The Ploy browser extension brings access management directly into your employees’ everyday workflow. It allows employees to interact with Ploy directly from the browser while giving IT and Security visibility into real app usage.

With it, employees can:

• Request access to apps directly from the browser

• View and action tasks and approvals

• Passively contribute to richer usage data across your SaaS stack

And as an admin, you can:

• Detect and block unsanctioned apps

What the Browser Extension Does

Managing Access

The “Home” tab shows resources that a user currently has access to. Clicking the “Launch” button directs them to the resource’s URL if applicable.

Users can request access by clicking Request Access on this tab. This directs to the Catalogs tab, where you can see.

Usage tracking

The extension helps build a picture of real app usage by detecting when a user is actively on specific pages within supported web-based apps - for example, a login page or main application page.

When this happens, the extension records lightweight usage signals (such as when the app was last accessed). This information is sent to Ploy to support:

• Understanding which apps are being used

• Identifying low or unused access

• Making better-informed access and licence decisions

The extension focuses on when an app is accessed, not what a user does inside it. It doesn’t read page content or track user activity beyond recognising supported app pages.

Users can see their tracked usage can by clicking the heartbeat icon in the extension.

Importing users

The browser extension can be used by tool owners to import users using the application’s user pages.

When a user visits specific the page within the app containing user information, the extension can use this information as a source of truth for who currently has managed access, updating the list of employees in Ploy.

This is especially useful when there is a mix of managed and unmanaged access e.g. where some users may have free accounts outside of the business account.

Blocking applications

Ploy admins can use the extension to block access to specific applications.

When a blocked app is accessed, the extension prevents the page from loading and instead displays an “Access blocked” screen. This makes it clear to the user that the app is restricted and avoids silent failures or confusion.

Blocking can be used to:

• Enforce security or compliance decisions

• Prevent access to unsanctioned tools

• Guide users towards approved alternatives

See our guide on how to use the blocking feature here.