# entitlement

Source: https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/entitlement/
Last updated: 2026-08-29
License: content by Start with Identity. Cite the source URL.

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A specific permission or right an identity holds over a resource. Governance and CIEM exist to keep entitlements understood, justified, and minimal.

Entitlements are the unit governance actually operates on, and the reason IGA programs stall is that the raw names are meaningless to the humans reviewing them: `APP_FIN_GL_RW_PROD` tells a manager nothing. Programs that succeed invest in translating entitlements into business language and grouping them into roles, so certification asks "should this person approve payments" rather than "should this person hold this group".

See also: [access certification](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/access-certification/), [what is IGA](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/what-is-iga/), [least privilege](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/least-privilege/), [role mining](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/role-mining/)