Entra ID - Access Reviews

Access Reviews

• Access reviews in Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) are a crucial governance feature that helps organizations ensure that only the right people have access to critical resources.
• Access reviews are used to review and manage user access to applications and resources, ensuring compliance with organizational policies and regulatory requirements.

Key Features of Access Reviews

1. Regular Review Cycles
   • Administrators can set up periodic reviews to ensure that access rights are re-evaluated regularly.
   • This helps in maintaining up-to-date access control.
2. Automated Recommendations
   • Entra ID can provide recommendations based on user activity, such as suggesting the removal of access for inactive users.
   • This automation helps streamline the review process.
3. Multi-level Reviews
   • Access reviews can involve multiple reviewers, such as managers, application owners, or even the users themselves.
   • This ensures a thorough evaluation from different perspectives.
4. Customizable Review Scope
   • Reviews can be targeted at specific groups, applications, or even individual users.
   • This flexibility allows for tailored reviews based on the sensitivity of the resource or user group.
5. Integration with Governance Policies
   • Access reviews can be integrated with broader identity governance policies, including conditional access and identity protection, to enforce security policies dynamically based on review outcomes.
6. Notifications and Reminders
   • Automated notifications and reminders can be sent to reviewers to ensure timely completion of reviews, helping to maintain compliance and security.
7. Reporting and Audit Trails
   • Detailed reports and audit logs are available for tracking the outcomes of access reviews, providing transparency and accountability for compliance purposes.

Types of Access Reviews

1. User Access Reviews
   • Review access for users in specific groups or roles.
   • This is often used to ensure that only current employees or authorized personnel have access to certain resources.
2. Application Access Reviews
   • Review access permissions for users who have access to specific applications.
   • This ensures that application access is restricted to authorized users only.
3. Guest Access Reviews
   • Review access for guest users who are external to the organization.
   • This is important for managing access granted to partners, vendors, or temporary contractors.

Steps to Create and Manage Access Reviews

1. Plan the Review
   • Determine the scope, frequency, and reviewers for the access review. Decide which groups, roles, or applications need to be reviewed.
2. Create the Review
   • In the Entra ID portal, navigate to the Access Reviews section and create a new review. Specify the review details, such as the name, description, start date, and recurrence.
3. Select Reviewers
   • Choose who will perform the reviews. This can be users’ managers, application owners, or selected administrators.
4. Define Review Settings
   • Configure the review settings, such as whether to enable recommendations, send reminders, and allow self-review by users.
5. Launch the Review
   • Start the review process. Reviewers will receive notifications to perform their reviews.
6. Monitor Progress
   • Track the progress of the review through the Entra ID portal. Administrators can send reminders or extend the review period if needed.
7. Review Completion
   • Once the review is complete, reviewers submit their decisions. Administrators can then apply the review results, such as removing access for users who no longer need it.
8. Generate Reports
   • Access detailed reports and audit logs to document the review process and outcomes. These reports are useful for compliance audits and internal reviews.

Benefits of Access Reviews

1. Enhanced Security
   • Regular access reviews help identify and remove unnecessary or outdated access rights, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
2. Compliance and Governance
   • Access reviews help organizations meet regulatory requirements and internal governance policies by ensuring that access controls are regularly assessed and enforced.
3. Operational Efficiency
   • Automated recommendations and notifications streamline the review process, saving time and reducing the administrative burden on IT and security teams.
4. Improved Visibility
   • Access reviews provide visibility into who has access to what resources, enabling better management and oversight of access controls.