Introduction
As businesses increasingly adopt a hybrid tech stack—blending cloud-based platforms (like Microsoft 365, Salesforce, or AWS) with on-premise software (like ERP, HRMS and legacy systems)—managing access requests securely and efficiently has become a complex challenge. IT teams face the daunting task of balancing speed, compliance and control when provisioning access to applications across multiple departments and user types.
Manual processes—email chains, spreadsheets and verbal approvals—often result in inconsistent access provisioning, delayed onboarding and audit failures.
Flow+ eliminates these inefficiencies with automated, multi-stage access request workflows tailored to both cloud and on-premise applications, ensuring IT governance and operational agility.
Challenges with Manual Access Request Handling
Organizations often face common roadblocks when managing app access:
- Inconsistent Approvals: No standard policy for who approves what.
- Delayed Access: Manual routing leads to onboarding delays.
- Security Risks: Lack of audit trails and access logs opens vulnerabilities.
- Non-Compliance: Inability to prove access controls during IT or security audits.
- No Visibility: IT teams don't know where requests are stuck or who approved access.
Without structured workflows, the entire access lifecycle becomes fragmented, inefficient and non-compliant.
Why Multi-Stage Approval is Crucial for Access Provisioning
Not all access requests are equal. For example:
- An intern requesting VPN access may require only team lead approval.
- A finance manager requesting access to cloud-based payroll systems may need approvals from HR, IT and InfoSec.
- Access to an on-premise ERP system may require a legal and compliance review.
Multi-stage approvals allow organizations to tailor the access workflow based on user role, application type, sensitivity level, or compliance category, ensuring only the right people have access to the right resources.
How Flow+ Simplifies Access Requests
Flow+ enables organizations to create custom, multi-stage workflows that route access requests to the appropriate stakeholders based on predefined business rules.
Here’s how it works:
- User submits a digital access request form—via a secure portal.
- Workflow logic routes the request—based on app type, department, or role.
- Stakeholders review and approve—each stage is logged with timestamp and user ID.
- IT receives final request with all approvals—ready for secure provisioning.
- Audit trails and notifications—keep everyone informed and compliant.
No more chasing approvals via email. No more guesswork for IT.
Key Features of Flow+ for IT Access Workflows
- Rule-Based Routing: Define custom logic based on app type, role, or business unit.
- Custom Approval Chains: Set conditional multi-level approvals—for example, "If request is for Finance app and user is a contractor, route to Legal + CISO."
- Role-Based Access Control: Ensure sensitive apps have tighter, multi-person approvals.
- SLA & Auto-Escalation: Set time limits for approval, with escalation to next-level authorities if delayed.
- Integrated with Forms+: Combine with Forms+ to auto-fill data from master records (e.g., employee ID, department, manager).
- Dashboard & Analytics: Track pending requests, approval bottlenecks and request trends over time.
- Audit-Ready Logs: Full visibility into who requested, who approved and when—critical for compliance audits.
Real-World Use Case
A global consulting firm used Flow+ to automate access requests for tools like Trello, Salesforce and their on-prem SAP system.
Before Flow+:
- Access provisioning took 5-7 days.
- IT received incomplete request emails.
- No audit logs to prove who approved what.
After Flow+:
- Users submitted access requests via smart Forms+.
- Flow+ auto-routed requests to team leads, department heads and IT security.
- End-to-end request-to-access cycle reduced to 1 day.
- Fully compliant with ISO 27001 and DPDP audit trails.
Benefits of Using Flow+ for IT Access Requests
- Faster Onboarding & Access Provisioning: Enable new hires or cross-functional users to get access within hours, not days.
- Policy-Driven Access: Standardize who approves what—based on rules, not exceptions.
- End-to-End Traceability: Track every request from submission to final provisioning.
- Enhanced Compliance: Meet IT, ISO, SOC 2, GDPR and DPDP audit requirements with complete logs.
- Reduced IT Workload: No more chasing approvals—let the system route requests and alert stakeholders.
- Improved Security Posture: Avoid over-provisioning and ensure the right access goes to the right people.
Conclusion
As digital ecosystems grow more complex, manual access request handling is no longer scalable—or secure.
Flow+ empowers IT and compliance teams with automated, multi-stage approval workflows for both cloud-based and on-premise applications. From first request to final provisioning, every step is logged, secured and streamlined.
Don’t let access requests slow your business down—or open you up to compliance risk.
Ready to automate IT access workflows with Flow+?
Book a free demo and see how your organization can centralize, accelerate and secure access provisioning like never before.
