From A for “Application” to Z for “Withdrawal”: Here’s How a Secure Vacation Cover Works
In short, a secure vacation cover isn’t achieved by cleaning up after the fact, but through a well-defined process. Access rights are requested via self-service, then granted as needed for a limited time, and finally approved by the person in charge. Afterward, they are implemented in the target system, continuously monitored, documented in an audit-proof manner, and automatically revoked upon the user’s return. If you handle every step properly, there’s really nothing left to clean up in the end.
Summer brings packed substitution schedules and empty desks. To ensure nothing falls through the cracks, colleagues take over the tasks of those who are absent and need additional access rights to do so. In day-to-day work, this is, of course, essential. The problem usually arises with what happens afterward. The person who covered for them has long since returned to their own desk, yet the expanded permissions often simply remain in place.
A safe vacation substitution differs from a risky one not in intent, but in the process. That’s why we’ll walk through this process in its entirety here, from A for “application” to Z for “withdrawal.” Each stage is a separate step in the process. We’ve already explained why the time limit is the key component in our article “Substitution Rights That Can Be Revoked, ” and here we’ll now lay out the entire process step by step alongside it.
Let’s look at a real-world example: Sabine from Sales is on vacation for three weeks. Her colleague Tom is taking over the approval of quotes during this time and needs access to a file server directory, a CRM module, and a SharePoint team. We’ll walk through this specific assignment step by step and examine at each stage where the actual difference between “before” and “after” arises.
Why do residual proxy rights pose a security risk?
Each delegation temporarily expands the group of people authorized to access sensitive data and systems. As long as access is revoked once the absence ends, this isn’t a problem. In practice, however, this rarely happens on its own. If temporary access rights are granted manually, they must also be revoked manually—and often, this simply doesn’t happen.
Over time, many small delegations gradually lead to a creeping proliferation of permissions. Ultimately, a single person ends up with access to a dozen areas that have long since ceased to have anything to do with their actual role. Experience shows that people tend to underestimate how quickly manual permission assignments can turn into a real risk.
This poses a problem for information security in two ways. Every unnecessary privilege increases the attack surface, because a compromised account can ultimately cause as much damage as its privileges allow. At the same time, the accumulation of privileges contradicts the principle of least privilege. Standards such as ISO 27001, NIS2, the BSI IT-Grundschutz, and the GDPR require precisely this minimal and traceable assignment of permissions. Undocumented legacy permissions from past delegations are therefore not only a security risk but also a compliance risk.
Step-by-Step Guide to Vacation Substitutions, from Request to Automatic Cancellation
A for Application: Requesting a substitute through Self-Service
It all starts with the need, not with the right. Before Tom receives anything at all, a request for access must first be submitted—ideally via self-service by the department itself, without having to go through an IT ticket. The request specifies who Tom is representing, what tasks he will take on, and for how long this arrangement is to apply. This ensures that, from the very first second, it is documented why additional access is being granted in the first place.
In the past, this was usually done verbally—along the lines of “Could you just give Tom access to Sabine’s folder?”—and thus left no trace whatsoever. Today, instead, there is a documented request specifying the reason, scope, and timeframe.
B for “Time-Limited”: Set time limits on access rights from the very beginning
The most important step in ensuring a secure vacation substitution happens right at the beginning. That’s when two things are determined. First, the scope of access: Tom is granted only the permissions he actually needs to approve the quote—not blanket access to everything Sabine has access to. Second, the time frame is defined, since the authorization to act as a substitute is not granted as a permanent arrangement but is assigned a clear start and end date from the very beginning—typically for the duration of the absence.
This idea simply turns conventional logic on its head. Instead of granting rights and then hoping that someone will think about revoking them later, revocation is built into the system from the very beginning. In this way, security does not result from discipline applied after the fact, but rather from the system’s design from the outset.
