Persona 1
Sign in with your first persona (let's say they're in Engineering).
Search for: product roadmap
Note the results that appear — you should see engineering-specific documents from the Engineering Confluence space, Engineering SharePoint site, and relevant Teams channels.
Take a screenshot
Capture the results page so you can compare it side-by-side with Persona 2's results.
Step 2 — Log In as Persona 2
Open a separate browser profile or incognito window and sign in with your second persona (let's say they're in Sales).
Search for the exact same query: product roadmap
Step 3 — Compare the Results
You should immediately notice:
- Different results — Persona 2 sees Sales-relevant content (e.g. customer-facing roadmap decks, Sales Confluence space content) rather than internal Engineering documents
- Missing results — Documents that appeared for Persona 1 (e.g. engineering sprint plans, internal architecture docs) will not appear for Persona 2 at all
- Same platform, different views — both personas are using the same Glean instance, but their experience is entirely shaped by their permissions
More Things to Try
| Action | What to Expect |
|---|---|
Persona 1 (Engineering): Search Jira or sprint |
Returns Jira tickets and engineering content |
Persona 2 (Sales): Search Jira or sprint |
Returns fewer or no results (Sales doesn't have Jira access) |
| Either persona: Search for the other persona's name | You'll see their people card, but not their private documents |
| Upload a file to Persona 1's OneDrive (private) | Persona 2 cannot see it in search |
This only works with content that has actual permission differences
Company-wide content (e.g. all-hands announcements, public SharePoint sites) will appear for both personas. The permission differences are most visible with department-specific content in Teams, SharePoint, Confluence, and Jira.
What to Notice
- Permissions are enforced in real-time — there's no delay or "eventual consistency." If a document is restricted, it's immediately invisible to unauthorized personas
- This applies to AI features too — Glean Assistant will never cite a document your persona doesn't have access to. Try asking both personas the same question in Assistant and compare the cited sources
- No admin configuration needed — Glean reads permissions directly from the source apps. There's nothing to set up or maintain
Why this matters
Permission enforcement is the #1 enterprise requirement for AI platforms. Glean doesn't just claim to respect permissions — you can see it working in real-time by comparing your two personas. This is the proof point your security and compliance teams will want to see.