Request creation and approval

Depending on how you've set up Access Requests to manage requests, requesters can use the Okta End-User Dashboard, Slack, or Microsoft Teams to submit requests for a resource if you have one or more active request types or conditions.

Requesters can cancel a submitted request using the Access Requests web app if a team member or approver hasn't taken any action on it. They receive a notification about the request cancellation based on the notification preferences that they've set up.

A user can also submit requests on behalf of another user from the End-User Dashboard, Slack, or Microsoft Teams if they're both an audience for a request type or condition. Request creators and requesters can receive notifications about the request in Microsoft Teams and Slack based on their notification settings. The System Log records the user who created the request.

For example, a manager can request access to apps on a new employee's behalf so that they're available on their first day. The new employee doesn't have to request access to apps after they join the team.

Org-wide Access Requests settings

Most Access Requests settings apply only to the app, resource collection, or admin roles that you configure them for. See Configure app request settings to set up who can request access on behalf of another user or how separation of duties conflicts are handled.

Other settings apply to your entire org. These settings affect every user, app, and resource collection, regardless of any app- or resource-collection-specific configuration.

You can control which users can see and use the Request access button and the resource catalog. See Configure resource catalog entry point visibility.

Requester experience

The process of requesting access to resources is the same, regardless of whether resource access is managed by conditions or by request types. As an admin, you have the flexibility to use either or both methods together based on your requirements.

Requesting access using the Okta End-User Dashboard

  • Requests managed by access request conditions:

    After you set up access request conditions for an app or resource collection, users who meet those conditions can request access to the app or collection directly from the resource catalog of their dashboard, or from Slack or Microsoft Teams. If the conditions include a requester-specified access duration, users indicate how long they need access (up to a limit that you configure).

    If you've defined separation of duty (SOD) rules for an app and configured access request settings for the app or resource collection, requester experience may vary based on the access request settings. See Configure app request settings.

    By default, all requests are marked as private so only the requester, request assignee, and users who are assigned to a step in the request can see it.

    If you're new to Access Requests, use conditions to manage access requests first.

  • Requests managed by request types:

    Requesters can use the Okta End-User Dashboard, Slack, or Microsoft Teams to submit requests for a resource if you have one or more active request types.

    When users request access from their dashboard, request types appear as tiles alongside apps and collections. The settings for a request type's audience continue to govern which users can view the request type on their dashboard and request access.

    By default, all users can view requests. You can mark a submitted request as private or you can update your team settings to mark all incoming requests for the team as private. See Create an Access Requests team.

See End-User Dashboard.

Requesting access using Slack and Microsoft Teams

When requesting access through Slack or Microsoft Teams, if a requester sends a message stating, I need a Grammarly account or I need to access Jira, Okta tries to identify the resource that best fits the request. If Okta doesn't classify a request correctly, the requester can manually adjust the request.

After integrating with Slack, you can control which actions users are allowed to take from the Settings page. If you've turned on the Submit requests toggle, users can submit access requests directly from Slack without being redirected to the End-User Dashboard. The toggle applies to both access requests that are managed by request types and conditions.

See Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Approver experience

The approver experience depends on whether the approver takes action within the Okta Access Requests web app, Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email. To understand the approval steps in the Okta Access Requests web app, see Manage tasks.