User access reviews (UARs) are a cornerstone of identity governance and compliance. They ensure the right people have the right access and that unnecessary, outdated, or risky access gets removed. But for most organizations, UARs feel like compliance theatre: painful, time-consuming, and often rubber-stamped.
Spreadsheets, email chains, and screenshots dominate the process, leaving admins exhausted and auditors unconvinced. The result is teams spending hundreds of hours chasing data instead of improving security.
The good news: it doesn’t have to be that way! By automating UARs, organizations can transform reviews from a quarterly burden into a continuous control that improves audit readiness and reduces risk.
The UAR maturity curve
At ConductorOne, we use the UAR maturity model to help organizations chart their path from manual chaos to intelligent automation.
- Phase 1: Manual processes. Spreadsheets, manual exports, endless emails, and high effort.
- Phase 2: Basic automation. Centralized data and scheduled campaigns reduce overhead, but reviewers still face overwhelming volumes.
- Phase 3: Intelligently scoped reviews. AI-powered recommendations, policies, and auto-certifications shrink review scope to focus only on what matters.
- Phase 4: Exception-driven reviews. Just-in-time access and zero standing privileges minimize UARs to only true exceptions.
Each step up the curve reduces effort while improving security outcomes. Instead of rubber-stamped entitlements, teams focus on high-risk access, gain real-time visibility, and build continuous assurance.
Automation in action: closing the loop
ConductorOne automates the entire UAR lifecycle:
- Real-time data syncs ensure reviews are based on accurate, current information.
- Policy-driven workflows route reviews automatically and handle routine approvals.
- AI-powered recommendations help reviewers quickly identify anomalies.
- Automated remediation revokes access, opens tickets, or notifies users when reviews are complete.
Instead of endless fire drills, admins and reviewers get a streamlined process with full visibility. Audit evidence is captured automatically, so teams can walk into audits confident and prepared.
Treasure Data’s Transformation
Treasure Data’s journey shows just how powerful UAR automation can be.
Before C1, access reviews at Treasure Data were a classic phase 1 scenario: sporadic, manual, and focused only on AWS accounts. The team ran structured but manual quarterly reviews across ~15 systems, training interns on workflows and verifying terminated employee access. One person would export data into spreadsheets and make surface-level decisions. It was high effort, low value, and unsustainable as the company grew.
That’s when Treasure Data brought in ConductorOne and saw real impact:
- 90% reduction in time spent on reviews (hundreds of hours saved annually).
- Broader scope that expanded to SOX systems and sensitive apps.
- Continuous monitoring with real-time alerts via Slack and automated Jira tickets.
Phase 3 maturity with intelligently scoped reviews targeting privileged access, external accounts, and unused entitlements.
Check out their full story to learn more.
From checkbox to continuous control
Automating UARs changes the game. Instead of draining resources on quarterly cycles, your team gains:
- Audit readiness with automated evidence collection.
- Reduced risk by catching anomalies in real time.
- Happier reviewers who can focus on what matters instead of clicking through spreadsheets.
With ConductorOne, UARs stop being a burden and start becoming a strategic part of your identity governance program.
Ready to move up the UAR maturity curve? Book a demo to see how ConductorOne can transform your access reviews.
