ACCESS CONTROL AUDIT: REVIEWS CONTROLS AND PROCESSES FOR MANAGING USER ACCESS TO SYSTEMS AND DATA
“Reviewing Controls and Processes for Managing User Access to Systems and Data”
Course Schedule
| Date | Venue | Fees (Face-to-Face) |
|---|---|---|
| 23 – 27 Mar 2026 | London, UK | USD 3495 per delegate |
Course Introduction
User access control is one of the most critical components of IT governance and information security. Ineffective access controls can result in unauthorized data exposure, privilege misuse, fraud, and regulatory non-compliance. Internal auditors must understand how to evaluate the design and effectiveness of access controls, as well as related identity and privilege management processes.
This intensive 5-day training provides a complete framework for auditing access controls, including user provisioning, role-based access, privileged accounts, authentication, segregation of duties, and monitoring. It aligns with major standards (e.g., ISO 27001, COBIT, NIST) and supports IT, internal audit, and risk teams.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
• Understand key principles and types of access control systems
• Evaluate the effectiveness of user provisioning and de-provisioning processes
• Audit role-based and privilege-based access models
• Identify control gaps in authentication, authorization, and monitoring mechanisms
• Report audit findings with actionable recommendations aligned with best practices
Key Benefits of Attending
• Strengthen your ability to audit critical IT security and access functions
• Gain hands-on techniques for reviewing access logs, permissions, and account policies
• Learn to test segregation of duties (SoD) and privileged user activities
• Understand common audit issues in ERP, Active Directory, and cloud access controls
• Help your organization comply with cybersecurity frameworks and data protection laws
Intended Audience
This program is designed for:
• IT auditors and internal auditors
• Information security and cybersecurity professionals
• IT compliance and risk officers
• ERP and system administrators
• Anyone involved in access control review or assurance
Individual Benefits
Key competencies that will be developed include:
• Audit planning for access and identity management
• Understanding and reviewing access control matrices
• Testing for excess, outdated, and conflicting privileges
• Use of tools to audit logs and access configurations
• Reporting access control weaknesses and remediation
Organization Benefits
Upon completing the training course, participants will demonstrate:
• Stronger assurance over IT access control frameworks
• Reduced risk of unauthorized access and privilege abuse
• Enhanced detection and prevention of internal fraud and misuse
• Support for regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR, SOX, ISO 27001)
• Improved documentation and evidence gathering for audit purposes
Instructional Methdology
The course follows a blended learning approach combining theory with practice:
• Strategy Briefings – Control objectives and frameworks (COBIT, NIST, ISO 27001)
• Case Studies – Breach scenarios, SoD failures, and audit failures
• Workshops – Walkthroughs of Active Directory, SAP roles, and access request logs
• Peer Exchange – Sharing of audit approaches and lessons learned
• Tools – Access control checklists, audit programs, and sampling templates
Course Outline
Training Hours: 07:30 AM – 03:30 PM
Daily Format: 3–4 Learning Modules | Coffee Breaks: 09:30 & 11:15 | Lunch Break: 01:00 – 02:00
Day 1: Foundations of Access Control and Audit Scope
- Module 1: Principles of Access Control (07:30 – 09:30)
• Authentication, authorization, and accountability
• Types of access control models (DAC, MAC, RBAC, ABAC) - Module 2: Scoping an Access Control Audit (09:45 – 11:15)
• Audit objectives, risks, and evidence
• Identifying critical systems and user groups - Module 3: Workshop – Access Control Risk Identification (11:30 – 01:00)
• Identifying potential access risks and exposure
Day 2: User Provisioning and Role-Based Access
- Module 4: User Lifecycle Management (07:30 – 09:30)
• Joiners, movers, leavers process audit
• Access request, approval, and removal - Module 5: Role-Based Access Controls (09:45 – 11:15)
• Mapping users to roles and responsibilities
• Reviewing SoD violations and access conflicts - Module 6: Workshop – Reviewing User Provisioning Logs (11:30 – 01:00)
• Analyzing onboarding and offboarding activities
Day 3: Privileged Access and Authentication Controls
- Module 7: Privileged Access Management (07:30 – 09:30)
• Admin and superuser access control testing
• Monitoring privileged session activities - Module 8: Authentication Methods and Controls (09:45 – 11:15)
• Password policies, MFA, biometrics
• Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems - Module 9: Workshop – Testing Privileged Access Controls (11:30 – 01:00)
• Audit walkthrough of domain admin or database admin rights
Day 4: Monitoring, Logging, and SoD Review
- Module 10: Access Monitoring and Audit Trails (07:30 – 09:30)
• Reviewing access logs, alerts, and SIEM systems
• Tools for log correlation and anomaly detection - Module 11: Segregation of Duties (SoD) Controls (09:45 – 11:15)
• SoD frameworks and audit testing
• ERP-specific SoD audit examples (SAP, Oracle) - Module 12: Workshop – SoD Violation Detection (11:30 – 01:00)
• Identifying and documenting SoD gaps in a sample system
Day 5: Reporting and Control Improvement
- Module 13: Reporting Audit Results (07:30 – 09:30)
• Writing findings and risk implications clearly
• Recommendations based on control maturity - Module 14: Control Remediation and Follow-Up (09:45 – 11:15)
• Coordinating with IT and InfoSec for corrective action
• Audit follow-up and tracking resolution - Module 15: Final Simulation – Access Control Audit Case (11:30 – 01:00)
• Group presentation of audit plan, findings, and improvement actions
Certification
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion in Access Control Audit, validating their competence in evaluating user access management processes, testing privileged accounts, and improving system security controls.