Identity & Access Control Audit and Hardening Sprint (10-14 days)
A structured engagement that maps every human, machine, and AI agent identity touching a client's environment, closes credential and permission gaps, and delivers a documented access governance baseline. Agencies productize this as a fixed-fee security sprint that feeds directly into ongoing retainer work covering policy maintenance and quarterly access reviews. Time: 10-14 days.
By InnovaAI ResearchPublished
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Identity & Access Control Audit and Hardening Sprint (10-14 days)
A structured engagement that maps every human, machine, and AI agent identity touching a client's environment, closes credential and permission gaps, and delivers a documented access governance baseline. Agencies productize this as a fixed-fee security sprint that feeds directly into ongoing retainer work covering policy maintenance and quarterly access reviews.
- Client has at least one active directory, SSO provider, or SaaS application roster that can be inventoried
- A named internal stakeholder with authority to approve or revoke access changes during the sprint
- Written confirmation of any compliance frameworks in scope (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, or equivalent)
- Agency has at least one certified or experienced IAM practitioner on the delivery team
- Client can provide read access to existing user provisioning records, offboarding logs, and current MFA enrollment rates
- 1.Collect the client's full application and SaaS roster from IT or finance records
- 2.Document current authentication methods per application (password-only, MFA, SSO, or none)
- 3.Identify the primary identity provider or directory in use and confirm admin access for the audit team
- 1.Run an automated discovery scan using the chosen platform to enumerate all active accounts, service accounts, and shared credentials
- 2.Flag dormant accounts inactive for more than 90 days and any accounts with no MFA enrollment
- 3.Record all non-human identities including API keys, bot accounts, and AI agent credentials
- 1.Map role assignments against job function for a sample of 20-30 users to surface over-provisioned access
- 2.Document every privileged or admin-level account and confirm whether each has a named owner
- 3.Cross-reference offboarding records against active directory to identify orphaned accounts
- 1.Compile a risk-ranked findings register with severity levels (critical, high, medium, low) for each gap
- 2.Present preliminary findings to the client stakeholder and agree on remediation priorities
- 3.Confirm which fixes fall within sprint scope and which require a separate change-management process
- 1.Revoke or disable all confirmed orphaned and dormant accounts with client sign-off
- 2.Enforce MFA enrollment for any admin or privileged accounts not yet covered
- 3.Rotate or vault any shared or plaintext credentials discovered during the scan
- 1.Configure the chosen platform's SSO integration for the top five highest-risk applications identified in the audit
- 2.Set conditional access policies restricting login from unmanaged devices or flagged geographies
- 3.Document each policy change with a rationale note for the client's compliance record
- 1.Implement least-privilege role templates for the three most common job functions in the client's environment
- 2.Remove excess permissions from over-provisioned accounts confirmed in Day 3 mapping
- 3.Test that affected users retain access to required tools and escalate any breakage immediately
- 1.Configure automated provisioning and de-provisioning workflows tied to the client's HR or ticketing system
- 2.Set up alerting for new admin account creation and bulk permission changes
- 3.Validate that the automation stack triggers correctly against a test offboarding event
- 1.Draft the access governance policy document covering review cadence, exception handling, and escalation paths
- 2.Define the quarterly access review schedule and assign internal owners for each application group
- 3.Confirm the policy with the client stakeholder before finalizing
- 1.Conduct a walkthrough session with the client's IT or ops team covering all changes made during the sprint
- 2.Deliver the completed risk register, policy document, and remediation evidence package
- 3.Outline the retainer scope covering ongoing access reviews, alert triage, and policy updates
The sprint fee covers 40-80 hours of specialist audit and configuration work that most clients cannot staff internally, and the findings typically surface 15-40 orphaned or over-provisioned accounts that represent direct compliance liability. Ongoing retainer margin is high because quarterly access reviews are largely automated once the chosen platform is configured, meaning delivery cost drops to 4-8 hours per review cycle while the client retains the full compliance value. A single avoided breach or audit finding can cost a client $50,000 or more in remediation, making the retainer easy to justify against the alternative.
- Identity inventory report listing all human, service, and AI agent accounts with current permission levels and risk ratings
- Remediation evidence package documenting every account change, policy update, and MFA enforcement action taken during the sprint
- Access governance policy document specifying review cadence, exception approval workflow, and escalation owners
- Configured provisioning and de-provisioning automation tied to the client's HR or ticketing system
- Quarterly access review schedule with assigned internal owners and a template for ongoing audit reporting
The client's identity environment has zero confirmed orphaned admin accounts, MFA is enforced on all privileged roles, automated provisioning and de-provisioning workflows have passed a live test event, and the client stakeholder has signed off on the governance policy document and retainer scope.