Periodic access reviews, also known as access recertification, are scheduled evaluations of user access rights to ensure that individuals have only the privileges necessary to perform their roles. These reviews require organizations to examine, validate, and, if necessary, revoke access to systems, applications, or data based on current roles, responsibilities, or risk posture. This process is mandated in many cybersecurity compliance frameworks to maintain least privilege and reduce access creep.
Over time, users often accumulate access privileges due to job changes, project work, or administrative oversight. Without regular review, this can lead to excessive access, insider risk, and regulatory non-compliance. Periodic access reviews ensure that user permissions remain aligned with their current role, reducing the attack surface and enforcing access governance.
Regulatory frameworks including NERC CIP-004, IEC 62443-2-1, NIS2, TSA SD02E, and NIST 800-53 (AC-2, AC-6) require organizations to perform and document periodic access reviews as part of their internal control structure. These reviews must typically include:
Xona streamlines periodic access reviews by maintaining centralized visibility over all access sessions, user roles, and system permissions. Administrators can export user access reports, session logs, and audit data to facilitate timely reviews and documentation, aligned with regulatory mandates.
The platform also enforces role-based access control, time-based access windows, and just-in-time provisioning, which limit long-term access accumulation. By minimizing persistent privileges and capturing every session’s metadata and video evidence, Xona provides organizations with the data they need to review, validate, and recertify user access, without relying on error-prone manual processes.