A SailPoint alternative for Microsoft 365 access reviews
SailPoint is a full identity governance platform, and for many organisations it is the right one. If the job you actually need done is "every object in Microsoft 365 has an owner who confirms it is still needed, with evidence", a narrower tool does it in days instead of months.
Two different jobs
Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) suites like SailPoint cover the whole identity lifecycle: provisioning into many applications, role models, access requests, segregation-of-duties rules and certification campaigns across the estate. That breadth is why they come with enterprise licensing, connector projects and an implementation partner.
Ownership Registry covers one part of that picture for Microsoft 365: an inventory of shared mailboxes, groups, Teams, SharePoint sites and service principals, a named owner for each, and a recurring attestation by that owner, recorded in an append-only audit log.
Side by side
| Full IGA suite (e.g. SailPoint) | Ownership Registry | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Identities and entitlements across many applications | Ownership and attestation of Microsoft 365 objects and service accounts |
| Provisioning | Yes, via connectors | No. Read-only by design |
| Time to first review | Typically a project of several months | Days: connect, scan, import known owners |
| Licensing | Enterprise suite licensing | Per deployment, quoted on scope, no per-user fee |
| Where data lives | Usually the vendor’s cloud | Your own PostgreSQL database |
| Shared mailbox ownership | Usually through additional connectors or configuration | Built in, with primary and backup owner |
And Microsoft Entra ID access reviews?
Entra ID Governance includes access reviews for group memberships, application assignments and privileged roles, and it needs Entra ID P2 or Entra ID Governance licences for the users in scope. It answers "should this person still be in this group?".
It does not answer "who is accountable for this shared mailbox, this SharePoint site or this service principal?". Those objects have no owner field to review. Ownership Registry adds that record, keeps it current when people leave, and can sit next to Entra access reviews rather than replace them.
When SailPoint is the better choice
- You need automated provisioning and deprovisioning into many applications beyond Microsoft 365.
- You run role-based access models or segregation-of-duties controls, for example under SOX across ERP systems.
- You have an identity team and the budget for an IGA programme.
If none of those apply and your auditor’s question is about periodic access review and accountability, the narrower tool is usually enough. See pricing and deployment options.
Comparison questions
Can Ownership Registry replace an IGA suite?
Not in general. It does not provision accounts or manage roles. It replaces the part many organisations buy an IGA suite for first: periodic access review with named owners and audit evidence, for Microsoft 365.
Can we run it next to SailPoint or Entra access reviews?
Yes. It is read-only and keeps its own records, so it does not conflict with other governance tools. Many objects it covers, such as shared mailboxes and service principals, are ones those tools do not assign owners to.
How long does it take to get running?
Connecting the read-only app registration takes under an hour, and the first scan fills the registry the same day. Owners start receiving attestation requests on the schedule you set.
Compare it on your own tenant
A 30-minute read-only demo shows how many of your Microsoft 365 objects have no owner today. Book a demo