toegangreviews

Toegangreviews, in Dutch often referred to as access reviews, are formal processes within information security and identity and access management to periodically verify and certify that user access rights to information systems, applications, and data are appropriate. The goal is to ensure that individuals have only the privileges necessary to perform their roles and to revoke unnecessary or outdated entitlements.

The primary purpose is to enforce the principle of least privilege, reduce the risk of privilege misuse, and support regulatory and governance requirements. By certifying who has access, organizations can document control over sensitive resources and demonstrate compliance during audits.

The typical process includes scoping the review, inventorying user accounts and entitlements, obtaining attestations from resource owners or managers, and remediating access by revoking, adjusting, or reassigning permissions. Evidence and audit trails are collected, and reports are produced for management and regulators. Common approaches use role-based access control (RBAC) or attribute-based access control (ABAC), often supported by identity and access management (IAM) or privileged access management (PAM) tooling. Some organizations pursue continuous or near-continuous reviews, while others run periodic campaigns (quarterly or annually).

Key metrics include completion rate of reviews, time to remediate identified issues, the number of privileged entitlements revoked, and the proportion of identities with excessive or orphaned privileges. Challenges include scope complexity, role explosion, data accuracy, cross-system visibility, and reviewer fatigue.

Related standards and frameworks, such as ISO/IEC 27001, NIST SP 800-53, and SOC 2, influence how toegangreviews are planned and audited. Privacy considerations and data protection rules may also shape review practices.