What a quarterly access review covers
A quarterly access review is a structured check of every active user account, shared vault, and application permission linked to your team. We compare current access against roles, department changes, temporary project needs and staff movements so that people only keep the access they actually use.
For small businesses in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Gqeberha, this matters because teams change quickly. Someone may move from sales to ops, a contractor may finish a project, or a new hire may need access to only one branch. If those changes are not cleaned up, old permissions hang around and create risk.
- Active user and admin account review
- Shared vault and group permission check
- Application access by role and department
- Leavers, movers and joiners reconciliation
- Flagging of duplicate, unused or over-privileged access
What is included in the review
Every review is practical and focused on action. We look at current access levels, compare them to the approved structure, and prepare a clear set of changes for your team to sign off. If you already have a permission matrix, we work from that. If not, we help shape one that is simple enough to maintain quarter by quarter.
The review can include remote teams across South Africa, including staff working from home, coworking spaces, or branch offices in Woodstock, Century City, Stellenbosch and beyond. This helps companies with load-shedding schedules, rotating shifts and hybrid working keep access consistent even when people are not in the same office everyday.
- Access register update and clean-up recommendations
- Permission mapping against current job roles
- Review of shared passwords and vault ownership
- Admin rights and elevated access check
- Offboarding gaps and dormant account checks
- Action list for removals, changes and approvals
How the quarterly process works
We keep the process straightforward so that managers do not lose a full day to admin. The first step is to collect your current user list, application list and any previous access notes. From there we review access patterns, highlight exceptions and confirm changes with the right person before anything is updated.
For most small teams, the work is done remotely and takes very little interruption from daily operations. Where needed, we can split the review by department, branch or system. That is useful for businesses with separate teams handling finance, customer service, field work or supplier admin. It also helps if you have staff who only need seasonal or project based access.
- Step 1: Gather user and application data
- Step 2: Compare access against current roles
- Step 3: Mark removals, reductions and exceptions
- Step 4: Confirm approvals with management
- Step 5: Apply changes and record the outcome
- Step 6: Set the next review date and follow-up items
Turnaround times and review frequency
Quarterly reviews depend on team size and on how approvals are handled. A smaller business with 10 to 20 users is usually simpler to clear than a team with multiple branches, project accounts or several admin systems. If there are urgent changes after resignations or role changes, we can deal with those items first.
The standard maintenance interval is once every quarter, which suits most South African small businesses well. That gives you a regular point to tidy access before issues build up. Some clients also ask for a mid-quarter check after major staff changes, office moves, software changes or end-of-financial-year clean-up. In coastal areas, where teams may also work around power interruptions and network instability, a regular review helps keep access records orderly even when operations get a bit patchy.
- Standard turnaround: 5 to 10 working days
- Small team reviews can be faster
- Quarterly cadence recommended
- Optional mid-quarter checks available
Pricing approach for small business teams
Pricing is based on the number of users, the number of applications and how complex your permissions are. A team with a single vault structure and a handful of tools needs less work than a business with multiple departments, shared accounts and several approval layers. We quote per review cycle, so you know exactly what each quarterly round will cost.
Where clients want ongoing support, we can set up a maintenance arrangement that covers the quarterly access review plus light follow-up changes. That is useful for businesses that prefer steady admin rather than a scramble every three months. If your team is growing, we can also adjust the pricing as your user count changes. All pricing is quoted in Rand and kept clear before work starts.
- Quoted per review cycle
- Based on users, apps and permission complexity
- Optional ongoing maintenance arrangement
- Clear Rand pricing before the review begins
Why quarterly reviews matter for compliance and control
Access reviews are not only about security, they also help with internal control and cleaner business admin. If a former employee still has access, or if a temporary contractor keeps admin rights after a project ends, that creates avoidable exposure. Quarterly reviews make it easier to show that access is being checked regularly and that permission changes are handled with care.
For South African small businesses, this is especially helpful when staff are remote, when work is spread between branches, or when several people share responsibility for approvals. A tidy access structure also reduces support requests because users only see the systems they need. That saves time for managers, IT support and operations teams alike.
- Better control over active and inactive access
- Lower risk from old accounts and unused permissions
- Cleaner records for internal checks
- Less confusion for staff who only need specific tools
Working with 1Pass on the review
1Pass is based in Woodstock, Cape Town and supports small business teams across South Africa, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Gqeberha and nationwide remote onboarding. Our approach is practical and hands-on, with clear steps from review to sign-off. You will work with a team led by Lukhanyo Maseko, with support from specialists in operations, customer success, implementation, security, training and technical support.
Clients usually start by using the enquiry form on our contact page. From there we confirm your team size, systems in use and the review scope, then plan the next quarterly check. Whether you need a one-off clean-up or a regular maintenance cycle, we keep the process simple and well recorded so your permissions stay in line with current roles.
- Based in Woodstock, Cape Town
- Support for teams nationwide
- Suitable for remote and hybrid staff
- Clear sign-off and follow-up after each review
Key facts
| Service type | Quarterly access review and permission audit |
|---|---|
| Review interval | Every 3 months |
| Typical turnaround | 5 to 10 working days |
| Coverage | Users, shared vaults, admin rights and application access |
| Delivery | Remote across South Africa |
| Pricing model | Quoted per cycle in Rand, based on size and complexity |
