If you’re responsible for keeping your company’s sales content organized and secure, you’ve probably heard about Seismic. It’s powerful, but user permissions and roles can get messy fast—one wrong move and suddenly half your team can’t see what they need, or worse, everyone has access to stuff they shouldn’t. This guide is for admins, team leads, or anyone who has to wrangle user access in Seismic and wants to do it right, without headaches or second-guessing.
What are Roles and Permissions in Seismic, Really?
Before diving in, let’s clear up what Seismic means by “roles” and “permissions.” It’s not just semantics—understanding the difference saves you time and avoids confusion:
- Roles are collections of permissions. Think of them as templates for access, like “Sales Rep” or “Content Admin.”
- Permissions are the actual rights to do specific things: view, edit, share, delete, etc.
- Users get permissions through their assigned role(s). You can assign multiple roles to a user, but overlapping permissions can get tricky.
Seismic’s system is flexible, but with flexibility comes complexity. Over-customizing roles or being too generous with permissions is a classic mistake. Keep it simple.
Step 1: Map Out What People Really Need
Don’t start clicking around in Seismic yet. First, sketch out your teams and what they actually need to do. This doesn’t need to be fancy—a spreadsheet or even a whiteboard works.
Ask yourself: - Who just needs to view content? - Who creates or edits material? - Who’s approving stuff? - Anyone who shouldn’t see certain documents (e.g., confidential pricing, HR info)?
Pro tip: Most headaches come from trying to guess what people might need “just in case.” Don’t do that. Start with the minimum, then adjust as you go.
Step 2: Understand the Default Roles in Seismic
Seismic comes with a few out-of-the-box roles. Here’s what you’ll usually see:
- User: Can view and share content they have access to. Usually, this is the default for most employees.
- Content Administrator: Can create, edit, and delete content. Good for marketing or content ops folks.
- System Administrator: Full access, including user and permission management. Only a handful of trusted people should have this.
- Analytics User: Can view usage reports and analytics.
These default roles cover most needs, but you can create custom roles if you have edge cases. Honestly, stick with defaults as much as possible—custom roles are a double-edged sword. They’re tempting, but often lead to confusion later.
Step 3: Create or Edit Roles (If You Really Need To)
If you’re certain the defaults don’t cut it, here’s how to create or edit a role:
- Go to the Admin Center: You’ll need System Admin rights.
- Navigate to “Roles & Permissions”: It’s usually under the Security or Users section.
- Review Existing Roles: Before creating a new one, double-check if something similar already exists.
- Create a New Role or Edit an Existing One:
- Click “New Role” or select an existing one to edit.
- Name it clearly. (“Sales Enablement – Editor” is better than “Jane’s Custom Role #3.”)
- Select permissions. Go through the checkboxes for actions like View, Edit, Delete, Publish, etc.
- Save: Don’t forget this step.
What Permissions Actually Matter?
Here’s what most teams care about: - View: Lets users see the content. Most people only need this. - Edit/Upload: For those creating or updating docs. - Delete: Be stingy with this—accidents happen. - Publish/Unpublish: Only for folks who should control what’s live and what’s not. - Share: Common, but check if sensitive docs should be shareable. - Manage Users: Almost always reserved for admins.
Ignore: Super granular permissions like “Replace Thumbnail” or “Edit Metadata” unless you have a really good reason.
Step 4: Assign Roles to Users or Groups
Assigning roles is straightforward, but there are a few ways to do it:
Assigning Individually
- Go to the Users section.
- Find the user.
- Edit their profile and assign the needed role(s).
- Save.
Assigning by Group
- Use groups for teams or departments (e.g., “North America Sales”).
- Assign roles to the group—everyone in the group inherits those permissions.
- This keeps things tidy and scales as your team grows.
Pro tip: Use groups as much as possible. Assigning by user is fine when you’re small, but it gets overwhelming fast.
Bulk Imports
Seismic can import users in bulk, usually via CSV or syncing with your directory (like Azure AD or Okta). You can assign roles as part of the import. This is a lifesaver when onboarding or restructuring.
Watch out: Bulk changes can overwrite existing permissions. Double-check your import file and test with a small batch first.
Step 5: Test Permissions Before Rolling Out
Nothing kills trust faster than someone not being able to access what they need—or seeing something they shouldn’t.
- Log in as a test user with the new role.
- Try to access key content, upload, edit, share, etc.
- Ask a couple of real users to double-check. They’ll find stuff you missed.
- If you’re using custom roles, pay extra attention to anything “edge case” (like regional restrictions or sensitive content).
Step 6: Maintain and Audit Regularly
Permissions aren’t “set and forget.” People change roles, teams get reorged, and content evolves.
- Quarterly reviews: Pull a permissions report. Who has what? Does it still make sense?
- Offboarding checks: When someone leaves, make sure their access is removed immediately. This is basic, but often overlooked.
- Spot-check sensitive content: Make sure only the right folks can see it.
Pro tip: Seismic’s audit logs aren’t perfect, but use them to spot weird access patterns or mistakes.
What to Avoid
- Over-customizing roles: Every unique role is a maintenance headache. Use groups and defaults as much as you can.
- “Just in case” permissions: Don’t give people more than they need. It’s easier to add access later than clean up a mess.
- Ignoring regular reviews: Things change. Schedule audits so you’re not caught off guard.
Troubleshooting: Common Permission Gotchas
Even if you do everything right, you’ll hit some snags. Here are a few common problems and how to handle them:
- User can’t see content they should: Check if they’re in the right group and if the content is actually shared with that group or role. Seismic’s sharing settings are separate from roles.
- User has access to too much: Look for overlapping group memberships or roles. Remove extras and test again.
- Role changes aren’t taking effect: Sometimes, users need to log out and back in. If that doesn’t work, check for sync delays with external directories.
- Bulk changes messed up existing permissions: Roll back if you can, or manually fix the most urgent issues, then do a lessons-learned debrief.
Shortcuts, Realities, and Final Thoughts
- Start with the fewest roles possible. You can always add more.
- Groups beat individual assignments. They scale better and make audits easier.
- Document your process. Even a simple Google Doc listing your roles and what they mean will save you later.
Managing permissions in Seismic doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Stay skeptical of “set it and forget it”—review regularly, keep things simple, and don’t be afraid to say no to extra complexity. Iteration beats perfection every time.