Understanding Personal vs. Business Workspaces

In the Nyota Imara ecosystem, every API key, storage bucket, email mailbox, and SMS credit is scoped to an isolated container called a Workspace.

When you register an account at accounts.nyotaimara.com, our system automatically creates a Personal Workspace for you. To collaborate with a team, share billing budgets, or deploy enterprise infrastructure, you can create one or more Business Workspaces.

1. How Workspaces Work Under the Hood

Everything in the Nyota backend database references a strict workspace_id. Even though you log in with a single personal email address (via our Single Sign-On Identity Provider), your data, billing ledgers, and API credentials are cryptographically isolated between workspaces.

YOUR USER ACCOUNT (user@yourcompany.com)
                                 │
         ┌───────────────────────┴───────────────────────┐
         ▼                                               ▼
┌───────────────────────────────┐       ┌───────────────────────────────┐
│       PERSONAL WORKSPACE      │       │       BUSINESS WORKSPACE      │
│  - Single-user sandbox        │       │  - Multi-user collaboration   │
│  - Personal testing & storage │       │  - Organizational Units (OUs) │
│  - Individual wallet balance  │       │  - Corporate Nyota Wallet     │
│  - No team member invites     │       │  - Declarative PBAC Policies  │
└───────────────────────────────┘       └───────────────────────────────┘

2. Feature Comparison: Personal vs. Business

3. Common Pitfalls & Why Issues Occur

Pitfall A: "I can't find the 'Invite Member' button in my settings."

• The Cause: You are currently active inside your Personal Workspace. Personal workspaces are designed strictly for solo use and do not support member invitations.
• The Resolution:
• 1. Click your workspace name in the top-left corner of accounts.nyotaimara.com.
  2. Switch to an existing Business Workspace, or click "Create Business Workspace".
  3. Navigate to Team Members to send email invites.

Pitfall B: "My API calls return 402 Payment Required, but my company wallet is funded."

• The Cause: You generated your Developer API Key while viewing your Personal Workspace instead of your Business Workspace. The API key is attempting to draw funds from your personal wallet balance (which is KES 0.00) rather than your funded company wallet.
• The Resolution:
• 1. Go to accounts.nyotaimara.com and switch to your Business Workspace in the header.
  2. Navigate to Identity API & Keys (/identity-api).
  3. Generate a new API key scoped to the Business Workspace.
  4. Update your application's environment variable (NYOTA_API_KEY).

4. Step-by-Step: How to Create a Business Workspace

1. Log in to the Nyota Accounts Console.
2. Click on your active workspace dropdown in the top-left navigation bar.
3. Select "Create New Workspace".
4. Enter your legal business name and select your country of operation (e.g., Kenya).
5. Optionally upload your corporate KRA PIN certificate for automated KYB verification.
6. Click "Create Workspace".

Once created, you can invite team members, assign department-level Organizational Units (OUs), pre-fund the corporate Nyota Wallet via M-Pesa or Card, and provision shared infrastructure.

Related Support Guides & Links

• Managing Team Members, Invites & Custom Policies (PBAC)
• Funding Your Nyota Wallet via M-Pesa & Card
• Generating & Managing Developer API Keys