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Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is a security service within Microsoft Entra ID that controls and governs access to Azure resources. Administrators can assign resource roles to users in one of two lifecycle states: eligible or active. An eligible role assignment does not grant immediate permissions, meaning the user must manually trigger an activation process when they need to perform privileged tasks. In contrast, an active role assignment grants immediate, continuous access to the resource, which bypasses the activation step but requires stricter controls like mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA).
When a user requests to transition an assignment from eligible to active, the request triggers a structured workflow based on configured activation settings. Administrators define approval workflows that can require multiple stages of approval from designated approvers, such as managers or IT security teams, before access is approved. The activation policy also enforces a maximum activation duration to ensure that elevated privileges automatically expire after a set period. To maintain accountability and provide data for security audits, the system requires the requesting user to input a business justification explaining why they need the access.
To maintain compliance with security standards, organizations use access reviews to continuously evaluate whether users still require their privileged roles. These reviews can be scheduled on a recurring basis as part of identity governance, prompting resource owners or users themselves to certify that the assigned access is still necessary. If a reviewer denies access or if a user fails to respond within the designated timeframe, the system can automatically revoke the assignment. This process ensures that temporary or stale access permissions do not persist indefinitely, which consistently enforces the principle of least privilege.
Organizations can extend the native capabilities of identity governance by integrating Azure Logic Apps to build custom workflows. These Logic Apps trigger automatically when specific PIM events occur, such as when a role assignment is modified, activated, or nearing expiration. Administrators use these automated workflows to send customized notifications to internal communication channels, log details to external security tools, or trigger additional compliance checks. This automation ensures that IT operations and security teams can easily monitor and audit privilege changes across the environment.