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ManageEngine Adds Automated Access Reviews to Strengthen Governance Across IT Service Operations

Executive Summary

ManageEngine has introduced enhanced automated access review capabilities within its identity and access management tooling, aimed at helping organisations tighten governance and reduce the risk of excessive or outdated permissions. The update is particularly relevant to IT service teams because access reviews directly impact joiner–mover–leaver processes, audit readiness, and service desk workload.

What Happened?

In a January 2026 update, ManageEngine announced improvements that make it easier for organisations to run scheduled access reviews and automate parts of the certification process. The enhancements focus on:

  • Streamlining reviewer workflows (approvals, exceptions, escalations)

  • Improving visibility into who has access to what, and why

  • Supporting more consistent reporting for compliance and audits

These changes are designed to help organisations move away from manual, spreadsheet-based reviews and adopt a more repeatable governance approach.

Why Does It Matter?

For medium to large organisations across Europe and Africa, this matters because:

  • Access creep is a common source of security incidents and audit findings.

  • Manual access reviews consume time and often become inconsistent across departments.

  • Better governance reduces the number of “urgent” access clean-up requests that land on the service desk.

In practical terms, automated access reviews can reduce risk while improving operational efficiency.

Impact on ITSM

  • Fewer access-related incidents caused by outdated permissions

  • Stronger audit trails and improved compliance readiness

  • Better alignment between ITSM and IAM processes (especially joiner–mover–leaver)

  • Reduced service desk workload from last-minute access remediation

What Should Organisations Do?

  • Identify systems where access creep is most likely (shared mailboxes, admin tools, cloud consoles, finance apps).

  • Establish a quarterly or bi-annual access review cadence and assign clear ownership.

  • Integrate access review outcomes into ITSM workflows (e.g., automatic ticket creation for removals).

  • Track metrics such as review completion rate, exceptions, and time-to-remediate.

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