Least privilege means giving users only the access they need to do their jobs.
An employee in accounting may need access to financial systems but not to the company’s server administration tools. A contractor may need access to one project folder but not the entire SharePoint site.
Limiting access reduces the amount of damage that can happen if an account is compromised.
It also reduces accidental changes.
Least privilege is especially important for administrator accounts, shared folders, cloud applications, and third-party vendors.
Businesses should review permissions regularly because employee roles change over time. Access that made sense two years ago may no longer be needed.
Security is easier when every account has a clear purpose and only the permissions required for that purpose.