Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Not every administrator needs access to every system. Not every developer needs the same server permissions as your DBA. Not every contractor should have the same privileges as a full-time employee.

Role-Based Access Control ensures that privileged users receive only the permissions their role requires, and no more. Access is assigned by role, enforced consistently, and updated automatically when roles change.

  • Assign privileged permissions based on user role, department, and attributes
  • Enforce least-privilege access across all privileged users
  • Segregation of Duties rules prevent conflicting permissions from coexisting
  • Automated detection and remediation of SoD violations
  • Access permissions update automatically when a user changes roles
  • Clear audit trails of assigned permissions for every privileged user
Role-Based Access Control role assignment interface

The Problem Role-Based Access Control Solves

In most organisations, privileged access is assigned individually and informally; a user needs access to a system, someone grants it, and it stays granted. Over time the accumulation of individually assigned permissions creates an access landscape that nobody fully understands, that doesn't reflect current roles and responsibilities, and that is almost impossible to audit cleanly.

Role-Based Access Control replaces ad hoc individual assignment with a structured model. Access is defined at the role level; what permissions does this role require, across which systems, and assigned to users by virtue of their role. When the role changes, the permissions change with it. When the user leaves, the role is removed and the permissions go with it.

The result is an access landscape that reflects the organisation's actual structure, that can be audited clearly, and that doesn't accumulate permissions over time.

Ad hoc vs role-based permission model comparison

How Role-Based Access Control Works

Structured permissions, enforced automatically.

Role and attribute-based permission assignment
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Role and Attribute-Based Permission Assignment

Privileged access permissions in Akku PAM are assigned based on user roles and attributes; department, team, seniority, location, or any other attribute relevant to your access policy. A user's permissions are determined by their role in the system, not by individual decisions made at the point of each access request.

This means access policy is defined once at the role level and applied consistently to every user who holds that role. There is no variation between users in the same role, no permissions granted informally outside the role model, and no access that isn't accounted for in the role structure.

Role-Based Access Control and Granular Access Control: Two Layers of Least-Privilege

RBAC determines which systems and resources a privileged user can access. Granular Access Control determines what they can do once inside: which specific commands they are permitted to run on each SSH server.

Together they enforce least-privilege at two distinct levels: the access level and the command level. A user's role defines the boundary of which systems they can reach. Granular Access Control defines the boundary of what they can do within those systems.

Learn about Granular Access Control
RBAC and Granular Access Control two-layer least privilege
Compliance-Ready

Compliance Coverage

Akku's isolated network model directly addresses requirements across:

DPDPAAccess controls and least-privilege requirements for users handling personal data
RBI / SEBIStructured access controls and Segregation of Duties for BFSI organisations
ISO 27001Access control policy, least-privilege, and Segregation of Duties requirements
SOC 2Logical access controls, least-privilege enforcement, and access review requirements
PCI-DSSLeast-privilege access and role-based access control requirements for systems in scope
HIPAAMinimum necessary access controls for systems processing protected health information
Frequently Asked Questions

Got questions? We have answers.

Akku PAM is built for IT and security teams who need clear answers about how privileged access works, what the product does, and what it means for your infrastructure and compliance posture.

If you have a question that isn't covered here, please and we will be happy to address your queries.

Structured privileged access

Make privileged permissions follow the role, not the individual

RBAC keeps privileged access aligned with real responsibilities, automates change handling, and produces auditable evidence of who should have access to what.

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