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How to handle admin role sprawl?

Tags: Cloud security Identity & access management SaaS security
TL;DR

Detect and reduce admin access with role based access control

To handle admin role sprawl, start by using role based access control (RBAC) to get visibility into who has elevated permissions—across all your platforms. Then, reduce what’s not needed: remove inactive admin accounts, cut overlapping roles, and review changes regularly to prevent drift.

You can use Sola to build an app that gives you exactly that visibility. It scans platforms like AWS, Azure AD, Okta, and other SaaS tools, flags excessive or unused admin roles, and tracks role changes over time.
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Real-world admin sprawl: what it looks like

It’s not just that too many users have admin rights, it’s that those rights are coming from all directions, across services and policies you’ve likely lost track of:

  • AWS: IAM users or roles with AdministratorAccess via managed, inline, or group policies.
  • Azure AD: Users or service principals holding high-privilege roles like Global Administrator or Privileged Role Administrator.
  • Okta: Users with SUPER_ADMIN, ORG_ADMIN, or stacked admin roles across apps.

Over time, this mess piles up — quietly creating risk while looking like business as usual.

How to reduce admin role sprawl

  1. Inventory all privileged roles
    Start by identifying all accounts with elevated roles. You can use Sola’s AI to define everything yourself, or use built-in queries from the Sola app to get a unified view across cloud providers—showing who has access, how they got it, and when it was last used.
  2. Identify overlaps and permission bloat
    Check for users with multiple or overlapping admin roles—especially those showing up in more than one system. These accounts are often over-permissioned by accident. Cross-check roles across AWS, Azure AD, and Okta to find unnecessary duplications.
  3. Clean up dormant account
    Disable or downgrade users and service accounts with admin access that hasn’t been used in 30+ days. These are sitting targets. Start with what’s clearly inactive, then review edge cases with relevant teams.
  4. Track changes going forward
    Even if you clean things up now, privilege drift will creep back in. Monitor new admin assignments, privilege escalations, and role changes to keep your RBAC boundaries tight over time.

Get instant visibility with Sola

Sola lets you build your own access visibility app: no integrations maze, no guesswork. Get a live view of who has admin rights across platforms and tools such as AWS, Azure AD, and Okta – see where the overlaps are, and what’s been sitting idle. It’s the easiest way to take back control of your RBAC model.

Or, you can simply use Sola’s ready-made app for multi-platform admin permissions’ control.

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