The Future of Access Governance: Trends in Policies, SOX Reviews, and IAM Risk Management

The Shifting Governance Landscape

Access governance has long been driven by regulatory checklists. For many organizations, the user access review policy was created to satisfy auditors, and the SOX user access review was performed annually as a routine exercise. However, the governance landscape is rapidly changing, influenced by digital transformation, remote work, and rising cyber threats.

Looking forward, governance will no longer be about minimal compliance—it will be about continuous security assurance, risk-based decision-making, and agility in adapting to new regulations.

Trend 1: From Annual Reviews to Continuous Validation

Traditionally, companies conducted user access reviews once a year. This approach is becoming outdated.

• Why? Cyber risks evolve daily, and static reviews cannot keep pace.

• What’s next? Continuous validation powered by automation tools.

A future-ready user access review policy will mandate risk-based review cycles—quarterly for critical systems, continuous for privileged accounts, and annual for low-risk applications.

Trend 2: SOX Reviews Expanding Beyond Finance

The SOX user access review has historically focused on financial systems. Yet, as business processes integrate across ERP, HR, and CRM systems, auditors are pushing for broader coverage.

• Expect SOX reviews to expand beyond finance to encompass interconnected systems.

• Organizations must adjust policies to ensure audit readiness across the enterprise.

This shift will require tighter integration of compliance and security practices, rather than treating SOX reviews as isolated exercises.

Trend 3: Risk-First IAM Management

The rise of insider threats and identity-based attacks has made IAM risk management a priority. Instead of viewing risk assessments as reactive, leading organizations are embedding them into daily operations.

Emerging practices include:

• Continuous monitoring of privileged accounts.

• Automated risk scoring for user roles.

• AI-driven anomaly detection in access patterns.

These capabilities transform IAM risk management into a predictive function, preventing breaches before they occur.

Trend 4: Automation as the Standard

Manual governance processes are no longer sustainable. The future belongs to automation. Platforms like Securends are setting the standard by:

• Routing reviews automatically to business owners.

• Highlighting high-risk accounts with intelligent scoring.

• Generating real-time compliance evidence.

Automation doesn’t just improve efficiency; it enables governance to scale alongside business growth and regulatory demands.