Understanding RiskOS™

How RiskOS™ works

RiskOS™ is a configurable identity orchestration and decisioning platform. You send data about a person, business, or device. RiskOS™ runs it through a workflow of verification checks, rules, and scoring logic, then returns a decision — ACCEPT, REJECT, or REVIEW — with enrichment data, risk scores, and reason codes.

Every RiskOS™ interaction follows the same runtime chain:

flowchart LR
    A[API Request] --> B[Evaluation]
    B --> C[Workflow]
    C --> D[Enrichments]
    D --> E[Rules & Scoring]
    E --> F[Decision]

1. Your application sends a POST to the Evaluation API with user data and a workflow name.
2. An evaluation starts and executes the selected workflow.
3. The workflow calls enrichments, generates signals, evaluates rules, and computes scores.
4. The workflow returns a decision: ACCEPT, REJECT, or REVIEW.

Some evaluations complete immediately (synchronous). Others pause for user action and deliver results via webhook (asynchronous). See Synchronous vs Asynchronous Evaluations for more information.

Core concepts

RiskOS™ automates identity verification, fraud prevention, and compliance through six interconnected building blocks. Each concept has its own page — use this map as your starting point.

How these concepts work together

The six concepts form a processing pipeline. Each feeds into the next, transforming raw input data into a risk decision.

flowchart TD
    REQ["API Request"] --> ATTR["Attributes (input)"]
    ATTR --> INPUT["Input Step validates payload"]
    INPUT --> ENRICH["Enrichment Steps call data services"]
    ENRICH --> SIG["Signals returned"]
    ENRICH --> RC["Reason Codes returned"]
    INPUT --> TRANSFORM["Transformation Steps"]
    TRANSFORM --> DV["Derived Values"]
    SIG --> RULES["Rules & Conditions evaluate data"]
    DV --> RULES
    RULES --> TAG["Tag Steps classify evaluation"]
    TAG --> TAGS["Tags"]
    RULES --> DECISION["Decision Step assigns outcome"]
    SIG --> RESP["API Response"]
    RC --> RESP
    TAGS --> RESP
    DV --> RESP
    DECISION --> RESP

1. Your application submits attributes. A POST /api/evaluation request sends PII (name, DOB, SSN, email, phone, device data) and specifies which workflow to run.
2. The evaluation starts. RiskOS™ assigns an eval_id and begins executing the workflow.
3. The workflow processes data through steps. The Input step validates the payload. Enrichment steps call data services and return signals — scores, match results, and risk flags.
4. Rules and conditions evaluate the signals. Condition steps branch the workflow based on signal values. Rule Scorecards compute aggregate risk scores. Decision Rules map conditions to outcomes.
5. The workflow reaches a terminal step. A Decision step assigns ACCEPT, REJECT, or REVIEW. A Manual Review step routes the evaluation to Case Management for human assessment.
6. RiskOS™ returns the result. The API response (or webhook for async evaluations) includes the decision, enrichment data, reason codes, tags, and computed values.

Explore RiskOS™

Common integration patterns

Explore solutions

RiskOS™ supports identity verification, fraud prevention, compliance, business verification, and onboarding use cases.

Related topics

• Evaluations — The runtime unit of work
• Workflows — The configurable sequence of steps
• Enrichments — Data services that add signals
• Signals & Attributes — The data taxonomy
• Rules & Conditions — The logic layer
• Decisions — The final outcome
• Hosted Flows — Preconfigured workflows with Socure-managed UI
• Step-up Verification — Conditional escalation to higher-assurance checks
• Cases & Manual Review — How human reviewers handle REVIEW decisions
• Synchronous vs Asynchronous Evaluations — Real-time and deferred execution
• Statuses & Lifecycle — Full lifecycle model with state diagrams
• Glossary — Definitions of RiskOS™ platform terms