In today's digital landscape, companies face growing threats from insider risks, stolen credentials, and regulatory pressure. User access review (UAR), the regular process of verifying user rights match job roles and security policies, has become a critical business function, not just an IT checkbox.
Why Unmanaged Access Is a Real Threat
Excess permissions and orphaned accounts are open doors for attackers. Once inside, bad actors stay hidden for over 200 days on average. Access creep, where employees retain old permissions after role changes, compounds the problem, enabling separation of duties violations and insider misuse.
The financial stakes are high. IBM's 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report puts the average breach at $4.88 million, with poor access management as a leading cause. Strong UAR programs can reduce breach likelihood by up to 50%.
The Compliance Imperative
Regulators across industries demand proof that access is controlled: SOX: Tight controls over financial data, with multi-million dollar fines for failures HIPAA: Strict health record access logs; violations up to $50,000 per breach GDPR: Fines up to 4% of global revenue for inadequate data access controls CCPA: California fines starting at $2,500 per violation
Every regulation demands documented evidence. Timestamped decisions, approvals linked to job descriptions, and a secure audit trail are the foundation of defensible compliance.
Building Your UAR Program
Scope and frequency: Focus first on high-risk systems: Active Directory, ERP platforms, anything touching sensitive data. The top 20% of systems typically carry 80% of risk. Review cadence should reflect that: quarterly for high-risk, semi-annually for medium, annually for low-risk.
Ownership: IT handles the tooling; business application owners do the actual validation. They have the context to judge whether access truly fits a role. Assign delegates so reviews don't stall when managers are unavailable.
The Review Workflow
A well-run campaign follows three stages:
- Preparation: Clean your identity data first. Remove inactive accounts, reconcile user lists across systems, and fix duplicates. Bad data ruins reviews.
- Launch: Notify reviewers with clear expectations and deadlines. Timely reminders dramatically improve completion rates.
- Execution: Use certification templates based on job roles to speed things up. A single manager can approve access for dozens of users in under an hour. When access looks wrong, trigger a remediation workflow: flag it, assign an IT ticket, confirm removal, and log the outcome.
Automating with Technology
Spreadsheets introduce errors and slow everything down. Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) platforms centralize the process and integrate with HR systems to handle joiner/mover/leaver events automatically. Machine learning layers on top to score users by risk, flagging those with admin rights, plus behavioral anomalies, so reviewers can focus where it matters most.
Two advanced techniques sharpen this further:
Segregation of Duties(SoD) enforcement during review automatically flags conflicts (like one user who both approves and processes payments) before certifications are signed off
Continuous reviews trigger access checks on events like promotions or role changes, rather than waiting for the next scheduled cycle
From Compliance Task to Security Posture
UAR begins as a regulatory requirement but becomes a genuine security strength when done right. Business ownership, automation, and solid documentation work together to reduce risk and build trust. Adopt a continuous, zero-trust mindset, always verify, never assume, and refine your process as your organization evolves.
Start with one system today. The results will speak for themselves.