ISO 27001 User Access Review: What Annex A 5.18 Actually Requires
ISO 27001:2022 doesn’t just recommend reviewing who has access to what — Annex A 5.18 makes it a control auditors will test directly. This article breaks down what the standard requires, what auditors actually check during certification, and why a growing number of ISO 27001-certified companies are moving user access review off spreadsheets and onto purpose-built platforms like Squarum.
User Access Review Template: Why Excel Is Holding Your Compliance Program Back
Most User Access Review templates follow the same pattern: a Document Control cover sheet, a Version History and Approval Sign-Off log, a Quarterly Review sheet listing users and access decisions, a Role Access Matrix, and an Access Removal Log. It looks thorough — but in 2026, running that process by hand in Excel creates more audit risk than it removes. Tools like Squarum replace the spreadsheet with multi-user collaboration, automated notifications, and an immutable, audit-proof record of every access decision.