Best UAR Tools for
‍NIST Compliance (2025 Edition)

Compliance leaders face a rapidly shifting landscape as federal, defense, and critical infrastructure regulations increasingly mandate strict access governance. Frameworks like NIST 800-53, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), and NIST 800-171 make access reviews and automation a cornerstone for passing audits, enforcing least privilege, and combatting risks like insider threats and privilege creep. In 2025, security teams must move beyond manual spreadsheets and fragmented checklists: digital transformation demands a purpose-built UAR solution to ensure compliance and operational resilience.

Why UARs Are Essential for NIST Compliance

User Access Reviews are not optional for regulated businesses—they are explicitly required by core NIST controls and increasingly a condition for contracts such as CMMC in the federal sector.

• NIST mandates systematic review of accounts, remote access, and privilege assignments, placing UARs at the center of compliance, risk reduction, and auditability.
• Manual processes can’t keep up with today’s attack volume or satisfy auditors—automation transforms access governance from a compliance burden into a source of strategic security value.

Where UARs Fit in NIST Security Controls

Several major NIST frameworks directly reference access review, account management, and privileged access:

• NIST 800-53: AC-2, AC-6, AC-17, and AU-6 specify requirements for periodic account review, least privilege, remote access, and audit logging.
• NIST CSF (Cybersecurity Framework): PR.AC emphasizes the need to restrict and manage access to systems based on organizationally defined criteria.
• NIST 800-171: Controls 3.1.2 and 3.1.5 mandate limiting system access to authorized users and enforcing least privilege.

UAR Requirements Mapped to NIST Controls

Modern UAR Tool Checklist: What to Look For

Organizations succeeding with NIST compliance invest in automation, intelligence, and broad integrations. A comprehensive UAR solution should provide:

• Risk-Based UAR Workflows
  • Automate campaign prioritization based on risk, privilege sensitivity, or unusual access activity.
  • Focus reviewer effort on real threats rather than status-quo confirmations.
• JML (Joiner-Mover-Leaver) Lifecycle Integration
  • Automatically trigger reviews when users join, change roles, or exit.
  • Maintain continuously accurate access aligned to HR events.
• Comprehensive Evidence Collection
  • Maintain immutable, audit-ready logs of all review actions, user comments, and decision timestamps.
  • Provide full evidence packages on demand for compliance audits.
• Support for RBAC and ABAC
  • Conduct reviews at both role and attribute levels for dynamic, adaptive control.
• Enterprise-Grade Integrations
  • Connect to Identity Providers, HRIS, ITSM platforms, and 200+ business-critical apps.
  • Orchestrate access provisioning/deprovisioning without manual intervention.
• Segregation of Duties (SoD) Policy Enforcement
  • Detect and flag toxic permission combinations.
  • Ensure compliance with policies such as separation of payment and approval duties.

Buyer's Mini-Checklist for NIST-Focused UARs:

• Automated review campaign orchestration
• Risk-based prioritization and reviewer intelligence
• Real-time JML triggers and policy-driven decisions
• Immutable, detailed audit trails
• Broad, no-code integrations with critical systems
• SoD and least privilege enforcement with actionable insights

For a comprehensive understanding of the most effective current User Access Review solutions, refer to our previous article where we listed the best modern UAR tools. In that detailed guide, we explored the strengths, features, and suitability of these platforms for different organizational scales and regulatory requirements, providing an essential resource to help you identify the right automation and intelligence capabilities to drive your compliance initiatives forward.

https://www.balkan.id/buyers-guide/user-access-review-software

Platform Comparison: Top UAR Tools for NIST Compliance (2025)

A clear market shift is underway toward platforms offering automation, comprehensive evidence, and seamless integrations. Here’s how leading vendors stack up for NIST controls:

Platform Deep Dives

BalkanID

Key Strengths:

• Purpose-Built UAR Platform: BalkanID is specifically designed for User Access Reviews and identity governance, offering both self-managed and fully managed service options
• Graph-Based Intelligence: Uses advanced graph technology to identify high-risk access patterns, relationships, and privilege creep across connected systems
• Comprehensive Integration Ecosystem: Supports 200+ pre-built integrations with SaaS applications, HRIS systems, and identity providers for complete visibility
• AI-Powered Automation: Leverages artificial intelligence to reduce manual reviewer effort and provide risk-based prioritization
• Managed Services Option: Offers fully managed UAR and lifecycle management services for organizations with limited internal bandwidth

Best Use Cases:

• GRC teams and security professionals requiring purpose-built UAR automation with comprehensive NIST compliance support
• Enterprises and mid-market companies needing audit-ready solutions to automate compliance and reduce identity risk
• Organizations seeking both platform capabilities and managed service options to fully offload access review operations

NIST Control Coverage:

