ApproveThis manages your SailPoint Integration approvals.

Why Approval Automation Matters for Companies That Actually Care About Security

Let's cut to the chase: manual approval processes for identity management are a ticking time bomb. Someone forgets to click "approve" on a new contractor's access. A department head misses an email about role changes for a transferred employee. Suddenly, you've got either productivity gridlock or – worse – security vulnerabilities.

That's where pairing ApproveThis with SailPoint turns into your secret weapon. SailPoint handles the heavy lifting of identity governance – who has access to what, when, and why. ApproveThis handles the human layer: making sure the right people actually sign off on those access decisions before they go live. Together, they automate the entire chain from request to approval to provisioning – without creating new busywork.

The Nuts and Bolts: How This Integration Actually Works

We're using Zapier as the middleman here because nobody wants to deal with API documentation at 3 PM on a Tuesday. Here's the basic flow:

• Trigger: Something happens in SailPoint – new identity created, access role changed, etc.
• Action: Zapier pings ApproveThis to create a tailored approval request
• Resolution: Approved? SailPoint provisions access. Denied? Everyone gets notified and IT doesn't waste time.

The kicker? Approvers in ApproveThis don't need SailPoint licenses. Huge for companies working with external partners or contractors who need to greenlight access but shouldn't have full system access themselves.

Real-World Use Cases That Don't Suck

1. New Employee Onboarding That Doesn't Require 17 Follow-Up Emails

The Problem: HR creates a new identity in SailPoint for John in Accounting. John needs access to 6 systems. Without automation, this triggers a game of CC-all email tag between HR, IT, and department heads.

The Fix: When SailPoint detects a new identity, ApproveThis automatically routes approval requests to:

• John's manager (confirms role)
• IT security (validates requested access levels)
• Compliance officer (if dealing with financial systems)

Who This Helps: Tech companies with high contractor turnover, healthcare orgs managing PHI access, any business scaling past 200 employees where manual onboarding becomes a liability.

2. Stopping "Shadow IT" Before It Starts

The Problem: Marketing suddenly needs admin access to a SaaS tool. They ask IT...or they just ask the vendor directly. Either way, SailPoint doesn't know about it, and now you've got ungoverned access.

The Fix: Any access request – even those initiated outside SailPoint – gets funneled through ApproveThis. The workflow:

1. Employee submits request via ApproveThis form
2. Approval chain includes budget owner + security team
3. Once approved, Zapier pushes the sanctioned request to SailPoint

Who This Helps: Fast-growing startups where departments operate autonomously, enterprises with strict compliance needs (looking at you, financial services).

3. Emergency Access Removal Without the Panic

The Problem: An employee leaves under...let's say "complicated" circumstances. HR updates their SailPoint status to inactive, but approvals to revoke specific system accesses get lost in the shuffle.

The Fix: SailPoint triggers an ApproveThis workflow requiring confirmation from both HR and the employee's former manager before final access termination. Creates an audit trail that's gold during compliance reviews.

Who This Helps: Companies in regulated industries, remote-first orgs where physical offboarding isn't possible, anyone who's ever had an ex-employee accidentally still on payroll systems.

Setup: It's Simpler Than You Think (We Promise)

If you can set up a Slack channel, you can handle this:

1. Connect the Dots in Zapier: Link your SailPoint and ApproveThis accounts (takes 2 minutes)
2. Pick Your Triggers: New identity created? Access role change? SailPoint event dictates when ApproveThis jumps in
3. Build Your Approval Chain: Drag-and-drop approvers, set escalation rules, add conditional logic (e.g., expenses over $5k auto-include CFO)
4. Test With a Small Team: Run a pilot with your IT department before company-wide rollout

Pro Tip: Use ApproveThis' Calculated Fields to auto-flag high-risk requests. Example: If SailPoint detects access requests containing both "admin privileges" and "third-party vendor," require extra approvals from legal.

Why Your IT Team Will Stop Hating Approval Processes

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: most approval tools add more work for IT. This combo does the opposite.

Email-Based Approvals: IT admins can approve/deny requests directly from their inbox. No new logins to remember.

Vacation Delegation: When your network admin is on PTO, approvals auto-route to their backup. No more "waiting on Gary" hold-ups.

Real-Time Dashboards: Instant visibility into which access requests are pending, approved, or stuck in limbo. Cuts down on "status update" meetings by roughly 90%.

Compliance Teams Rejoice: Audit Trails That Don't Require a PhD to Understand

Every ApproveThis workflow tied to SailPoint leaves a breadcrumb trail:

• Who approved/delayed/rejected each request
• Timestamps down to the second
• Comments from approvers (because "Looks good" isn't an audit comment)

During audits, you can filter requests by SailPoint event type, department, or risk level. Try doing that with email chains.

Scaling Without the Headcount (Yes, Really)

Example: A 500-person fintech company uses this integration to handle 1200+ monthly access requests with 1.5 FTE in IT (down from 4). How?

Approval Thresholds: Routine low-risk requests (e.g., adding a new hire to the company Slack) auto-approve if they match pre-defined templates.

Consensus-Based Groups: For sensitive requests (database admin access), require 3/5 designated approvers to agree. No more bottlenecks waiting for unanimous consent.

Conditional Routing: Access requests involving HIPAA or GDPR data get extra legal review automatically. No human needed to flag them.

Bottom Line: This Isn't Just About Saying "Yes" Faster

It's about:

• Eliminating the 6-hour workday spent chasing approvals
• Turning "Who approved this?!" panic into a 10-second dashboard search
• Letting SailPoint handle the technical governance while ApproveThis handles the human decision-making

The best part? You don't have to be a SailPoint expert to benefit. If your team already uses it for identity management, adding ApproveThis is like giving them a productivity steroid shot.

Ready to Stop Being a Human Router for Approval Requests?

If you made it this far, you've got two options:

1. Keep doing approvals manually and hope nobody important notices the inefficiencies
2. Book a 15-minute demo to see how this integration could chop your approval times by 60%+

We both know which option your future self will thank you for choosing.