Policy principles
- Least privilege: access granted is the minimum required for the role
- Role-based provisioning from defined templates; copying another user's access is prohibited
- Segregation of duties enforced for conflicting functions
Access Control Policy Template
Access control policies state least privilege and then leave the mechanics unspecified, which is where it breaks down. This one fixes the approval route, the review cadence, and the privileged-access rules explicitly.
What you get
- Principles stated as rules you can test against, not aspirations
- An approval matrix mapping access types to approvers
- Privileged access requirements including break-glass handling
- Review cadence by access type, tied to your access review process
How to use this template
- 1
Define who approves what, in a table. The common failure is that nobody knows whether access to a given system needs a manager, the system owner, or security. A matrix removes the ambiguity and speeds up legitimate requests.
- 2
Make role-based provisioning the default. State that access is granted from role templates, and that copying another user's permissions is prohibited. That one rule prevents most permission creep.
- 3
Set review cadence by sensitivity. Quarterly for privileged and sensitive systems, annually for the rest. A single cadence across everything produces rubber-stamping on the reviews that matter.
What's inside
Here's a preview. Unlock the free download to get all 3 sections (2 more below).
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Frequently asked questions
What should an access control policy include?
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Least privilege and role-based provisioning principles, an approval matrix mapping access types to approvers, segregation of duties requirements, privileged access rules including break-glass handling, revocation timelines, and review cadence by sensitivity.
What is just-in-time privileged access?
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Granting elevated rights only for a limited window when needed, rather than holding them permanently. It reduces the value of a compromised account, because most of the time the account has no elevated privilege to steal.
How should break-glass accounts be managed?
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Stored in a sealed vault, excluded from normal conditional access so they work when the identity provider is impaired, alerting on any use, credentials rotated immediately afterwards, and every use reviewed. They exist for the scenario where everything else has failed.