• Provides comprehensive evidence collection, SoD enforcement, and audit reporting designed for regulatory compliance frameworks
• Supports lifecycle automation and policy enforcement aligned with access control requirements

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ConductorOne

Key Strengths:

• Unified Human and Non-Human Identity Governance: First platform to provide comprehensive management of both traditional user accounts and service accounts, API keys, certificates, and AI agents
• Autonomous Governance Engine: Multi-agent platform that manages identities at massive scale with AI-powered automation
• Risk-Based Reviewer Intelligence: Provides contextual insights and recommendations to access reviewers through AI-powered analysis

Best Use Cases:

• Cloud-native organizations looking to embed access management directly into developer and IT workflows
• Security teams needing unified governance for both human and non-human identities with advanced automation
• Companies requiring dynamic access controls and just-in-time provisioning to support modern DevOps practices

NIST Control Coverage:

• Strong alignment with NIST CSF PR.AC controls and 800-53 AC family requirements through automated review cycles
• Just-in-time access capabilities specifically support least privilege enforcement mandated by AC-6
• Comprehensive audit trails for access decisions support AU-6 requirements

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ZillaSecurity

Key Strengths:

• Comprehensive Compliance Automation: Automated audit processes generate real-time reports and audit trails, supporting SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR requirement
• Cloud-Native Architecture: Modern platform built from scratch for today's SaaS and cloud environments

Best Use Cases:

• Organizations seeking comprehensive identity governance with AI-driven compliance automation
• Companies needing to centralize identity security posture management across hybrid environments
• Businesses requiring automated access reviews with clear evidence packages for audit preparation

NIST Control Coverage:

• Supports AC-2 and AU-6 with comprehensive review and logging features for account management and audit requirements
• SoD policy enforcement addresses risk-based access control requirements
• Real-time compliance monitoring supports continuous adherence to NIST frameworks

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Zluri

Key Strengths:

• SaaS-Focused Discovery: Comprehensive SaaS application discovery using nine different methods for complete visibility into shadow IT
• Renewal Management: Proactive license renewal tracking and alerts to prevent unwanted auto-renewals

Best Use Cases:

• Mid-sized organizations in early stages of their compliance journey, primarily focused on SaaS visibility and cost management
• Teams requiring rapid deployment with minimal technical expertise and quick time-to-value
• Companies needing to combine SaaS asset management with basic access review capabilities

NIST Control Coverage:

• Provides partial support for AC-2 by identifying user accounts and automating basic access reviews
• Limited support for complex enterprise access patterns and advanced risk-based workflows
• Basic compliance reporting suitable for SaaS environments but may require supplementation for comprehensive NIST adherence

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Okta (IGA) & Microsoft Entra ID Governance

Key Strengths:

• Native Ecosystem Integration: Both platforms offer seamless integration within their respective identity ecosystems (Okta Identity Cloud and Microsoft Azure/Office 365)
• Established Infrastructure: Leverage existing identity provider relationships and administrative familiarity
• Basic Certification Campaigns: Support for fundamental access review workflows with manager approval processes

Best Use Cases:

• Organizations heavily standardized on Okta or Microsoft platforms seeking native UAR capabilities
• Companies in early stages of access governance looking for basic certification functionality
• Environments where integration complexity and cost are primary concerns over advanced features

NIST Control Coverage:

• Okta: Offers minimal, manual support for AC-2 with basic access certification campaigns
• Microsoft Entra: Good coverage of basic NIST requirements with access review automation for groups and applications
• Both platforms require significant manual effort to generate comprehensive audit-ready evidence and lack advanced risk intelligence capabilities compared to specialized UAR tools

Why GRC Suites Fall Short for NIST-Driven UARs

Traditional GRC platforms are valuable for control tracking, policy management, and high-level reporting, but seldom address user access reviews at the depth or speed NIST compliance demands.

• Risk-based intelligence is minimal—GRCs treat UARs as checkbox tasks, not dynamic security processes.
• Reviews are slow and heavily manual, with workflows lacking connectivity to HR/IT sources for JML and provisioning.
• Logs may not tie directly to user decisions, leaving audit gaps and manual remediation efforts.

“Checklists get you started. Risk-based UAR tools help you pass audits with confidence.”

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Tool for Long-Term Compliance

Modern NIST compliance—especially under frameworks like 800-53, CSF, and 800-171—requires more than compliance reporting. Automation, complete audit trails, and native integrations allow security teams to focus on true privilege enforcement and operational resilience.

• Prioritize platforms with policy-based automation, risk-driven workflows, 200+ pre-built integrations, and robust audit evidence capabilities.
• Remember: UARs are now a cornerstone of both compliance and real-world security. Intelligent solutions like BalkanID, ConductorOne, and ZillaSecurity help buyers move beyond the minimum—building adaptive programs that reduce risk and scale.