Access control is the set of rules and tools that decide who can get into a system, which information they can see and what they are allowed to do. It combines identifying the person, verifying they are who they claim to be with methods such as MFA, and granting only the permissions their role requires, whether in an office or in an application.
Go deeper on the TecnetBlog: Access controls and how to implement them
access management, logical access control, physical access control, permissions, DAC, MAC
Related terms
PAM (privileged access management)
PAM (privileged access management) is the practice and the tools that control accounts with elevated permissions, such as server or Microsoft 365 administrators. It keeps their passwords in a vault, grants access only when needed and records what is done, because those accounts are the most sought after in an attack.
Password manager
A password manager is an application that stores all your passwords encrypted and fills them in for you, so you only need to remember one master password. It makes it easy to use a long, unique password for every service, and in a business it lets teams share access in a controlled way and revoke it when someone leaves.
Authentication vs. authorization
Authentication confirms that you are who you say you are (a password, a fingerprint, a verification code); authorization decides what you can do once you're in (view, edit, approve). A secure system needs both: signing in with a verified identity and doing only what your role allows.
Domain controller (Active Directory)
A domain controller is the server that manages the accounts, passwords and permissions of every user and device on a Windows network through Active Directory. It's the most sensitive asset in a company, because whoever controls it controls every account and every computer on the domain.
RBAC (role-based access control)
RBAC (role-based access control) is the model that assigns permissions to roles (accountant, salesperson, administrator) and has each user inherit the permissions of their role. Onboarding a new hire or moving someone to a new position means changing their role, without handing out permissions one by one.
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