Access rights are the specific permissions granted to authenticated users, groups, or system processes to interact with digital resources within an organization's IT environment. As a core component of Identity & Access Management (IAM), these rights define the scope of actions—such as viewing, modifying, creating, or deleting data, or executing particular applications—that an entity is authorized to perform on specific assets like files, databases, applications, or network infrastructure.

The precise allocation of access rights serves as a crucial security control, ensuring that only authorized individuals and systems can interact with sensitive information. Proper management involves principles like least privilege, where users receive only the minimum necessary access to perform their job functions, and segregation of duties to prevent conflicts of interest. These permissions are dynamically managed and regularly reviewed to align with evolving organizational roles, compliance requirements, and threat landscapes, forming the foundation of a secure digital ecosystem.