How do I restrict the confluence knowledge base so only customers can see it?

[Missy]

I have a Jira help desk and confluence knowledge base. I want to allow my service desk customers (no confluence license) to see the confluence content but not allow anyone on the internet to access it. How do I set up the permissions?

[Jessica]

You might find these two articles useful. 

Confluence: Mixing public-facing without login articles and internal content

Setting Up Public Access

Let me know if that helps!

[Mike Bowen]

Hi @Missy 

1. Do your customers raise quests via the Customer Portal or Email?  
2. Do you want your customers to see the knowledge base through the Customer Portal? 

Point 2 is the best option because it allows your customers access to the Customer Portal where they can raise requests as well as access to the knowledge base / It also allows yours Service Desk Agents access to the same knowledge base to add links to posts in the comments / It also allows your Service Desk agents who will author knowledge base posts access to the knowledge base.

In terms of permissions, or setting this up it quite simple: 

1. In Jira Service Desk under Project Settings, Knowledge Base - Link to a Confluence Space (pick the Confluence space that is your knowledge base). 
2. Under Access - Viewing - Select 'Everyone with access to your service desk can read articles without a Confluence license. This option is best if you want to share knowledge base articles with your customers'.
3. Authoring - here you can specify who can author knowledge base posts.

That is it.

No one but your customers and internal authors and Service Desk Agents have access to your KB.

-Mike

[Missy]

@[deleted] Thanks for the reply.

To answer your questions, my customers raise tickets through the portal and I do want them to see my content through the portal.

I already have the service desk settings set as you mentioned. On my linked space I have links to other knowledge base spaces I want my customers to see. My customers can view anything I post in the space.  That's not my issue.

The problem I have is my customers are complaining that they can't see the content for other spaces that are linked to my KB space. So I had to change the space settings to allow anonymous users view access for those linked spaces. Now the spaces are open to anyone on the internet, which I don't want. 

I can't find anything in Atlassian's documetation that has a good explanation of how permissons work across links. There is plenty for how to set a single space or page but nothing on which permissions take precedence or override each other through the links.

[Mike Bowen]

Hi @Missy 

Thanks for the extra bit of information, I know what you can do and it is a simple solution: 

You don't want to be allowing anonymous access to your confluence pages. 

Do the following: 

Create another Jira Service Desk project (except this one will not have any request types, so be sure to remove everything in Project Settings - Request Types).  Then go to Project Settings - Knowledge Base and point it to your other SPACE. (basically the setup is exactly as your current Jira Service Desk).

Back in the new Service Desk - click Customers and add an organisation.  Start typing in an existing customer name and you will see your existing customers appear. Pick the customers who needs access to this space. (that can be all or some of them, you're in control). 

Now when the customer logs into the Customer Portal they are presented with two portals (one is your default Jira Service Desk/Knowledge Base) and one is your new space. 

In fact if you have multiple spaces you want to give customers access to, then repeat the process. 

Example: 

-Mike