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Product & Engineering

Take the Guesswork Out of Policy Evaluation With Duo’s Policy Calculator

A brand-new tool has landed in Duo. The policy calculator is here to simplify policy like never before. It’s your new go-to feature for effortless policy management and evaluation.

What is the Policy Calculator all about?

Managing multiple security policies in Duo is a crucial and complex task.  Our rule-based policy engine brings flexibility, but figuring out exactly how all those policies combine can be a real head-scratcher.

That's where the Policy Calculator comes in. This tool is designed to take the guesswork (and stress) out of policy. It allows you to see exactly which policies apply when a user accesses an application, providing a clear, rule-by-rule breakdown of the final policy in effect. Not only does it give you the final calculated policy, but it also shows which specific policy each rule originates from. It's like having X-ray vision for your policies!

How does it work?

Spoiler alert: it's super easy!

You’ll find the Policy Calculator nestled under Policy in the Duo Admin panel. Input a user and application name, the key details needed to calculate the policy.

Screenshot of the policy calculator screen

And then the magic happens! You'll see the groups the user belongs to and all the policies that apply.

Screenshot of the policy calculator display

You will also get a detailed, rule-by-rule breakdown of the final policy, complete with the origin of each rule. It's like having a personal policy detective at your fingertips.

Screenshot of the policy explanations

Continue exploring by entering different usernames and applications to see how the calculated policy changes.

Wondering when you might use the Policy Calculator?

  • Verify if the policy changes you made are doing what you think they are. The Policy Calculator lets you see how these modifications affect the final policy for a user accessing an application. No more policy surprises!

  • Understand why a user was denied access. See the breakdown of policies leading to the denial, helping you troubleshoot and make necessary adjustments.

  • Got a complicated policy stack? In Duo, group-level policies override application and global-level policies. The Policy Calculator looks at rules from each of these policies and picks the rules from policies with higher precedence for the final policy. It untangles the complexity, so you don’t have to!

Get started today!

The Policy Calculator is now available in your Duo Admin Panel. Start using it today to ensure that your security policies are working exactly as intended. Go ahead, give it a whirl!