What is Access Governance?

What is Access Governance?

Access governance refers to the technologies, policies, and processes that IT administrators and managers use to control and monitor which users can gain access to their systems, applications, and other resources. Access governance is an element of Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) and is foundational for managing user permissions, access controls, on-premises and cloud access governance and compliance. It is critical in ensuring that users may only access specific resources and that their access rights consistently align with their functions within the organization, even as these functions and the number and sensitivity of the organization’s resources change.

The Components of Access Governance

• Access Control functionality defines which users can access what resources within an organization’s IT infrastructure. Access Control requires administrators to set permissions and roles for users to ensure they can only access the resources necessary for their job functions.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) enables administrators to assign access rights based on user roles in the organization. Each role has a specific set of permissions associated with it, and a user can be assigned access rights based on their role and not their individual profile.
• User Lifecycle Management enables administrators to manage user accounts throughout their lifecycle—from on-boarding to off-boarding. User Lifecycle Management addresses provisioning (granting access) and de-provisioning (removing access) as users’ access needs change over time.
• Access Review and Certification processes enable periodic reviews of access rights to ensure privileged account management. This assists compliance managers control privileged access more securely and reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
• Policy Enforcement ensures that access controls are consistent with organizational policies, industry regulations, and legal requirements.
• Audit and Reporting provide transparency and accountability through logs and activity access reporting.

How Access Governance Works in a SaaS-Based IGA Solution

A SaaS-Based IGA solution provides the underlying framework and processes for effective access governance; including integration, authentication, authorization, and policy enforcement functionalities. The solution enables an organization to control access to resources more effectively and integrate core access governance functionalities into their IT and security infrastructure. This integration aligns policies, processes, and technologies and ensures that access governance is not just a standalone process but is embedded within the broader IT and security management framework.

The access governance functionality provided by SaaS-based IGA solutions deliver significant cost-saving benefits to organizations that adopt and implement them. These savings are realized most dramatically in the elimination of legacy access governance system costs such as hardware, maintenance, and custom coding. As legacy systems are phased out, organizations gain additional savings from reduced maintenance overhead costs and the capacity for improved scalability as new users, data, and applications are introduced to the IT infrastructure.

Benefits of Effective Access Governance

• Access Governance enhances security by controlling and monitoring privileged access governance. This helps organizations mitigate the risk of costly data breaches and unauthorized access.
• Access Governance helps organizations manage regulatory compliance, on-premises and in cloud-hosted environments by ensuring effective access control over sensitive data.
• Access Governance streamlines operational efficiency in access management processes by reducing the burden on IT teams and ensuring users have the access they need without delays.
• Access Governance identifies and mitigates risks related to user identity management and unauthorized access rights. This reduces security risk across all users, both on-premises and in the cloud.

Overall, Access Governance makes it easier for dynamic organizations to accommodate more users, devices, and applications and manage and control who has access without adding cost or complexity. Access Governance in a modern SaaS-based IGA solution provides a flexible and adaptable framework that adapts to new regulations and addresses emerging security threats to ensure organizational security.

Where to Go for Help and to Learn More

Access governance ensures that only authorized users can access specific applications and resources and supports the principle of least privilege that is essential to a zero-trust security model. It helps identity and access program managers execute projects successfully and is critical for IT infrastructure managers tasked with improving operational efficiency and phasing out legacy systems without compromising essential business processes. For the C-suite, access governance protects customer data privacy, helps mitigate the risk of security incidents, and maintains regulatory compliance.

Omada is a leading solution for organizations seeking robust access governance solutions. Learn more.