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Setting Up Polyguard for Help Desk

This page walks you through configuring Polyguard for help desk identity verification -- from creating your first help desk Link to integrating with your ticketing system and receiving verification results via webhooks.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • A Polyguard account with administrator privileges
  • Access to the Polyguard Console at console.polyguard.ai
  • Your ticketing system ready for integration (optional but recommended)

Employee onboarding

Employees will need the Polyguard Mobile app installed on their smartphones to complete identity verification. If your organization already uses Polyguard for secure meetings, employees may already have the app set up. If not, you can include the app download link in your help desk verification emails.

A Link in Polyguard is a reusable trust check configuration that defines what identity proofs are required. For help desk verification, you will create a Link specifically designed for credential reset scenarios.

  1. Log in to the Polyguard Console at console.polyguard.ai.
  2. Navigate to Links in the left sidebar.
  3. Click Create Link.
  4. Enter a descriptive name, such as "Help Desk Identity Verification" or "Password Reset Verification".
  5. Configure the required proofs for your Link.

For password and MFA reset scenarios, we recommend requiring:

Proof Purpose Recommended
Face Biometric Confirms the person matches their identity credential via real-time facial recognition Always
Device Identity Verifies the request comes from a trusted, uncompromised device using hardware attestation Always
Phone Number Confirms the employee controls the phone number on file Optional
Geographic Location Shares the employee's state and country during verification Optional
Employment Verification Confirms the person is a current employee via corporate directory Optional

Start with the essentials

Face Biometric and Device Identity together provide strong assurance that the caller is who they claim to be and is using a legitimate device. You can add additional proofs later as your security requirements evolve.

  1. Set any additional Link options (expiration, single-use vs. reusable).
  2. Click Save.

Step 2: Configure Email and SMS Templates

When an agent initiates a verification, Polyguard sends the trust check link to the employee via email, SMS, or both. You can customize the message templates to match your organization's tone and branding.

  1. In the Polyguard Console, navigate to Settings > Notifications.
  2. Edit the email template and/or SMS template for help desk verifications.
  3. Include your organization's name, a brief explanation of why the employee is receiving the link, and any relevant help desk contact information.

Phishing awareness

Consider adding a line to your templates that tells employees they should only complete verification if they initiated a help desk request. This helps reinforce your organization's security culture.

Step 3: Integrate with Your Ticketing System

Polyguard integrates with popular IT Service Management (ITSM) platforms so agents can trigger identity verification directly from a ticket -- without switching to a separate tool.

Supported Integrations

  • ServiceNow -- Trigger verifications from incident or request tickets
  • Zendesk -- Send verification links from the agent sidebar
  • Jira Service Management -- Initiate verification from issue workflows
  • Custom integrations -- Use the Polyguard REST API and webhooks with any ticketing system

General Integration Steps

  1. In the Polyguard Console, navigate to Settings > Integrations.
  2. Select your ticketing platform.
  3. Follow the platform-specific setup instructions to connect your Polyguard account.
  4. Map the help desk Link you created in Step 1 to the appropriate ticket types or workflows (e.g., "Password Reset", "MFA Reset").
  5. Test the integration by creating a test ticket and sending a verification request.

No ticketing system?

If your help desk does not use a supported ticketing platform, agents can send verification links directly from the Polyguard Console. See MFA & Password Reset Verification for the manual workflow.

Step 4: Configure Webhooks

Webhooks allow Polyguard to send real-time verification results to your systems. This is useful for:

  • Automatic ticket updates -- Mark a ticket as "identity verified" when the employee completes verification
  • Audit logging -- Record verification events in your SIEM or security platform
  • Conditional workflows -- Automatically approve or escalate requests based on verification results

Setting Up Webhooks

  1. In the Polyguard Console, navigate to Settings > Webhooks.
  2. Click Add Webhook.
  3. Enter the endpoint URL where Polyguard should send verification events.
  4. Select which events to receive:
    • trust_check.completed -- Sent when an employee successfully completes verification
    • trust_check.failed -- Sent when a verification attempt fails
    • trust_check.expired -- Sent when a verification link expires without being completed
  5. Copy the webhook signing secret -- you will use this to verify that incoming requests are genuinely from Polyguard.
  6. Click Save and test the webhook with a sample event.

Webhook Payload

Each webhook delivery includes:

Field Description
event_type The event that triggered the webhook (e.g., trust_check.completed)
link_id The ID of the Link used for verification
session_id The unique session ID for this verification
timestamp When the event occurred (ISO 8601)
identity Verified identity information (name, proofs completed)
device Device attestation details
location Geographic location at the administrative region level (if requested)
metadata Any custom metadata you attached when creating the session (e.g., ticket ID)

Secure your webhook endpoint

Always validate the webhook signature using the signing secret before processing any verification result. Never trust a verification result that was not delivered through a signed webhook or retrieved directly from the Polyguard API.

Step 5: Test the Workflow

Before rolling out to your help desk team, run through the full workflow end to end:

  1. Create a test ticket (or use the Console directly).
  2. Send a verification link to yourself or a colleague.
  3. Complete the verification using the Polyguard Mobile app.
  4. Confirm that the verification result appears in the Console, your ticketing system (if integrated), and your webhook endpoint (if configured).

Once you are satisfied that the workflow is working correctly, train your help desk agents using the step-by-step guide in MFA & Password Reset Verification.

What's Next?