Capterra Glossary
Access is the ability to obtain something someone wants or needs. When businesses grant data access to their employees, they are providing them with the ability to obtain specific company information. Data access comes in two forms: read-only access or editing access. The difference between the two is that when an employee is granted editing access, they can actually edit the data to which they have access. Read-only access allows employees to only view the data.
Small and midsize businesses often adhere to the principle of least privilege (POLP) when granting their employees access to company data. POLP states that company employees should only be able to access the data they need to do their job. This reduces the risk of cyberattackers gaining access to ultra-sensitive company or customer data by hacking a low-level account.