One of the biggest security challenges in Microsoft 365 environments is ensuring that users retain only the access they actually need.
Over time, employees change departments, contractors complete projects, and guest users stop collaborating. Yet their permissions often remain untouched, creating unnecessary security risks.
Microsoft Entra ID Access Reviews help organizations regularly verify user access and automatically remove permissions that are no longer required.
In this guide, you'll learn what Access Reviews are, how they work, their benefits, licensing requirements, and best practices for implementation.
Access Reviews are a feature within Microsoft Entra ID that enables organizations to periodically review and validate user access to resources.
Administrators can schedule reviews for:
The purpose is simple: Ensure users still require the access they currently have.
Many organizations grant permissions but rarely revisit them.
This often results in:
Users accumulate permissions over time as they move between roles.
External users continue accessing resources long after projects have ended.
Privileged roles remain assigned even when no longer needed.
Organizations struggle to prove that access is regularly reviewed and validated.
Access Reviews address these issues through scheduled governance processes.
The review process typically follows these steps:
An administrator creates an Access Review and selects:
Reviewers receive email notifications prompting them to review access assignments.
Reviewers can:
After completion, Microsoft Entra can automatically:
This creates a fully automated governance process.
Review team membership regularly to ensure only authorized users retain access.
Validate membership for collaboration groups.
Confirm access to security-sensitive resources.
Ensure users still require access to SaaS applications.
Review assignments such as:
Guest user management is one of the most common use cases.
Organizations often collaborate with:
After projects conclude, these accounts frequently remain active.
Access Reviews help identify:
Organizations can then remove access automatically.
A consulting company is granted access to a Microsoft Team for a six-month project.
At the end of the project:
Administrative accounts represent high-value targets for attackers.
Regular reviews help ensure:
This is particularly valuable when combined with Microsoft Entra PIM.
Many administrators confuse Access Reviews and Privileged Identity Management.
| Access Reviews | PIM |
|---|---|
| Reviews existing access | Controls privileged access |
| Periodic validation | Just-in-time access |
| Governance-focused | Security-focused |
| Works across many resource types | Primarily privileged roles and resources |
| Can remove unnecessary access | Limits privilege exposure |
Both solutions complement each other.
Removes unnecessary permissions before they become security risks.
Supports audits and regulatory requirements.
Automates repetitive access validation tasks.
Provides visibility into who has access to critical resources.
Eliminates stale accounts and unnecessary memberships.
Review all guest accounts every 90 days.
Validate privileged role assignments monthly.
Review access to sensitive business applications.
Ensure project teams only contain active participants.
Automatically remove access when contracts end.
Guest accounts often provide the quickest security improvements.
Monthly reviews are recommended for administrative accounts.
Automatically remove denied users whenever possible.
Resource owners usually understand access requirements better than IT administrators.
Use Access Reviews alongside Privileged Identity Management for maximum protection.
Access Reviews generally require:
Organizations should verify licensing requirements before deployment.
Yes. Organizations can configure reviews to automatically apply reviewer decisions.
Yes. Self-attestation reviews are supported for certain scenarios.
Most organizations schedule reviews monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually depending on resource sensitivity.
Yes. Teams membership can be reviewed through associated Microsoft 365 Groups.
Start with critical resources and expand gradually.
Guest accounts often represent the largest governance gap.
Reviews are only valuable when decisions are enforced.
Business owners are often better positioned to evaluate access needs.
Microsoft Entra ID Access Reviews provide an effective way to maintain security, improve governance, and reduce compliance risks within Microsoft 365 environments. By regularly validating user access, organizations can eliminate permission creep, remove stale guest accounts, and ensure that only authorized users retain access to critical resources.
For organizations adopting Zero Trust principles and modern identity governance practices, Access Reviews should be considered an essential component of every Microsoft 365 security strategy.
Did You Know? Managing Microsoft 365 applications is even easier with automation. Try our Graph PowerShell scripts to automate tasks like generating reports, cleaning up inactive Teams, or assigning licenses efficiently.
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