10 Points to Keep in Mind About the New User Security Governance in D365 Finance

Microsoft introduced a new User Security Governance (USG) feature starting with version 10.0.43 (preview).
While the technical setup is owned by IT, its true impact is on governance, compliance, and cost control.

Here are 10 key points to understand from a business perspective — for CFOs, project managers, and governance leaders.

1. Greater Visibility of Access

New reports show which users have which roles, responsibilities, and privileges.
👉 For audits or troubleshooting, this reduces blind spots — for example, when asking “why can’t this user approve a payment?”

2. Transparency in License Costs

USG highlights which roles trigger more expensive license types.
👉 This allows you to align security with actual needs and reduce unnecessary licensing costs.

3. Traceability of Changes

All additions or removals of roles, responsibilities, and privileges are logged.
👉 If an issue arises, you can answer precisely: who granted access, when, and under what circumstances.

4. Temporary Role Assignments

Roles can be assigned with an expiry date and removed automatically.
👉 Perfect for replacements, contractors, or one-off projects — without leaving risky access behind.

5. Controlled Privileged Access

Elevated permissions (super-user or admin rights) can be granted temporarily, with monitoring.
👉 This reduces exposure from permanent high-level accounts — a major audit and security concern.

6. Automatic Suggestions Based on Process Recording

New capability: after recording a business process with Task Recorder, USG can analyze it and suggest the appropriate roles, responsibilities, and privileges.
👉 This ensures security design reflects real user activity, not just assumptions.

7. Stronger Segregation of Duties (SoD)

USG continuously checks for conflicts (e.g., a single user can create and pay a vendor).
👉 Critical for compliance frameworks like SOX and for reducing fraud risk.

8. Versioning & Change Management

Roles, responsibilities, and privileges can be versioned and compared.
👉 If a change introduces risk or breaks a process, you can restore a previous version.

9. Cleanup of Inactive Access

“User aging” reports highlight accounts or access rights that are unused.
👉 A simple way to reduce licensing costs and eliminate dormant accounts that pose security risks.

10. Governance Beyond IT

USG requires involvement from finance leaders and project managers, not just IT.
👉 Business leaders must:

• validate sensitive role assignments,
• oversee license impacts,
• ensure compliance with regulations and SoD,
• participate in a governance committee.

✍️ Conclusion

User Security Governance is not just a technical feature. It’s a business control tool that:

• reduces licensing costs 💰,
• strengthens compliance and audit readiness ✅,
• clarifies accountability 👥.

For CFOs and project managers, this is an opportunity to take ownership of security decisions that directly impact compliance, efficiency, and costs.