F for “Approval”: Authorize access by the person in charge
A request alone does not constitute authorization. Before access actually takes effect, it must be approved by the responsible person—for example, Sabine’s supervisor or the relevant data owner. This clarifies from the outset who is ultimately responsible for the decision. This clear accountability is not a bureaucratic end in itself, but exactly what auditors want to see later on: a documented and authorized approval rather than a silent expansion of access rights.
U for Implementation: Setting Up Temporary Permissions in AD, File Servers, and SharePoint
Now access is actually being set up—specifically where Tom works—across Active Directory, file servers, SharePoint, and line-of-business applications. With the BAYOOSOFT Access Manager , these access rights can be assigned across systems and, at the same time, set to expire after a specific period. The substitute’s access is set up for the defined period and automatically includes the end date stored in Station B. There’s no need for a separate note or follow-up reminder, because the expiration date is part of the access right itself from the outset.
U for monitoring, target-actual comparison, and proactive auto-correction
While Tom is filling in, the target state isn’t simply left to its own devices. A continuous target-actual comparison constantly checks whether the actual permissions still match the defined structure. If a deviation does occur—for example, because a direct permission was granted outside the role model—the proactive auto-correction detects this deviation and resolves it based on predefined rules. This ensures that no new uncontrolled growth occurs during the coverage period.
N for Documentation: An audit-proof audit trail is continuously generated
Every single step is logged in an audit-proof manner, from the request through approval and implementation to subsequent revocation. This creates a complete audit trail that records who was granted what access, when, on what basis, and for how long. This documentation is generated automatically as part of day-to-day operations, rather than having to be painstakingly compiled shortly before an audit. Ultimately, this significantly reduces the workload associated with recertification .
R for Return, the critical moment that is no longer one
At some point, Sabine will return from vacation. In many organizations, this is precisely the critical moment, because the reason for the temporary replacement has suddenly disappeared, but no one really feels responsible for reclaiming her rights. In a well-structured process, however, the return is pleasantly uneventful, because the revocation has already been scheduled and no one needs to be reminded of anything.
Z for Revocation: Automatically revoke temporary access rights
When the time limit expires, Tom’s authorization to act on behalf of others is automatically revoked. No reminders, no ticket tracking, and no manual checks are required. The temporary access right simply ends because that is exactly how it was designed from the start. Afterward, Tom once again has exactly the rights associated with his own role, and the least-privilege state is thus restored without any action on his part.
In the past, Tom’s additional permissions would have simply remained in place and resurfaced a year later in the audit as “Why does he actually have access?” Today, they’ve been removed on the expiration date—clearly documented and traceable—all without any manual effort.
How can temporary access rights be automatically revoked?
To ensure that this process ultimately works as intended, several mechanisms work together in the BAYOOSOFT Access Manager.
This ensures that the principle of granting only the minimum necessary permissions is maintained over the long term, even across many vacation periods. This significantly reduces the burden of regular recertification, because it prevents orphaned permissions from arising in the first place—permissions that would otherwise have to be painstakingly reviewed and revoked one by one later on.
Less Work for IT, Business Units, and Compliance
The obvious benefit, of course, is the time saved. No one has to spend time after the summer going through long lists, verifying permissions, and revoking them one by one. The less obvious—but actually more important—benefit is the consistently small attack surface, because permissions exist only as long as they’re actually needed and are reliably revoked afterward.
For IT, this means less routine work and significantly fewer follow-up requests. For the business units, it means that temporary replacements can be set up quickly and easily. And for everyone responsible for compliance, it ensures an authorization structure that remains clean, traceable, and auditable at all times.
Vacation cover isn’t really a security issue, but the permissions left behind certainly are. If you always revoke temporary permissions only after the fact, sooner or later you’ll simply lose track of them. On the other hand, if you set up the process properly—from A for “application” to Z for “revocation”—and limit permissions right from the start, you won’t have to clean up the mess later. That way, you can enjoy a relaxed summer, keep the permission structure clean, and keep the attack surface pleasantly small.
